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After so many days locked inside the depths of an alien prison, a return to normalcy — morning light filtering through a bedroom window, Elisabeth Fiorelli asleep beside him — was such a stark, sobering thing to experience.[break][break]

Their return to his Sootopolis home the previous night had been a whirlwind reunion fueled by the heady rush that came with defying death yet again. But now, in the quiet of this early hour, there was no triumphant overflow of emotion to stifle the suspicions that had been rattling around in BARNABY FINCH's mind for some time now.[break][break]

Without waking the woman beside him, Barnaby quietly rose from his bed and entered the bathroom.[break][break]

The only illumination within the room came from a small nightlight in the corner. But it was enough. He didn't bother turning on the rest. Instead, he braced himself on the sink's edge with both hands and inspected the dark reflection in front of him. To his surprise, Barnaby found that he did not recognize the person looking back at him in the mirror. [break][break]

No mask. Hollow eyes. Blank expression. Remnants of healed injuries that lingered on the skin like cracks in the patina. A bare scalp, absent of hair but with scars to show the unsteady hand that had turned him...[break][break]

Ugly.[break][break]

Darkness smoldered at the edges of the room. It flared with his indignant anger, eased as he processed the swell of emotions attached to everything that had transpired within that damned penitentiary. And, eventually, coalesced into swathes of stygian flames that engulfed his entire body.[break][break]

Where once BARNABY FINCH would have feared such a thing, there was a comfort now in knowing the shadows would never — could never — leave him. They were constant, an ingrained part of him, unlike everything else in his life.[break][break]

Unlike everyone else.[break][break]

When the darkness ebbed and pulled away, an illusion was revealed to hide the unfamiliar man in the mirror. Admin Bee was returned from his imprisonment, hair restored, blemishes gone, facade repaired at its most superficial. [break][break]

Admin Bee went to make breakfast for himself and Elisabeth Fiorelli. Admin Bee prepared bread, butter, eggs, ham. Nothing too sweet — possibly never again. Admin Bee was sick of it. The taste of mochi still clung to the insides of his mouth. Admin Bee wasn't sure if it would ever go away.[break][break]

Admin Bee set their plates down on the dining table just as Elisabeth slipped out of the bedroom.[break][break]

Admin Bee sat across from her.[break][break]

Admin Bee watched as she took her first bite.[break][break]

Admin Bee did not partake himself.[break][break]

Admin Bee wanted to see how long it would take for her to notice.[break][break]

Admin Bee doubted she ever would.

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One titan was just the beginning of their gauntlet, apparently. From the earth rose an ancient enemy, awoken from its burial slumber, colossal in both size and enmity. [break][break]

"Brace yourselves!" Barnaby warned his companions: Elisabeth Fiorelli, Naomi Sato, Rhys Collins, if they hadn't already been swallowed by the violently undulating sands. The grainy tumult made it hard to visualize the STEEL giant, let alone those around him.[break][break]

For a fleeting moment, BARNABY FINCH wondered if howard slayte was amongst those gathered. What would he think of yet another LEGENDARY TITAN resurfacing here in Hoenn? [break][break]

But Admin Fox could only occupy his mind for so long. A careening boulder — hurled through the air by REGISTEEL — threatened to slam into him; luckily, his TYPHLOSION's FIRE FANG was strong enough to cause the rock to crumble into pieces before any damage was done.[break][break]

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• using FIRE FANG (AFFLICT)[break]
• riddle guess: steel[break]
• SHIELDED by Yuina Higashi

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BARNABY FINCH howard slayte

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gifting

gacha

relicanth

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Just as Elisabeth Fiorelli observed, the gigantic BRONZONG seemed aware of its inevitable end.[break][break]

Its desperation made for an eventful final act. The titan's PSYCHIC powers caused the dunes around them to undulate violently, sending sand and grit flying toward everyone on their team.
But their TYPHLOSIONS' flames would not be snuffed out. In the absence of rain, under the rejuvenating sunny rays, a hellish BLAST BURN served as the final killing blow. [break][break]

It seemed the efforts of only a few good ROCKETs was enough to fell a colossus.[break][break]

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Hoenn was not Kanto.[break][break]

If it was, they'd have conquered the region years ago. Yet THEO BECKETT continued to resist the notion that ROCKET's culture here differed when compared to their Kanto or even Johto branches. [break][break]

He was stuck in his ways as an old guard, clinging to what he knew. Understandable, of course, but it was something BARNABY FINCH was attempting to break him of. Unsurprisingly, the process was slow going.[break][break]

howard slayte's lingering eye was noticed but not addressed immediately. Instead, Barnaby let others talk, curious to see their reaction to Theo's viewpoint.[break][break]

"Hoenn is an anomaly." The admin eventually chimed in, his tone even and low in a way that was meant to defuse tensions in the room. [break][break]

His eyes swept over each ROCKET in their small group before settling back on THEO BECKETT, "So we must do anomalous things at times, hm?"[break][break]

Even mourn the passing of an alien that had once been their enemy. [break][break]

Tides changed. Sentiments evolved. They needed to be flexible if they wanted their universe to avoid collapse.[break][break]

Not much of a smoker himself, BARNABY FINCH instead smiled softly down at Lulu Flint and her flask and requested, "May I have a swig?"

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BARNABY FINCH brought his own glass to his lips upon meeting THEO BECKETT's gaze, holding it in pleasant agreeance until — well, an admittedly grating voice goaded his attention to the side.[break][break]

Elisabeth Fiorelli was in rare form tonight.[break][break]

"I actually have quite a few opinions of my own I could voice right now, but I'll refrain." Barnaby replied, his voice saccharine sweet and dripped in an icy sugar coating. Fake, but the best he could muster now that he was two drinks in. It was a monumental task just to keep himself from rolling his eyes at her petty jabs.[break][break]

"I'll leave you two to your wagers. Enjoy."[break][break]

Filling his glass for the third time before moving to sit beside mint frost, the admin propped an arm on the back of the couch, behind Mint's shoulders. [break][break]

"Oooh, what do we have here?" He asked, leaning in close to peruse the notebook in the Beast's lap. "Maybe I should have consulted you before placing my bet."

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The only thing good about the conjured rain was how it settled the sand around them... but it wasn't exactly worth the crippling effect it had on their Fire-type strategy, though. To combat this, BARNABY FINCH TERASTALLIZED his TYPHLOSION, giving her an added boost of fiery strength.[break][break]

An great INFERNO erupted from Volcano Pokémon, causing hyper-heated steam to swirl around her. [break][break]

"Nomi, tell me you've got something up your sleeve!" The admin shouted above the torrential downpour.[break][break]

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BARNABY FINCH didn't answer immediately. He took time to gather his thoughts; Cillian Quinn deserved at least half-truths, considering all he'd done. [break][break]

"I find it..." He trailed off, still trying to find the words. [break][break]

"...necessary." Here Barnaby gave Cillian a knowing look. "No one else would have satisfied Moltres."[break][break]

ROCKET needed the LEGENDARY BIRD on its side, yes, but at what cost? As soon as he'd slipped that shadowed collar around his throat BARNABY FINCH knew that MOLTRES would be the one to take his life one day. [break][break]

That was the deal they'd struct, after all: his life for power many could only dream of. Like a crossroads demon peddling its pact to the uninitiated. The only difference was that Barnaby knew what he was getting into.[break][break]

"We'll need its help in the conflicts to come. It's an honor to serve Rocket in that capacity."[break][break]

Behind them, a DRAGAPULT lurked — another ghost stowed away in the shadows. Was Cillian Quinn's ship haunted or something? Pepin, bless him, YAWNED once again to lull the dragon to sleep.

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Anything unusual? It had been so much more than that.[break][break]

Hell. Steeped in shadow and magenta flames and haunted by specters from his past.[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH had been dragged into the depths of MOLTRES' realm, where its malevolence was made tangible. That abysmal plane he'd been trapped within was forever burned into his memory. [break][break]

"Of course," Barnaby replied, his tone casual, conversational. Composed and controlled, as he always preferred to be.[break][break]

"Though it's hard for me to remember specifics..." Here his eyebrows scrunched as he feigned consternation; his mouth twisted slightly, his finger lightly tapped his knee.[break][break]

"I remember darkness the most. But no voices..." Not directly from MOLTRES, anyway. marcus kotov, however, didn't need to know the sorts of shades that had tested him in that infernal place. It was too personal. Not something for any ROCKET to know.[break][break]

"And..." A hand went to rub at his throat — a seemingly unconscious gesture. "It was painful— when it happened. I thought Moltres was killing me rather than choosing me."

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"Perhaps." The presumption brought an amused smile to BARNABY FINCH's face, but it was faint, not even creasing the corners of his eyes.[break][break]

"That's certainly one way to look at it. And it wouldn't be wrong, given our organization's goals..." [break][break]

Like Grigori Sokolov, the admin's attention remained on the pond. It was a focal point that diffused the formality of their encounter, allowed him to speak more freely than he might with others.[break][break]

"However," A sidelong glance was thrown the grunt's way before the splashing of a FROAKIE goaded his gaze back to the water. "I've found that it's difficult for most to live up to this sort of two-pronged duty. They can't divide their efforts between homeland and humanity well enough to do anything of significance for either."[break][break]

"There's always something getting in the way." He added, echoing a part of Grigori Sokolov's earlier excuse.[break][break]

A moment passed in not-silence: the humming of insects and toads and other nighttime critters filled the space around them as dusk began to fade. The sun set but lights from Littleroot Town took its place on the horizon.[break][break]

"...nuance, was it?" Barnaby murmured softly then, a thoughtful finger tapping at his lips, before speaking up a little louder and asking, "...if you had to make a choice, Grigori, which would you choose?"[break][break]

While the two men stood there and watched, a SWANNA snatched yet another TYMPOLE unceremoniously from the water. As the SWANNA gorged itself, BARNABY FINCH wondered if it — if any of the pond's residents — somehow sensed the impending calamity to come. [break][break]

"Homeland or humanity?"

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A maelstrom of burning sand whirled around them as the BRONZONG continued on with its rampage. It was a painful thing for BARNABY FINCH to try and see through, even with a forearm raised to partially cover his face. Worse still was the ear-splitting series of tolls that then rung out across the dunes, foreshadowing an even larger show of power.[break][break]

"Mmph—!" Like the others, Barnaby's hands flew up to cover his ears against the horrible, gonging din.[break][break]

While similarly pained, his TYPHLOSION was well-trained enough to tolerate the enemy's cries and continue with the assault. This time, she aimed a devastating FIRE BLAST straight at the BRONZONG's glowing eyes, thinking that they somehow housed the focal point of its DYNERGY.[break][break]

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"I see."[break][break]

It didn't surprise him that Elisabeth Fiorelli had underestimated MATIAS SILPH's insanity. Every chapter of her life featured yet another man she foolishly welcomed in to wreak havoc. Why would now be any different?[break][break]

He'd hoped that the gravity of her mission would have kept her grounded, kept her from compromising ROCKET - compromising him — but BARNABY FINCH now saw how foolish that hope had been.[break][break]

She'd failed him. In one of the worst ways she possibly could have.[break][break]

Now an obsessed lunatic knew of his existence.[break][break]

"I will be, thank you." He replied to Zev Harcourt's mention of precautions before adding, "...I think I need a little bit more time to think on this."[break][break]

Alone, preferably. With that said, BARNABY FINCH clapped Zev amicably on his shoulder as me moved to continue down the futuristic street. [break][break]

"Thanks again. I'll be in touch soon."

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