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Worlds changed in the blink of an eye.[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. For some reason he thought the UNOWN dimension would simply be a dark abyss, devoid of life besides a buzzing hive of UNOWN.[break][break]

"Ah." [break][break]

His assumption had obviously been wrong.[break][break]

"I see what you mean."[break][break]

Galaxies painted this world in swathes of blues and purples and pinks, laced together by strings of innumerable UNOWN undulating all around. It was beautiful and unsettling all at once.

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Although he'd used the tactic countless times, BARNABY FINCH wasn't necessarily immune to a little flattery now and again. The words brought a small smile to his lips, which remained as he replied with an easy, "And much more to come, I'm sure. Especially today."[break][break]

He had his own ideas in mind for how their little adventure was supposed to go, of course, but was curious to see Aurelie Lefevre's reactions. She hadn't always worked well under pressure, but she was reliable, attentive, moldable. An asset that he hoped to shape further for ROCKET.[break][break]

"An ally, yes," The admin waggled a finger and and chuckled softly before adding, "But a capricious one."[break][break]

Ahead, the walkway began to widen. They would soon approach a large, open space where ZAPDOS was sure to be waiting.[break][break]

"It's always looking for its next challenge. It has the mind of a fighter in that way. I'm sure it would appreciate a good rival."[break][break]

His cobalt gaze drifted to the shard of CALYREX at her side before returning to her.[break][break]

"I want to see how you fare against Zapdos, Aurelie."

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What had MOLTRES said when they'd bonded together?[break][break]

"Hmm..." BARNABY FINCH rubbed at his chin, taking a moment to formulate how he wanted to respond.[break][break]

"Nothing, actually."[break][break]

Would that come as a surprise to mint frost?[break][break]

"But I felt the weight of its expectations in the way it looked at me," Like a vulture starved for carrion.[break][break]

"I could feel the emotions pressing down on me, even without words. The essence of its desire..."[break][break]

He tapped a finger to his bottom lip, thoughtful, before slowly running it down to his throat. He still remembered the burning sensation of the dark collar tightening more, more, more.[break][break]

"Even now, I feel it. Always."[break][break]

His hand dropped and the shadowed miniatures of the three birds dissipated.[break][break]

"A perpetual link, hm?"[break][break]

An ever-gnawing hunger.[break][break]

"And what of Articuno? Did it speak?"

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"Yes, but," Barnaby leaned back with a sigh, his head resting on rough bark.[break][break]

"That was my mistake."[break][break]

Her actions were not something that he could abide without consequence. Though he hadn't quite expected a betrayal of trust to this magnitude, BARNABY FINCH truly wasn't surprised that someone like Elisabeth Fiorelli had fucked up so royally. Thus, she needed to be shown the error of her ways.[break][break]

And, with time, he knew she would come crawling back.[break][break]

But did they have that sort of time? It often felt like Hoenn could collapse at any moment.[break][break]

"She's a volatile thing. Made worse by Wo-Chien, I suspect..." [break][break]

He cast a sidelong glance THEO BECKETT's way. [break][break]

"I apologize for jeopardizing your plans, Underboss Beckett."

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He could have let her choke on those pretty words, blood bubbling in her throat.[break][break]

He could have burned her and left her smoldering in the darkness.[break][break]

He could have crushed CALYREX's engorged bud of a head and left it dying in the dirt with its friend.[break][break]

But, as fate would have it, Elise Calcifet would find herself spared today. Perhaps her show of bravado had plucked at some unseen deity's heartstrings.[break][break]

"Your luck is unmatched." [break][break]

In his ear, communication from ROCKET HQ relayed an urgent message — one calling on him and several other leaders within the organization.[break][break]

"I'll let you live for a little longer yet."[break][break]

Sensing this shift in plan, MOLTRES met CALYREX's TRI ATTACK head-on with a FIERY WRATH of its own. The two beams of energy coalesced in a destructive display, their contact sparking a shimmering explosion that sent a shockwave through the area. The power of it would likely send Elise tumbling back off her feet.[break][break]

In the meantime, BARNABY FINCH would take the opportunity to climb atop MOLTRES and make a strategic retreat. The last thing the princess would see was a dark bird cresting the treetops and making for Petalburg City.

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Though Grigori Sokolov may have remained a grunt within ROCKET's ranks, he was still a man nearly twenty years BARNABY FINCH's senior. He'd had so, so much time to experience the cruelties that mortality had to offer.[break][break]

Kanto had been a bloodbath, and he'd had a front row seat to it. Turned the spicket, even, and let it flow.[break][break]

"Perhaps not." The admin conceded, a thoughtful finger at his lips. "But there are things in motion beyond our control. We don't have a choice, Grigori."[break][break]

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Resistance or dereliction of duty would be punished accordingly. Most, therefore, chose to gamble their life on the battlefield rather than face the guarantee of death.[break][break]

"Aching bones or weary spirit... we must do our duty."[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH stood to leave as the last slivers of light faded on the horizon.[break][break]

"For the glory of Rocket."

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Strands of white blossomed from the crown of BARNABY FINCH's head, stark against the black hairs around them. Though now matching with the others gathered, this was a fleeting change for Admin Bee, as he immediately masked their appearance. White faded into black once more.[break][break]

Above, the UNOWN spelled out a jumbled script. Riddles upon riddles, another prophecy to add to the mix? Father Winter had his hand in KYUREM's little performance, too, if memory served. What was his goal?[break][break]

And who was this mischievous coauthor?[break][break]

Standing, Barnaby gathered his coat from the back of his chair and bid farewell to his fellow ROCKETs, stating, "I'll take my leave as well."[break][break]

As he moved to exit he passed by mint frost's chair and paused, leaning down to beckon softly in his ear, "Neon, may I speak with you privately?"

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• outfit check[break]
• uses his powers to mask the white hair strands[break]
• wonders at the text left by the drk triad/father winter[break]
• moves to leave but asks mint for a private convo

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BARNABY FINCH was not a humble man, no. That was by design.[break][break]

But Barnaby L'oiseau? The true man at the center of the farce? He'd scratched and bit and clawed his way out of the depths. A grudge-filled fire filled his heart and fueled his every ambition. Anger and hate and selfish spite were his lifelong companions. And he let those feelings drive him.[break][break]

Admin Bee was somewhere in between. Calculating, tempered. He was what he needed to be for ROCKET, but his true nature always simmered just beneath the surface. Sometimes others saw cracks in the patina.[break][break]

howard slayte was not one of them. Not yet. Not ever, if he could help it.[break][break]

"Why shed the blood of mortals if constructs can fill that role? You begrudge those heroes their ingenuity."[break][break]

These constructs were not automatous. Someone needed to guide them against the enemy. And Barnaby had just the man in mind.[break][break]

"When you came to my office that day and spilled all those pretty words," He began, a pleasant, disarming smile on his lips. "At the time, I doubted you had the gumption to see Dewford through." [break][break]

Admin Fox's ploy involved lies of omission and operations outside of the standard hierarchy. He wasn't playing by the book — something that BARNABY FINCH had helped with from the shadows.[break][break]

"I thought to myself, 'Our Howard? The one chained to his desk and anchored down by his little fossils? Surely not.'" There was affection in his voice as he teased his bedridden colleague, but also a kernel of truth. Before now, Howard hadn't necessarily proven himself to BARNABY FINCH.[break][break]

"Now look at you. What a surprise. A pleasant one, at that." Broken and poisoned, but redeemed in Admin Bee's eyes. [break][break]

"There's more to howard slayte than I first realized, hm?"

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The TRI-ATTACK was easily repelled by MOLTRES' PROTECTIVE barrier, sending the set of triple beams careening into a few nearby trees. The bird, in turn, then opened its mouth and released from its gullet a dark, POISON GAS — which filled the air around both CALYREX and Elise Calcifet.[break][break]

"Oh, princess..." BARNABY FINCH remarked, his words callous and cruel.[break][break]

"Your bravery means nothing to me. You'll die in the dirt just like everyone else."

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