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A ranger's duty kept him busy, even late into the day, when the sun clung to the horizon and stars materialized on a dusky sky. Hoenn was at its neediest now.[break][break]

An aerial patrol usually proved safer — reconnaissance from the sky, where little could touch you. Perhaps nicholas steele even felt secure here.[break][break]

But he was not alone.[break][break]

Above, an immense shadow loomed, engulfing Nick and his avian mount in a sudden swathe of darkness. [break][break]

"You've wandered a bit far from home, haven't you?" A voice rang out from a masked rider astride a great, dark and brilliant MOLTRES.[break][break]

"This is Rocket territory now. Leave."

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The same old players continued to persist, even as Hoenn spiraled further into calamity.[break][break]

Eva Morales. Dragon-less now?[break][break]

For a moment, BARNABY FINCH remembered the exhilarating feeling of ichor in his veins and the blood of a deity on his hands. Emerald skin, RAYQUAZA falling amidst a blaze of dark flames. It had been such a beautiful sight.[break][break]

Fleeting, though. freya morningstar could rot in the fucking gullet of KYOGRE. She should have... what was declan walsh thinking?[break][break]

"I wonder. When did the gauntlet get passed on?"[break][break]

A masked man stepped from the shadows, his tone pleasant — conversational, even. There is no Pokémon by his side but his affiliation goes without question.[break][break]

"Or does Rayquaza still favor you, Dr. Morales?"

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"None." The admin assured with a slight shake of his head. "Perhaps it was a one-time thing? Like getting a shot from the doctor. Pain as a price for power." [break][break]

Drumming fingers caught his eye, but marcus kotov's next question snapped his attention back to center.[break][break]

"A god?" His own brows knitted in mild confusion. "But I'm not."[break][break]

Gods were revered. Worshipped as higher beings. MOLTRES was something other, something darker. Gluttonous and all-consuming.[break][break]

And BARNABY FINCH was a puppet, if anything. He hadn't taken on this role lightly; he knew that the pact with his patron came with strings attached. [break][break]

A dark gift had been given to him with even darker expectations.[break][break]

"My powers are similar to those that can be recreated by a Sygna Suit, for instance."

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[break]
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"Another pest?"[break][break]

A TOEDSCOOL invader, running laps around the garden and plucking fruit from the vine at every pass. Intolerable, considering how much money BARNABY FINCH spent maintaining this personal oasis of his.[break][break]

"What am I paying those gardeners for, if not to handle things like this?" A soft hand went to stroke the NINETALES watching, unimpressed, by his side. "Hm, my beauty?"[break][break]

Fleur exhaled loudly, displaying whatever the Pokémon equivalent of scoffing was. With a well-placed ICE BEAM, she quickly stopped the TOEDSCOOL in its tracks, allowing her master to capture the thing and bring serenity back to the garden.

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BARNABY FINCH felt his eyes glaze over in boredom as howard slayte and Shred bickered amongst themselves. He still listened, still retained what was being said, but found their tension to be uninteresting. [break][break]

Instead, the admin's gaze shifted to fern delaney as they entered. A friendly nod and soft smile was given to his colleague as he took the empty seat beside jayden cross.[break][break]

Moments later, Admin Cross' anger flared, riling up CHIEN-PAO in the process. Beneath the table, a gentle hand was placed on The Cursed's thigh — a signal for him to not get swept up in the heat of the moment, as some of his peers had.[break][break]

Tendrils of stygian smoke goaded his attention away from the others and to a materializing declan walsh. BARNABY FINCH stood to greet the ROCKET boss, as was customary, but lingered a moment longer on the person behind Walsh before settling back into his chair.[break][break]

Elisabeth Fiorelli's appearance was unexpected. The look of surprise on his face was fleeting, the feeling of momentary relief hidden from view. Though she ignored him and talked pointedly at howard slayte, Barnaby still felt compelled to speak upon hearing of their plan. [break][break]

Admin Bee inclined his head briefly, indicating to mint frost that he hadn't been aware of any of it.[break][break]

"Yes, well done," Barnaby echoed Zev Harcourt. [break][break]

"But what a melodramatic scheme. You're saying this was all planned from the start? With no communication to others in the upper brass?" He gave a glance toward Cillian Quinn and THEO BECKETT in turn to gauge their reactions.[break][break]

Though mint frost, Hitoshi Inoue, and Tempest Quinn were skeptical of the plan's usefulness, BARNABY FINCH simply wondered on this new power of hers. He'd loosened her lead and it seemed WO-CHIEN had taken up the slack, sinking itself deeper into her soul and the very essence of her mortality.

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• outfit check[break]
• eyes glaze over at shroward day [break]
• smiles & nods as fern enters[break]
• places hand on jayden's thigh to calm him down[break]
• stands for walsh but is surprised to see elisa too[break]
• curious why upper brass weren't aware of their plan™[break]
• glances at theo and gavin to gauge if they knew about it[break]
• indicates to mint that he wasn't aware either

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Where one bird fled another came to take its place. There was much to celebrate as of late.[break][break]

"It seems our little flock is complete," BARNABY FINCH commented to Aurelie Lefevre, who walked with him side-by-side as they delved into the depths of New Mauville.[break][break]

"The Galarian Zapdos that manifested from the Violet Book has allied itself with Rocket." He explained, detailing to her the events that transpired between THEO BECKETT and oscar clayton. Or at least what he'd read in their report on the matter.[break][break]

"No Avatar, yet, however."

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While mint frost preferred to float serenely by his side, BARNABY FINCH remained on his own two feet.[break][break]

"It was painful at first. But now," From his palm sprang several shadowed figurines — miniatures of the three GALARIAN BIRDS traipsing through the air, intertwined together.[break][break]

"I feel unfettered."[break][break]

And yet it was quite the opposite. These otherworldly powers were no simple gift. Shackles came in many forms and he'd paid the price for MOLTRES' favor.[break][break]

"And you?"

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What awaited them in the abysmal blackness? Stars twinkled a path together, but there was no telling what lurked in the gloom. [break][break]

More eyes to watch them? Or answers to questions posed by the likes of Maldacena? Maybe even ARCEUS itself, ready to bring down its divine judgement on them?[break][break]

"Let's."[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH extended a hand, palm up, for Lulu Flint to take if she wished.[break][break]

"Together?"

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