And through the trees, like a shadow, the admin emerged.

His first thought was one of a ferris wheel. That thought was quickly shelved as Howard cocked his head in confusion. He held up a finger, wondering what to say to the Head Ranger standing across from him, before simply shaking his head and shrugging. There had been some note about this, he was sure.

Buried under a metric ton of paperwork, but there.

"Training, Razz?" He gave the Kubfu a look, thinking of an Urshifu that he had traveled with in Galar. "How diligent."

He coughed into a fist.

"Try not to bust any tombstones."

---

Raziel Beckett

"I know there's a really annoying monkey that I want to kick off a cliff." Howard's lighter ignited with a flick as he puffed at a cigarette. If they were dealing with the Loyal Three, this was going to be a long and likely miserable day. "And that if people listened to me a year ago, this wouldn't be a problem."

Howard was remarkably good at dealing with the Loyal Three by this point. He had trashed them a few times, now. Plus, if he could stare down Absinthe Blackwood's Fezandipiti while getting slammed at her bar, he was basically invincible.

Fortunately for Raziel, Howard was anything but accepting. If he wanted to be called that, then the admin would oblige. It wasn't like he knew Razz Kingsman, anyway. They had met once. There was no connection there. None at all.

"Normally I'd bring Regirock to crush them, but it's busy in Petalburg. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. If you wanted a strong ally to beat them, then I'm not your guy." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Are you planning on chasing them down?"

If he could kill Fezandipiti, he could unshackle Absinthe from her self-imposed chains.

---

Raziel Beckett

Had Raziel been at the bear hunt? Howard didn't remember. Most likely not, because if that had been the case, the Megalopolans would've been far easier to deal with. It had been a weird day, to be sure. The only reason Howard had lucked upon the Toxic Chain was because he wanted grant money for research.

Things were so much more simple then.

"I was hunting for Hoenn's first Bloodmoon Ursaluna for a research paper, and a bunch of Megalopolans attacked us. Toxic Chains aplenty as well. I wrote a report on the matter when I returned to headquarters, but nobody took it seriously." His eye fell upon the corrupted Bulbasaur, his displeasure clear. "And I fear we never will."

People were actually catching and using these Toxic Chained Pokémon on their teams now. Humanity's greatest strength was its ability to integrate all evil into itself, but that also came at a cost.

"I don't approve of using these types of Pokémon. They're anomalies. Be cautious of the fact that it might turn against you." Howard tossed out a second Pokeball of Hisuian make, which opened to reveal Doug. The bear growled at the Bulbasaur and sniffed at it. "The Loyal Three love messing with this bear, so maybe we can get one to show up."

Lucky them.

---

Raziel Beckett

After everything, Theo Beckett was a man who learned little from history. His seizure of Kanto had taught him that all weapons were valid. If the prison hadn't shaken that belief in the Toxic Chain, then nothing would. Unfortunately, Howard had little authority to annul Theo's gifts to Raziel.

Invoking the underboss's wrath was not ideal.

"Yes." He met the grunt's eyes, and he was quickly verified as a Toxic Chained Pokémon attacked. "Dammit!"

Raziel acted first. His Pokémon were faster. Yet Doug lumbered behind while Shirley flew in the air, her eye scanning for other potential opponents. Eventually, she finds one. With a shrill shriek, she dove down towards the earth, causing Howard to look up.

"What th-" Howard muttered as he was hit in the side with a Focus Blast that sent him crashing through the brush. "It's that fucking monkey."

As the admin struggled to rise to his feet, Munkidori glared at the duo with snide eyes.

---

Raziel Beckett