[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"if the others need you to pull back to look good, then they were never good to begin with."

priam's acceptance was never in doubt considering it was never really an option to begin with even if it had been presented as such. choice, as most would have come to learn during their tenure in team rocket, is never given, it is earned.

"moving on, beast conrad."

he pats the boy on the shoulder before looking back out at the sea.

"you were close with fairburne, weren't you?"

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"yes, me — "

she levels him with a sucker punch, knocking the wind out of him as her fist squares against his gut. he tenses a little too late, forced to catch his breath as he stumbles back.

they've never fought like this before, at least not this physically, but times have changed and they have to as well or risk stagnating in a lost past.

the moment his foot hits the ground to support his weight, he lunges back to return a front kick to her gut.

[attr="class","becketttheopkmn"]

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

pleasantries are exchanged all under the guise of their pleasant civilian personas, and when all is said and done, the two rockets step out of the hospital room, leaving the old woman they've come to learn as his mother to get some rest.

instead of leaving, theo leads them to the recreation area where some of the other patients are situated. he sits on one of the armchairs, then gestures to the one across from him.

"do you play?"

he leans forward to the chessboard on a small table between them, rotating it so the white pieces are for zev to control.

"you hide your lack of humanity well."

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

he nods, appreciating the beast's swiftness and how receptive they are to adapt based on reworked priorities.

"time is of the essence."

though it needs not be said.

"as far as i'm aware, those rifts have only been reported to appear here, in area zero, so focus your efforts here."

as quickly as the priority had been brought up, he shifts the conversation away when they've covered all they needed to.

"what else is on project infinity's plate?"

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

deep sleep claims them.

when they awake, they're met with an ashen scent mixed with the saltiness of the ocean, the volcano that looms behind them is not mount chimney, but cinnabar, his home.

"it's a dream i often have."

more so recently as the call for arms grow louder.

"it's the invasion of cinnabar."

behind them, thralls of rocket forces swarm the island, flooding in from the seas and the skies.

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

though the opportunity presents itself to drag out the inevitable, theo does what he does best and cuts right to the chase, leaving no room for reprieve.

"i didn't see the need for an interview before. i do now, because i have a feeling you aren't who you say you are."

he reaches for his coffee, sipping once before placing the mug back down. a threat is decisively made.

"recall your zorua."

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

with a zarude-shaped jetpack on his back, he careens out of the water, through the air, and into the water again before floating on the surface, hurt, damaged, but alive, and that's all that matters as he shrugs free from zarude's big hands.

theo!

he blinks seawater from his eyes, coughing to catch his breath before being supported by his milotic.

"that would have been a poetic end."

looking at lulu, he can't help the falter of disappointment that breaks on his expression. he'd wanted to help her succeed but instead,

"it got away."

[attr="class","becketttheopkmn"]

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"the blame is mine to bear, too."

with too much on his plate over the last few months, perhaps even the past year or two, he hasn't had much time to invest into other priorities. but as the entire organization prepares for war, his mind wanders back to a suspicion from the past; an itch he has yet to scratch.

until now.

"where are you from again, ashton?"

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[attr="class","beck theobeck"]



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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"i can't say for certain whether those were entrances but they were at the very least tethers to the distortion world."

looking back, he did try to step through one of the eye-like rifts only for nothing to happen. could it be that those rifts were not rifts but something else entirely? he wonders.

his mind shifts back.

"track these rifts, frost, and from there we'll be able to predict where they'll appear. concurrently, find out everything you can about giratina. the more we know, the better."

he'll be doing the same.

"i will be leading an expedition into the distortion world. i want you on the team."

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"i'm saying you should stop being lazy."

as war looms on the horizon, the time for slacking off has come to an end, replaced by a sense of dread and urgency, reminiscent of how he had felt in kanto leading up to the start of the war.

they have to stack the odds in their favor; priam conrad would be one of the many pieces that would help them.

"take the promotion, priam."

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[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

"an apology is meaningless without change. you've shown your hand, now i'll show you mine."

the elevator slows, metal gears grinding to a halt to stop them at the eighth floor. the doors slide open, bringing them to the palliative care ward of the hospital.

out he steps, turning left to walk down the long hallway flanked by patients and nurses who pay them no mind. the few that glance their way light up; one even waves at them.

coming to the room at the end of the hallway, theo knocks, then steps in.

"not late, am i?"

his expression lightens as he sits by the bedside of a woman who looks to be late into their seventies, their features weak and fragile yet somehow bright and hopeful.

"i brought a friend with me today."

he glances over his shoulder at the rocket beast.

"harcourt, meet my mother."

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