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They materialized in a familiar tower high above the heavens, where leviathans dwelled.[break][break]

RESHIRAM and ZEKROM appeared at odds on separate ends of the palatial chamber, an obvious air of opposition between the two Legendary Pokémon and their patrons. Barnaby looked from one to the other before his eyes eventually settled on the alabaster dragon.[break][break]

"I've seen this once before. In that iteration, I sided with Ideals." Barnaby wasn't much for telling the truth, after all. But perhaps just this once...[break][break]

"I'd like to see what happens if we choose Reshiram."

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The kelp forest was a beautiful wonderland, with dappled sunlight streaming through to the ocean floor below. Though it was rather difficult to efficiently swim through the tall strands of kelp, Barnaby knew that this was the perfect hiding place for treasures. [break][break]

Swimming down closer to the base of the stalks, he rooted around for notable trinkets.[break][break]

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Cheaters never prosper...[break][break]

... was definitely not a sentiment BARNABY FINCH subscribed to. But! If the shoe fits.[break][break]

Nevertheless, Barnaby took his second victory with grace. He neither gloated nor threw Elisabeth's obvious lack of skill in her face. [break][break]

Instead, he offered her a hand out of the water and the light cardigan he wore, to be placed around her damp shoulders. It covered what was now seen through her borrowed white t-shirt... to some extent.[break][break]

"Don't want you catching cold, do we?" Though it was more formality than anything else; could Avatars even get sick? Surely the excess Infinity Energy burned away any bacterial or viral invaders. He'd have to ask Naomi Sato sometime.[break][break]

"Hm? Lead the way." And that she did — all the way, in fact, until they were seated within a private booth on the carnival's Ferris Wheel.[break][break]

They were already beginning to ascend when Barnaby spoke up, "This is nice. Here, a token of my appreciation." He handed over the SMOLIV plushie, sitting it in the second seat beside Elisa.

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[break]
✔️ give your prize away to your thread partner or an NPC

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With a laugh, Barnaby shook the hand offered to him by Cillian. It was an easy, friendly gesture, accented by a blithe smile. Even villains needed time off to recuperate now and again.[break][break]

"Just barely. You must be practicing quite a bit with that wild beast of yours." But not enough to pull the victory. Tempest Quinn would have to step up his game.[break][break]

"Bet. You're on." Though this time around Barnaby was feeling slightly skeptical of his abilities when compared to the Avatar of LUGIA. Elisabeth Fiorelli may not have had enhanced strength, but did Cillian Quinn??[break][break]

Perhaps so, because Barnaby was inevitably pulled into the shallow water surrounding the Tug-of-War stage. Despite being drenched, he still exited the ring with an enthused grin on his face. [break][break]

"I need to get your workout routine. That was practically embarrassing for me."

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✔️ win at least one carnival game

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Was that a jealous glint in Kaname Fujihara's eye? jayden cross was usually so reserved around others, it surprised Barnaby that the man was able to stoke such contempt within their ranks. Before he could comment on the matter, however, declan walsh arrived.[break][break]

Discussion began in earnest, with jayden cross, Naomi Sato, Cillian Quinn, Elisabeth Fiorelli, and Zev Harcourt speaking to their points. Barnaby listened to all in turn before adding his own thoughts to the mix.[break][break]

"League aside, I agree that the DRK Triad is Hoenn's most substantial threat — meaning it should be Rocket's as well. Our organization is meaningless without a region to control." The admin spoke at large to the room, but dipped his head to jayden cross in particular.[break][break]

"So how do we learn more about this enemy that keeps presenting themselves over and over again?" A question posed for all to answer, though Barnaby offered his own first.[break][break]

"Maldacena." The outlier, the defector. "As Head Scientist Sato said, we've experienced scenarios in the RKS Simulation that make me believe the DRK Triad is watching us. But so is Maldacena, if the simulations are true."[break][break]

"He's expressed not wanting our universe to come to an untimely end. If we found a way to connect with him, perhaps he'd give us more information on the DRK Triad." And how to end their meddling ways.[break][break]

Alternatively, Zev Harcourt proposed a more bullheaded approach.[break][break]

"You mean Necrozma." The Beast's little parlor trick came to mind. "And even if Rocket did have this power, could you control it? Chu-e Choi was little else but host to a parasite. What makes your situation different?"

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[break]
• outfit check[break]
• says hoenn's biggest threat is rocket's too, BOO DRK TRIAD[break]
• maldacena could give us info? he's probs watching us in RKS[break]
• hey zev could you even control necrozma bro?? ur not god

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BARNABY FINCH, the talk show host, wouldn't be caught dead in public in a fit valued at less than several hundred dollars. He had an image to uphold, after all. But...[break][break]

"Nothing that can't be replaced." Money was practically no object for him. While material things could be bought, it was prestige and power that he truly coveted — even here, on the Tug-of-War stage.[break][break]

Grasping his rope firmly between both hands, he pulled with all his strength against Elisabeth Fiorelli. There was no mercy for her here. Barnaby was a winner, no matter the cost to his personal relationships*.[break][break]

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✔️ involve or reference a tug-o-war contest

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Not a Z-Crystal, but an Ability Capsule this time! Barnaby would take it. He'd recently used quite a few in his pursuit of GENESECT... so it was nice to replenish his stock. Were there others hidden around the area?[break][break]

Continuing to swim, Barnaby jettisoned past the rocky area and into a sandier knoll. Here, kelp grew in tall stands, offering many nooks and crannies to search.[break][break]

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Pepin, bless him, was ecstatic to be reunited with Matias... for whatever reason. The little fox eagerly jumped into the man's arms, mewling happily all the while. Once there, his little toe beans pressed against Matias' chest — leverage used to plant a small, affectionate lick to the Avatar's cheek.[break][break]

Meanwhile, as the act went on, Barnaby figured it was as good a time as any to promote his civilian persona on social media. BARNABY FINCH, the talk show host, had amassed quite the following over his two years in Hoenn. They needed to be fed regularly.[break][break]

Extending his arm to its fullest length, he angled the camera in such a way to accentuate all his best features while still showing off the carnival performers. He'd caption the photo with something witty and include the hashtag #Funtasia before posting it to Pokégram.[break][break]

Taking a second to admire his selfie, it was only after posting that Barnaby noticed none other than MATIAS SILPH in the background, cradling Pepin in his arms... what a case of déjà vu.[break][break]

"Matias," He called out, airy and pleasant, as if it was a delight to be face-to-face with a man that had almost killed him a few months back in Granite Cave.[break][break]

"I see someone hasn't forgotten you."

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✔️ share your carnival experience on a social media under #Funtasia

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Where others allowed their tempers to flare or stoically shared their piece, Barnaby simply spectated quietly, his eyes alight with amusement.[break][break]

bryan delarosa's explicit avoidance was noted with a soft chuckle, as was the way the plants in his stead withered within seconds. The squabble between fern delaney and Kaname Fujihara was a particular delight, too, though cut short by THEO BECKETT's intervention.[break][break]

With the new Head Scientist now sitting beside him, Barnaby leaned in and asked under his breath, "Not on the best terms, are we?" Obviously in reference to his and Fern's little spat.[break][break]

Quite the shock, given how even-tempered Kaname Fujihara had been on their few interactions, but perhaps the new Avatar simply knew how to get under his skin.[break][break]

Speaking of, Elisabeth Fiorelli wasn't winning any hearts with her slew of cutting remarks; jayden cross in particular appeared to effuse near-palpable hatred toward the woman. Despite Cillian Quinn's cautionary glance, Elisabeth even had the gall to clap of all things, as if she was some sort of cartoon villainess. Such bad taste. [break][break]

WO-CHIEN's influence continued to drag her further through the mud.[break][break]

Barnaby did not scold or even verbally comment on her combative behavior. Instead, a firm hand found its way to the underboss' knee, squeezing it between thumb and index finger. The gesture's intent was obvious. Behave.[break][break]

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Marza Volchitsa, sitting across from him, was a beacon of reason amongst the bickering ROCKETs. Boring, but necessary.[break][break]

"You're right," Barnaby piped up. "Until we're all gathered, however, there isn't much we can really do." But idly fight, apparently.[break][break]

"So what's the deal with you and Fern?" His voiced quieted to a conversational level, focusing only on Kaname Fujihara now. In the absence of anything else of interest, Barnaby wanted to know the tea between the two men.

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[break]
• outfit check[break]
• barnaby's in popcorn mode & very amused[break]
• nonverbally tells elisa to behave, DOWN GIRL[break]
• wants to know the fern/kaname tea 🍵

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Another Z-Crystal? Weren't these sort of rare? Who was throwing these things into the water all willy-nilly?[break][break]

Not that Barnaby minded. He could definitely utilize these in the future. [break][break]

In fact, after waving Elaine over, he held up one of the crystals and motioned for her to keep searching for them on her own. In the meantime, Barnaby continued to search in this area for other trinkets and treasures.[break][break]

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