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POSTED ON Oct 4, 2024 7:32:22 GMT

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There are few people alive who know where the Desert Ruins once were. Those that still draw breath have left the region, and the fewer still that remain are firmly in Team Rocket's grasp. Cillian Quinn . Raziel Beckett . Adrian Malcolm . priam conrad . They were the four that whispered of forgotten legacies buried beneath the sands, but even they would have struggled to find the remains of the ruin that had once towered over the desert.

Yet Regirock remembered. It remembered the concept of home.

Home. What a dubious word. What was Regirock's home? The mound of rubble that Team Rocket and the League had marred? The region itself? The primordial womb that Eternatus had birthed its Dynergy-fueled core from?

The luxuries of nebulous programming. The wonders of a language where one word could be interpreted in a thousand different ways.

"Hmmmm..." The admin peered at the inside of a massive crater almost a kilometer deep. Regirock's fist smoked from the energy required to make such an impact. "Yep. Yep yep yep."

He looked at the underboss with a face that wasn't his, long hair buffeted by the hot wind of the desert.

"This is it. We're lucky Registeel didn't destroy this part of the desert during its fit. Then again, it was probably programmed against destroying it." The admin scratched his cheek with a Dynergy infused fingernail. "Lucky us."

The entrance would be familiar to Cillian. It was the secret passageway that had led deep into the temple's bowels, and away from Regirock. There was no need to fear the temple's guardian, since it was standing next to them, unmoving.

"Shit's probably haunted, man. You guys wrecked it pretty hard. I'm surprised it's still standing."

Cillian Quinn

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POSTED ON Oct 6, 2024 21:58:27 GMT

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Cillian peers down into the entrance, haunted not by ghosts, but memories.[break][break]

"Good think I'm not afraid of ghosts, then."[break][break]

He was afraid of titans that could crush him into a fine, pulp, but Regirock's aggression seemed now to be under howard slayte's control. Cillian and Priam hadn't fought it back then, but they'd still broken into it's - house? Kind of?[break][break]

It's a good thing it doesn't seem to hold a grudge.[break][break]

"You have any idea where it is now?" Cillian lowers his dust mask only once they're inside and safe from the choking sandstorm. The air here tastes stale, untouched. "Registeel, I mean."

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POSTED ON Oct 7, 2024 5:50:08 GMT

"Underground. Beyond that, I don't know. I suspect that it's defending the region from something, as the other giants have done. We can't track it. All we can do is wait for it to awaken and seize it."

As he spoke, the golem discarded a large swath of excess stone in order to shrink itself down. Stone was a common material, and that made it remarkably expendable. What could be shed could be recovered again, when it was needed. It was a flexibility that the admin wished Regice held, but alas.

There was nothing to be done regarding Registeel but wait for it to emerge.

"And I'll catch it, just like the rest." Howard spoke with confidence as darkness enveloped them. An electric lamp lit the way forward. "It's weird, though."

He frowned.

"Sometimes, I feel it. Then I look up at the sky and laugh because I think I'm going insane."

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POSTED ON Oct 8, 2024 2:42:15 GMT

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"Uh-huh. And what was it defending when it tried to kill us?"[break][break]

He understood that the golems were built in defense of the Hoenn region, but he does not think them flawless. If they could not form their own conscious decisions, that didn't mean they couldn't be reprogrammed.[break][break]

By, say, the DRK Triad?[break][break]

Cillian's eyes widen as he watches Regirock shed parts of itself in order to fit the confined space.[break][break]

"Can all of them do that?"[break][break]

An electric lamp's glow is augmented by the fey glitter of an Illumina Sylveon's light, Puca prancing fearlessly into the yawning dark ahead.[break][break]

Cillian fixes howard slayte with a serious look.[break][break]

"If it calls you, answer it." He is gravely serious. "And you might join those of us who've done the same."[break][break]

Some might call Cillian insane for allowing Lugia to flood him with poison, but how else would he have survived the Deep Sea? He did not see legends as gods, but that did not mean he had no faith.

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POSTED ON Oct 8, 2024 6:13:08 GMT

"Home."

The word is echoed through the deep array of tunnels. It bounces off carved stone and ornate runes and causes ghosts to stir from their cryptic haunts. Whether one is dead, alive, or lifeless, home was a universal word. Hoenn is home. This world is home. This universe is home.

"And no. Regirock's stone is common. Regice's ice is hard to replicate."

What lies beyond the veil is not home.

"It unveiled ruins for us as it fled. I suspect that it was protecting them." Howard said, lines of red energy lined his body like circuitry that glowed in the dark, even as a light cut the way forward. "Not that I blame it. I suspect those ruins were where it was born, after all."

He let the revelation sit in the air as stale air filled their lungs. Stale. Unmoving. An archaeologist's delight. He wondered if it excited Cillian as much as it did him.

"I will answer, but not to form the connections that you and the rest of Rocket indulge in." They descend down into a large room, complete with a table of Hoenn. Five statues indicate the positions of ruins. All have been found. "Regirock and Regice would have formed that contract with me by now, if they were capable of it."

He stared down at the carved map of Hoenn.

"They're not. Because they are our avatars, instead of us being theirs."

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POSTED ON Oct 8, 2024 7:44:23 GMT

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"Is it? How so?" Of the golems, he knew most of Registeel, and even that information would barely scratch the surface of what someone like howard slayte understood. "I assume you've tried the Silent Icelands, or the depths of Shoal Cave?"[break][break]

He may be ignorant on the Regis for now, but he's eager to learn. He's always eager. It's why this place fills him with a wonder that softens the image of the shadow into the profile of a man.[break][break]

A terrifying man, but only a man.[break][break]

A nerd, his husband would accuse.[break][break]

"Are golems born?" Created is the word he'd used, but then he hadn't formed any kind of connection with the Regis. He shakes his head. "If they can't now, they might gain the power when they're all brought together. Stranger things have happened in Hoenn. No one thought the Unown could grant a blessing, and yet..."[break][break]

His excitement sours at the thought of Naomi Sato, still bitter about her soft views toward the League.
[break][break]
An eerie howl rattles through old halls. The wind, Cillian hopes.
[break][break]
"There'll be a place somewhere that leads to the rest of the ruin. I've not seen the rest." He's been here before, though, remembers the statuette and the carvings and the stale air.

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POSTED ON Oct 10, 2024 8:52:47 GMT

"Cold, but not cold enough. I suspect there's some trick to it that I don't know, but I haven't studied it enough. Maybe if I went far north, I could find something sufficient. There's no time for it with the war, so I make do."

Maybe if there was less battle on Routes 102 and 104, the admin could go on an expedition to confirm Cillian's suspicions about Shoal Cave and elsewhere. As it was, he simply made do with what he had, and what he had was a lot of rocks. Rocks were common. Ice was not. It wasn't like they could just mine it out of the ground.

"Kyurem's ice might work, but after Dewford, I'd rather not open up Regice up to more interference. Dewford fucked up my arm. Petalburg fucked up my body. There's not much left for me to give for my mistakes."

His heart, maybe. Yet even that no longer belonged to him. Red lines of divine circuitry caused the admin to emit a faint glow, conflicting with Cillian's umbral aura. Magenta mixed with dark purple as the two poked over the ruins.

"Golems and heroes are the same. They're built." Howard frowned as he plucked at the statue resting where Regice's ruins were. He inspected it for a moment. "The giants have never been brought together, but they haven't been awoken in millennia. The only thing I can hope for is that when they're all united, they can kill Eternatus instead of stave it off."

He put the statue back.

"And by then, I'll be done."

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POSTED ON Oct 11, 2024 11:56:47 GMT

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A grave nod of sympathy and understanding is offered. They were chained to Rocket; their time belonged to the syndicate. Any spare time they were allotted was a privilege, not a right.[break][break]

"Where was it created? Perhaps there'd be a clue..."[break][break]

He tenses as howard slayte handles the statue, half expecting walls to move or still rock to spring to life. But all that's disturbed is dust, dancing in Illumina's glow.[break][break]

Cillian lifts the dust mask back up over his face to spare his lungs. It muffles his voice as he muses, "You know, I never did get any good documentation of this place before we had to clear out."[break][break]

No time like the present. He snaps pictures of the ruin, of the carved map.[break][break]

"Done with what?" he dares, after a long pause.

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POSTED ON Oct 14, 2024 6:22:15 GMT

"Each golem's construction is distinct. Each one is an impossibility. Regirock is built from stones found all around the world. Regice is made from unmeltable ice not found in this world. Registeel is made from pieces of Necrozma."

The admin shuddered, face pale as he looked at Cillian from across the table of Hoenn. He took the small statue over Route 120 that represented Registeel, rolling it in an artificial hand. Red lines of Dynergy crisscrossed the admin's palm.

"Keep that secret from the God General, if you don't mind. I'd rather seize it while he thinks it beneath his notice. There is no benefit to Rocket that requires him to capture it."

That was more likely to keep the underboss content than any personal vendetta that the duo shared against the Devourer. If Cillian needed an excuse to keep a secret, then that would likely suffice. It did not improve Rocket's standing, so why bother tattling?

His eye wandered across etched alcoves and ancient runes. Braille that hardly required a touch for the admin to translate echoed in his mind.

"Purpose. Eternatus will be dead and my role in this war will be over. Humanity will have won and we will have reigned supreme as the dominant species. After that..." Howard shrugged, apathetic. "...it will be up to humanity to decide their future."

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POSTED ON Oct 15, 2024 8:22:35 GMT

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"WHAT?"[break][break]

None of the legends he'd heard of Registeel had deigned to mention that little, incredibly significant detail.[break][break]

Shock is quick to frost over into rage.[break][break]

"Necrozma." He spits the name of the Light Devourer like a curse. It does not hold the terrified reverence it once had; years have solidified fear into pure hate. "Why does everything link back to that monster? Wish we'd killed it when we had the chance."[break][break]

It would've cost them Chu-e, though. If they'd starved out its host... but he can't even finish the thought, knowing he wouldn't have had the heart to condemn his friend, even at the height of their fractured relationship.[break][break]

Cillian studies the lines on howard slayte's hand from afar.[break][break]

"You think I'd tell Harcourt anything that'd make him stronger?" His laugh is sharp, harsh. "No. You never told me anything about it."[break][break]

That has more significance than simply concealing it from Zev. He wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Walsh. Let Howard alone decide when it was time, and if the Boss could be trusted not to enforce the Devourer's strengths over those of Admin Fox.[break][break]

"Our purpose does not end with Eternatus."

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POSTED ON Oct 16, 2024 7:02:03 GMT

"Mine does." By this point, the admin was too resigned to hide his true beliefs. He and Cillian had argued over every aspect of morality and obligation that Team Rocket expected, yet both of them were still here. Here, they would continue to stay. "But don't worry, I'm not leaving when Eternatus is dealt with. I'll still fight with you."

He raised an eyebrow, bemused at the underboss's reaction. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You'd kill me, otherwise. I can't beat you, Cillian. Even if I did, you'd crawl out of the Border and ruin my life. You Quinns are impossible to kill." He looked over the map of Hoenn with a tender expression. "But my purpose will have been served. If Eternatus and Necrozma are dead, and the world is repaired, it doesn't matter which side wins. League. Rocket. Two words, and they each describe humanity."

Even if he could beat Cillian, it wouldn't matter. There were too many strong trainers, and the admin was sick of living a life full of fear.

"Do you know why Registeel impresses me?"

A whisper of a long-gone woman echoed through dusty halls.

"Don't worry about me, it's but a flesh wound."

Cillian Quinn

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POSTED ON Oct 17, 2024 10:10:04 GMT

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Seeming to relax as howard slayte speaks the proper words of Rocket loyalty, Cillian nods in silent acceptance. Howard saw himself as working toward a greater goal, for the moment. The underboss could at least respect that he was not doing it by allying with the likes of Greyson Connors.[break][break]

At least, not as far as Cillian or Rocket knew about.[break][break]

"I would."[break][break]

There's no glee in it, nor even a threat. It's simple fact. It's his job, after all. His are the hands soaked in the blood of traitors.[break][break]

He wouldn't be happy about it, he realises. He's grown to respect Howard, in his own way, even if the other man drives him insane at times. That's most people in Rocket. Even Temp makes Cillian want to punch a brick wall, sometimes.[break][break]

"It matters," he says quietly, of victory. Then, "But I can accept it might not matter to you."[break][break]

Of Registeel, he only shakes his head. His gaze seems to ask but you're going to tell me, aren't you?[break][break]

Until it snaps toward a phantom's voice. He swears it's familiar, though he can't place where he's heard it before.[break][break]

"Did you...?"

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POSTED ON Oct 18, 2024 7:20:22 GMT

The admin rolled his eye at Cillian's expression.

"You can never force your viewpoint onto others. Especially when they're educated. It's better to guide a river than to divert it, Cillian. I'm glad that you know that, because it means that you're an underboss worth following." Howard could work with Cillian Quinn. They were both archaeologists with a passion that drove them. They worked in lockstep, content that their motivations did not cause an internal skirmish within Rocket. "It's why our species sits at the pinnacle."

It led into the admin's next point remarkably well. How convenient.

"Mankind's greatest strength is that we can fold the strengths and criticisms of others into ourselves. Think about it. We fought gods, Cillian. Eternatus and Necrozma tried to ruin us, and we took their power and made it our own. Registeel is a piece of Necrozma. It's ours, now. We made it our own. Things that fought against us are now our tools."

Howard chuckled as he placed a carved hand lined with Dynergy scars over his face and chuckled. Archaeology was proof of his pride in their species. They had solved dilemmas that had cursed them a millennia ago.

"So I'm proud to be human. Proud to experience this. I'll even tolerate Rocket if it means I get to see this."

He gestured, then stopped as he heard the whispers of yesterday.

"What the..." Howard turned towards an open tunnel. "Sounded like a guy. That's impossible."

Cillian Quinn

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POSTED ON Oct 19, 2024 9:32:55 GMT

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"Don't be so sure."[break][break]

It's not a threat. There's something grim in the way Cillian says it. Better to guide a river, perhaps, but Rocket would dry up a river that dared get in their way.[break][break]

But Howard didn't know Gavin Merlino, or the Cillian Quinn of before. He wasn't to know the difference.[break][break]

Chu-e's offered to help reverse it, before. He'd refused. Though it was better not to know what they'd done to shape their obedient little soldier. Lugia, though, she hadn't given him the choice. Her dominion over his mind in the Ultra Deep Sea had filled those dry riverbeds with poison.[break][break]

He knew, now, what had been done to him.[break][break]

Bend, or we'll break you. He hadn't been malleable, then.[break][break]

"It's good that you're open to guidance," is all he says, in the end. There's a heaviness to the statement. "And that we're not in Kanto, any more."[break][break]

He doesn't believe in gods, save perhaps for the Original One. What he feels for Arceus is not reverence, but hate. For its children of legendary strength, he is awed by their power, not the divinity that others ascribe to them.[break][break]

"Tolerate Rocket." Cillian laughs. "You chose us."[break][break]

Cillian blinks toward the tunnel. He'd barely caught the voice, still wrapped up in his own head.[break][break]

"I stopped believing anything was impossible after a few summers in Hoenn. What is it?"

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