The sound of a familiar voice caused his eye brows to raise and his ears to perk up, like a hound who just heard their owner call their name. "...Glitch?" Confusion spilled out from his mouth as he was met with the fellow rocket grunt. "You're a gym leader?"

The question hung in the air as he made his way towards the center stage. Inwardly, Ezra's head spun with a thousand and one questions, all questioning both his skills and ability to earn the badge. Friend or not, Glitch's appearance wasn't enough to calm the raging emotions inside him or provide any protection against his worries.

But he pressed on regardless of those fears. He had to. "So, uh, how do we start...?"

---

glitch maverick

- This post takes place post teleport, a day after-

Human life is fleeting. Teetering on the line between life and death; gone after a single last breath.

You live your entire life, only to die in a moment created and defined by someone else.

Cries left unheard, moments left forgotten; there is not even a guarantee the world may even remember your existence.

Ezra, age twenty-four, stared up at his blank ceiling with unblinking eyes. Jaw loosened, his mouth comfortably hung open. The only sound was that of his own breath. Then, a mechanical click cuts through the silence, as his finger firmly pressed down on his voice recorder.

The wheels began to spin.

A static broke out.

Then a hoarse voice.

"It's... April 6th, 4:28pm.

Yesterday, I was assigned a mission to meet up with underboss Chu-e Choi , Head Scientist Lulu Flint , and Katherine Fairburne ."

He paused.

His free hand dug into his comforter, squeezing the lifeless bedsheet between his thin fingers. Lips pressed tightly together, he could feel his eyes begin to water and his breaths begin to go shallow.

"I...I didn't know what was going to happen. I was just told to show up - but I'm just a grunt, so that's fine, right? I thought it was fine. It was supposed to be fine."

The grip on the comforter tightened. His wrists were nearly shaking now, though, none of that mattered to him. Not right now.

"Before I got there, I was sent a text by underboss Chu-e Choi. It said not to hurt anyone inside. Yeah fucking right. When I got to them, the first thing he did was whip out a phone, press down on a button, then boom. A bomb goes off inside."

Venom leaked from his voice as he said this. After, he took a brief moment to recollect himself. To think back on what happen. At this point, his carved lips deepened into a growing frown and pools of water collected at his eyes.

"Fuck man.." He breathed out.

"After...After that, Lulu went inside. Didn't really say much, just went. And I followed. Because...I thought I could at least help out a little bit? I-I don't know. I just thought I could maybe help save some of them. I don't know. It was dumb, but... what else was I supposed to do?"

A tear escaped and traveled down his cheek, eventually settling on the outline of his jaw.

"When I went inside, I saw her [Lulu Flint]."

His heart beat sped up.

" I saw her pull it out. A gun. A fucking gun. I saw her take it out and shoot one of the workers."

His mouth went dry.

"When I heard the gun go off..."

His eyes squeezed close.

"It was like a blur - like time stopped. Everything was so...so clear. The man, Lulu, the gun - I saw everything in slow-motion. Until I didn't"

He gnawed into the insides of his cheeks.

"Some of the blood ended up on me. I saw his [the worker's] head concave. I saw the life leave his eyes. I saw his body hit the ground. I saw his brain splatter. I saw his brain fucking splatter. And I didn't do anything."

More tears began to spill out from his eyes.

"I... just watched it happen."

His voice cracked.

"It's hard to remember much else after that. Looking back, I'm not really sure what was going on, or who was even there. I just remember seeing these things flying around in the sky. Apparently there were a few avatars there that day, including Lulu. They all seemed so...aggressive - fighting for what? I-I don't really know. I spent some time looking into what legendries I saw and...I think I saw Tapu Fini and Darkai, but-but I could be wrong."

There was a long pause. Then, with a quiet whisper, he continued.

"...to be honest, it's been really hard to sleep. Every single damn time I close my I eyes I see his. Every time I hear a loud sound, I hear the shot of pistole for the second time. For the third time. Over and over again. Every time I take a breath or blink, I witness his death all over again. I almost feel guilty. I'm the one who saw his final seconds of life, but...I would do anything to just forget. To never have to see his face in my dreams again."

Sobs fill the room. The voice recorder, which was once placed beside him, was flung to the ground as he was no longer interested in continuing. The once strong man was now a shaking child. Wailing and hollering, curled up around his pillow, fingers dug into it's soft cushion.

Oh boy. As the man attempted to give an example for him to learn off of, Ezra was met with the clear difference in athleticism between the two. Not only did he appear stronger than him (which wasn't saying much), his balance also seemed much more reliable, allowing him to succeed without breaking much of a sweat.



Ezra blinked twice. Then, with another determined huff, he positioned himself next to the vacant rapidash next to him. The Pokémon looked calm and prepared for someone to hoist themselves on top of them. They weren't, however, prepared for that person to be Ezra. With a shaky clap, the man firmly placed both of his hands on the pokemon's back, nestled his foot on the stirrup, and then attempted to lift himself up.



"Tch." He clicked his mouth in frustration as he arms shrugged to support himself to the top. Just a little bit closer.



1 2 3...boom. With eyes squeezed tight, Ezra's body barely managed to support it's climb to the top. But it did.



"I...I did it..." He breathed, restless, "I did it..!"

A frown pressed across his face as his suggestion was dismissed without a second thought. Sure, he wasn't being completely serious with the man, but it wasn't a complete joke either. This hint of disappointment quickly dissipated as his ears perked up to the sound of Matias' voice.

"A Silph?"

The most powerful surname in the entire region. Strong enough to create ripples in any industry it chooses to enter. With two widened brown eyes staring back at him, there was a fleeting look of surprise casted across Ezra's face. "Ye-yeah that would be great!" He immediately fished out his phone from his pocket. Then, with a quick tap or two, his eyes glanced back up at Matias, a visible glint of excitement in them. "What's your contact info? Maybe we can set something up...?"

Matias' answer brought a grin to his face. Oh how he had such a fascination with that line of work! From old detective stories to drama filled tv shows, he loved the very idea of working with the law. Not for the justice aspect of it, though. Ezra was a simple man. All that lured him was the glorified bits and pieces media presented to him. Alas, his classic zingers would have to find satisfaction in being written over being said. "Kanto, huh?" The horrific place his old coworker barely escaped from. Countless untold stories could be found from there. Though, it felt wrong to probe him about it. Some stories are untold for a reason. "Well, if you're ever lookin' for a Dr. Watson..." Ezra jokingly waved his hand, "I would basically make the perfect partner."

As obvious as Glitch's tease was, Ezra instinctively tensed up, shoulders raised to his ears. "Ah- Nono, nothing like that aha..." His eyes glazed over to the ground below. Only after pointlessly defending himself did he realize the lack of intention behind their words. Spazzed out for no reason yet again. Dumbass. He shook his head before averting his eyes back towards the fellow grunt beside him. If he were to make a name for himself, he would have to press out the useless wrinkles of his personality - starting with his aversion towards initiation.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could ask a few questions about that? For an article." Briefly after pausing did he realize Glitch's possible confusion by his sudden suggestion. Not many knew of his life beyond menial grunt work, so, who was he to expect some random to automatically understand. "A-ah, you might be confused. Outside of all of this, I'm a reporter for Vantage. I usually do cutesy fluff pieces and interviews with local influencers," He offered a lopsided grin, "And, well, if you don't mind...I'd love to interview you about your sudden rise. Would make for a g r e a t addition!"

Hazy, fuzzy thoughts rattled in his head. None of them had a clear destination or purpose. They were just there, floating back and forth, occupying his mind in an instinctive effort to retain Ezra's sanity.

"Oh." With a solid plop, the word fell from his mouth like a ball of drool, both heavy and moist. There was nothing else worth saying. Nothing worth communicating. Besides, the infectious fear had already numbed his body and mind, making the process of replying harder than it should've been. A task more daunting than it's worth. So, rather than echo back the man's enthusiasm, Ezra quietly entered the room, his head kept low.

That's when his noticed the various wrinkled faces that filled the room. Confusion overtook the waves of fear inside him as he questioned every inch of these scene before him. Sure, the man who greeted him inside was odd himself, but he held not even a candle light to the sheer absurdity that was his audience. His eyes hurriedly looked back towards the exit only to discover the man's convenient position in front of it. Of course. Ezra was a mouse stuck in a labyrinth set up by the masked fox. There were only two set options left for him: find the cheese or get discarded.

He took a seat.

"Um. I'm..I'm.." Ezra attempted to abide the man's command, but he was struggling to cough them out from the pits of his stomach. They felt lodged deep back in his throat, completely out of his reach. Open, close, open, close, open, close; his chapped lips were stuck in an endless loop. Until they weren't.

"I'm...Ezra...?"

---

Remiel Calcifet

mission

---

The wails from his left elicited a dreadful sigh. Glitch definitely wasn’t the worst grunt to spend his day with, but they definitely weren’t the best. They were brimming with chaotic energy, and well, Ezra was often caught off guard by it.

”Ahaha... noted.” He felt bad for his lackluster response, but he wasn’t quite sure how to react to this abundance of energy. They were just delivering eggs - nothing worth jumping around about.

Stretching out his lips into a tight smile, he looked over at glitch. “SoOoOoO,” he started, elongating the word just enough to give himself the time to figure out what to say next, ”Got any ho-" 

Pause. Like lightening caught in a bottle, Ezra's eyes zapped to life, lighting up his face completely. An idea had sprouted in his head. "Wait, actually, aren't you the new gym leader around here??" The question may've seemed random, and it was to an extent. But, like with all things, there was an obvious intention hidden behind each word. An intention to use this casual mission as a way to gather information.

There are no breaks for a successful reporter. 

The vivid display of colorful emotions was certainly a new sight for him. There was history behind her rage - history he could never come to understand. But, none of that mattered to him. A rocket was a rocket, no matter how amiable or nice they were to him. She was no different. Though, despite knowing this, a part of him secretly pray for her freedom from the source of this rage.

Eyes soft, Ezra directed the Espeon to tighten her grip on the man. As she did so, a bundle of sweat began to converge on his forehead, splitting off into miniature ravines down his face. Ezra nodded at Lex before positioning himself in front of the squirming man. “You, uh, you’ve been running your mouth?” His voice wavered as he spoke, like a yo-yo thrusting itself up and down, never staying in one place for too long. “That’s...bad. Like bad bad.”

The man appeared confused by his captor’s hesitation. It was a stark contrast to that of Lex moments ago. Still, due to Sol's efforts, the man was still left helpless. The psychic grip Sol held over him continued to coil itself around him, growing tighter and tighter by the second, with no pause in sight. Eventually, the sheer pressure was enough to elicit a short Yelp from his lips.

Ezra was certainly not prepared for this. His toes would curl and uncurl in emotional pain as the man continued to struggle against Sol’s strength and his eyes would often avert their gaze away from the sight itself. But no aversion could hide the terrible pain HIS Pokémon was putting the man through. “R-release!” The sudden command sliced through the ear splitting groans of pain. It reeked of both regret and empathy - two signs of utter inexperience. He turned back to Lex. “I-I can’t do it...”

Of course, despite his intention of silence, the man continued to carelessly chatter away. There wasn't even a hint of intent to be quiet. So, just as Ezra feared, the alien Pokémon immediately heard his blabbing partner and began to screech in it's own native tongue. Then it teleported.

Well shit.

"Dammit. What are we supposed to do now?!" Stupid question to ask. At this point, it was clear that there were no useful answers coming out from River. He was just here to look pretty. Still, they needed to weaponize that prettiness some how, and use it to their advantage. Ezra crossed his arms and began tapping his foot in thought. He embodied the sprit of a thousand frustrated parents as he did this, a flurry of frustration painted across his features.

Then it hit him: the weed.

"Do Pokemon normally go sniffing in your pockets?" The question was absurd, and yet, anyone vibing in his mind would know it's origin. They would know that Ezra noticed that mareep from earlier snooping into River's pockets. And that there's a possibility that the Beheeyem might be allured by it's scent too.

---

Rather than verbally answer, the man simply nodded to his answer, affirming his label of "complete newbie". The other riders, who were previously snickering amongst themselves, had already left and ridden off towards the rolling hills. They left not even a hint of a shadow behind. The way they charged forward without care in the world; it's all Ezra had ever wanted from this experience. Upon putting it on his bucket list, he had envision himself in a blur of glory, taking lead against the world that only lets him down. Not a worm on the ground, groveling for some unknown man.

So, with a quick wake up slap, Ezra attempted to cast away all the negative emotions balling up inside him.

One.

Two.

Three.

BOOM! Good vibes only mode. "Yeah, if you don't mind." He offered the stranger an appreciative smile before looking back to his Rapidash. He will be conquered.

"Zeke. Ezra Zeke." He said this with a nod, almost confirming his own name for himself. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that!" A warm ball of fleeting joy filled him up inside - hearing the fact that others would purposely look out for his work. Well, that was enough to make his whole week! In the industry, more eyes equals more money, which eventually funnels into even more exposure. The same exposure he needed to finally rid himself of these fluff pieces. His eyes glance back at the playful young Pokémon. Though, the occasional voyage for a cutesy article would always be welcomed.

"So what about you?" He looked back at Matias, curious. "What do you do? Maybe it's just a hunch, but you don't seem like the daycare type either."

Ezra chuckled at Raz's obvious confusion. "Don't worry, you'll pick it up pretty quick," Casually moving forward, the duo continued to explore Shoal cave for all it's worth. Bits and pieces of time were even dedicated to look into each nook and cranny spotted, as you never know what laid in store for those with a knack for adventuring. And, in today's case, those possible rewards were all Ezra needed right now.

Moving forward, Ezra's eyes slowly drifted back onto Raz, a clear glint of excitement shimmering in them. "Okay, so," He began, a wide smile spread across his face, "Whenever I used take a bath, I would dump a cup of pasta into the hot tub water, so I could have a mid-bath snack." Another chuckle escaped his lips moments after he told his story. But, besides that slip, no other hints laid across his face. "Now, you're allowed to ask me up to 10 questions about my story. Afterwards you have to guess whether it's real or fake."

---

Raziel Beckett

---

skipping