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He wakes to a neon city and feels nothing but a sense of urgency. Exploring the city and speaking with the megalopolans is strange, eerie. At first ecause he thinks they may attack him but soon after becuase its different. They're all...jointly lucid? Maybe? Maybe he's coping but...stranger things had happened. He gets what he can out of the aliens, walking briskly and trying to spread the weakling ward's status to as many people as he could find. [break][break]

He finds others not from his ward, people he hadn't seen or known about and speaks to them. Who cares if his mind is making it up. It was all he could do for now. The sound of familiar voices tug him a specific way and he heel turns before breaking out into a sprint. [break][break]

"Anna- Illie!" his eyes dart form person to person before landing on Greyson, the only one he'd seen in his ward. "Is this-" the question dies on his lips. "If this is real, I don't care how it works." He approaches quickly. "How are you holding up?" he looked to Greyson unsure if he'd managed to avoid the beatings for morale. He then turned to the other two. "We need to catch up. Quickly. What did you see in the winner's chambers?"

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The decision goes through, the pact is made. Unfortunately, Ugly Ward had voted Dummy to take a hit. Paxton felt relieved, and closed his eyes to sit with the selfishness of it all for a moment. Another choice that'd haunt his long nights. What one more terror to the horde? He felt himself slipping under the circumstances. As the horror piled up, the voices of distress began to sound like static. Almost like falling asleep. He yanks as his chain, getting it to tighten around his neck. The momentary lack of air shooting adrenaline through him. He couldn't check out now. He needed to stay alert, stay observant. [break][break]

But wide eyes don't ring him any new information on an escape. They were disposable, but to an extent. Killing too many of them off might be more of a pain than its worth. It's the only reason why, in already scary enough of a situation, their wardens had yet to kill the various dissenters around them. [break][break]

The bowl is terrifying. The smell of sweet rot mixing with the iron of blood and the stench of decay. Or at the very last, the contests of corpses evacuating out of them post mortem. The task is simple enough, but he knew better than to underestimate this prison. The chains of the Dummies around him tighten like at the cells, and something enters the fray. He only catches a glimpse of the green thing before it launched itself upon a Dummy. Paxton inhaled through his nose, jaw clenched as he froze and tried to back away as silently as he could through soft, mush. [break][break]

He finds himself near Elise Calcifet and her cellmate Noel Parker again. He thinks perhaps Remiel Calcifet has joined them as well. "You're right. Finishing the task will get all of us out of here faster. Hopefully Dummy Ward can withstand long enough for us to finish cleanup." The division of labor was set. He gets to work trying to find tools to make this easier while trying to work as silently as possible. [break][break]

His focus intensified, and his ears prick up waiting for those ominous, small steps of the strange ogre pokemon attacking them blindly, overtaken by the toxic chains. He gets ready to run, handfuls of mochi or perhaps viscera ready to be thrown to try to distract Ogerpon before it came down upon him with its fierce blows.


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The shots ring out and Paxton watches. Arms crossed, and eyes watching the distance make shift target. The glass bottles were decent enough targets but from what he observed, unnecessarily difficult for someone unsure of their shots. "At this distance against someone who can actually shoot, you're taking too big a risk for yourself." he said, having moved to an angle to look at June's form. Dirt splashes up form the makeshift barriers. [break][break]

"Or your partners'." he added. The officer silently looks over the woman, staring her down as he took her in before his attention stays on the revolver. "Your form is terrible, and I don't need a paper target to tell your breathing's bad too." he remarked. "You can't handle a six shooter." He doesn't reach for her revolver, but does look over at his partner. The Magnezone takes the hint, summoning PROTECT shields over the small targets to stop June's haphazard shooting. [break][break]

"Why are you in a parking lot?"

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The display is brutality given form. And Paxton believed it is still intended to send a message. After all, Shred Zeppelin looked like he was still breathing. The tera crystals display other wards and he steeled himself against the prisoner's dilemma. He felt some sympathy, and cast glances as those within his ward took a loss. [break][break]

People begin to speak up and he mulled over their thoughts before adding his own two cents. “We have to work together to get out of here. The only rewards for heroes and martyrs here is death.” He began, cutting into the current conversation. [break][break]

“Think with your head, not your heart. This is meant to divide us. This Weakling TRUSTS for now. And if we are forsaken, that determines our relationship moving forward. For now, we can only rely on each other. Our survival depends on it.” He speaks directly to his own ward, turning away from the tera crystals.that may be broadcasting him. Ideally all 3 wards get out alive. But if it came down to it, he would act for his own ward before another. [break][break]

He levies as harsh of a gaze as he can at those in his own ward showing their self sacrificial streak. Particularly, ever blackwell . “Remember that you can't save anyone if you're fucking dead.”



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All his friends move in on Matias and as Rayquaza slams into the volcano, he can only hope they make it to him. Under Mt. Chimney in the path of its rushing, bubbling black lava is still different towns that were hopefully getting evacuated. But the situation had changed rapidly, any time he could offer to the civilians below was a blessing. Whatever he could do to mitigate Groudon's- no, Matias' loss of control, the better. [break][break]

He already knew how this would look. How it'd pan out in the court of public opinion. Inside the League, within the Council, it may go even worse. Whatever he could do to minimize the damages from this mess, all the better. He knew what awaited him when they all went back. [break][break]

The FALSE SUN slowly drops further and further out of the sky, crying acidic black lava. Heat waves ripple and distort his vision. He'd give anything for a good rain, but now with that sun in the sky. [break][break]

Matias rises as if answering the call. But it's not Paxton's, but Groudon's. "No-!" he blurts out, as lava rushes out of the crater. His comms roar to life, cutting through previous static to deliver the news, right as Matias is taken by SOLGALEO. Hoenn's Champion has retrieved him. Matias is on the verge of primal poisoning. And heavy lava flows are moving down to Lavaridge and Fallarbor. He lets out his Corviknight, to better assess the situation from above. The ditches were overflowing with ease and Altan spun in wait of orders, unsure how to mitigate. Earthquakes still shake the ground as his partner takes off. "Altan, focus on diverting the flow off main pathways." he ordered, as the Solrock set to work using SOLAR BEAM to try to carve more ditches and ROCK SLIDE to act as temporary walls against the magma.

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Elise Calcifet sounds fine, for now. At the very least she's alive. He hears Noel Parker along with her and while he does not recognize them, is happy she's not stuck with someone rowdy. It's hard to describe the mix of panic and anger that bursts through his chest as he watched the LOYAL THREE come down. From his cell he watches the dog one step off, bulky and sporting the same toxic chains they all did. There's levels of control here. The megalopolans seem to be entranced, cannibalistic urges kept at bay. The prisoners were all chained, and the warden wielded the chains like accessories and weapons. But what exactly influenced the effect? [break][break]

He had a feeling he'd need to observe more to figure it out. For now, he takes in what he can see and passes it along quietly to his cellmate. He can read the crates at least. It gets a dry laugh out of him. "Weakling Ward." he stated as the dog pokemon set aside work for them. The other two disappear below. "There's more levels to this place." Though that shouldn't be surprising, in an environment like this, it's best to gather all possible information. [break][break]

The abundance of glowing blue crystal could be a hint to where they are. But then again, much of Hoenn had been plagued by it as well. They could be underground anywhere on the region. As the megalopolans speak, they make mention of the 3 day war. But as far as he remembered from the reports, these pokemon hadn't been present. And the real casualties had been Megalopolans and their Ultra Beasts. As he thinks on this, doing anything to slow down his heart rate, the ward gets rowdy, screaming and crying echoing out as people resist their current reality. Paxton is silent as the ward choses one to execute, and Paxton feels cold. The punishment is especially torturous, but it was a warning. They were dispensable. [break][break]

His eyes are on the Megalopolans. "Not gonna eat?" he asks one as they bring him and PETRA MONROE their food. But they aliens don't respond, purple eyes reminding him of the first outbreak of the toxic chains in Hoenn. He stays away from his bars should the guard get aggressive like the ones before. "It's...symbiotic?" he wondered out loud as they walked away. A willing wearing of the chains maybe driven by desperation to escape? He watches prisoners begin to eat, chains snapping forward and moving. Paxton can't quite wrap his head around it but he decides to think and work, lest he wanted the same fate as the dead puddle nearby. He eats what e can of the mochi, uncertain how often meals will come in tis shit hole, and then grimaces as his own chain is moved, allowing him freedom outside the cell. [break][break]

He moves to pick up some crystal dutifully, mulling over the mention of potential. Could it just be referring to infinity energy? He wished illeana reyes or Eva Morales were here to confer with. But then again, if they could avoid this hell hole, all the better for them. Someone had to keep watch of the region. If this was the megalopolans making a play at Hoenn again, they needed everyone on deck back at HQ. Paxton tries to find himself a place to work, hefting a few pieces of thick rock and trying to smash it onto the floors to help it crack. Guards move through and around them, with the Warden bullying whoever it likes. Paxton is no exception, shoved roughly and losing his balance as a piece of crystal flies forward and rolls a foot away. Despite the reward, the emphasis that he was disposable is not missed. He ignores the people around him that try to make plays too early on, glancing at Shred Zeppelin briefly before hefting a piece of rock up and tossing it back down. If he saw shards being pilfered, no he didn't. [break][break]



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The behemoth fell, but not completely. Perhaps its focus divided between itself and its vessel made it vulnerable, unlike DESOLATE LAND when it needed only to focus on destroying Regidrago and the rest were collateral. Ancient songs echo distantly and Paxton's hair is nearly soaked with sweat as it only gets hotter. It's hard to breathe, the air hurting his throat and lungs with every inhale. He closed his eyes as Rayquaza's intense presence took its turn, Eva Morales and her patron communing together to stop Groudon's rampage. He closes his eyes to protect his sight. [break][break]

The FALSE SUN bleeds cursed ichor on parched earth, but Paxton can only find himself looking for one thing. Selfishly, at that moment, it's not Groudon or the Volcano he searches for, but MATIAS SILPH himself. Maybe, if they can wrest control of the Volatile from Groudon, he can calm his patron down. If such a thing was even possible for an avatar. Especially one with such a creature as this, hellbent on Hoenn's destruction. Briefly, he wondered if Kyogre's own insanity was helping push Groudon off its own deep end. And how long until Rayquaza tapped into its true power reserves and smited both for daring to disobey the natural order? [break][break]

The heat lets off just a smidge but no color comes back to the world. And horribly, Matias' comatose body tries to speak, but nothing comes out. [break][break]

Except the deafening roar of the volcano exploding upwards. A Jet of thick smoke fills the sky above as the ground under his feet shakes angrily, toppling him over. Paxton tries to stabilize himself while on his knees, deafened by earth and magma ripping through Mt. Chimney. [break][break]

ollie morales takes off like a shot as Paxton screams, straining raw vocal chords. "You have to snap out of it! We're not your enemy!" Wind makes him flinch as Head Ranger and Dragonite take off and as lava begins to pour. out of the crater. He swaps partners, letting out his Solrock instead. The levitating rock type charged up a SOLAR BEAM, cutting a very hopeful drain path for the lava beginning to rush out of the top. As its trainer tried to reason with his old friend, it set itself to using PSYCHIC to try to control the lava flow, either shoving it back or keeping it to its designated draining. Altan spun in concentration while Paxton tried to keep eyes on his companions. [break][break]

"You can stop fighting for once!" he screamed, thoughts buzzing as he saw glimpses of his conversation with the E4. Pieces of vulnerability Paxton hadn't quite gleaned much from, but stood out anyway. This couldn't be the end. He couldn't just be a star going supernova, brilliant and horrifying all at once, leaving the rest of the region to deal with the blackhole left behind. He breathed in deep once more, ready to scream until his head hurt. [break][break]

"lam logan !" His attention snapped at the Gym Leader, temporary Green Knight. "Ollie's taking point, if you have anything push up too. I'll try-" he cuts himself off, eyes flickering at his partner and then back at Lam. "I'll handle the volcano. Help Ollie and the others get him back."




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It's not uncommon for the night terrors to wake up Paxton drenched in his own sweat. What is, were the chains that tug him back into place when he moved a little too quickly or the sticky, hot air he was gasping into his own face. As if he'd pulled the sheets over his head. Except he couldn't kick the sheets back off. Shaky hands run over his face before he realized he was stuck with a mask on. Briefly he wondered if he'd gone a little too fucking crazy the Sunday night prior but...no....he had vivid memories of baking something, not stepping into a sex club. [break][break]

His clothes are different too. Johto, he thought at first, thinking of CALLISTA MOON before looking over the pattern. It's a little different, and the pattern is strange. Kitakami? He'd not visited yet, only to see the tourist pamphlets. [break][break]

As he comes to so do many others, the cacophony of noise alerting him of other lost souls. Citizens of Hoenn, he recognized some voices. But there's no telling if other regions had been affected. They never were but...the sight of Megalopolans made him doubt. Toxic chains writhe around their guards, and as he looked around it matched his own. Though...he isn't under any spell or mind control. He tried to find a mirror to see if his eyes had turned purple. "Morning." he croaked before coughing roughly, not realizing ow dry his throat was. He eyed his cellmate before tilting his head. "Do I know y-?" he's cut off by more screams, and looks out into what he could see of the other cells. [break][break]

Someone calls out for Elise Calcifet , and he waits to see if its the ranger he knows. She answers, and he steps up to the bars of his cell to listen. Ironically she's one of the few people he can't see. Standing at the edge, he spots Greyson Connors arguing with someone across the way. Next to them is one of Hoenn's most wanted Lulu Flint . Josh Devlin screaming mid panic attack, and possibly Genevieve Cromwell and Hideo Kino . He focuses on those directly next to his cell. "This is Cassidy, are you alright?" he asked, letting his voice carry as he tilted his head towards the next cell before turning to his own cellmate. [break][break]

Both League and Rocket seemed to be incarcerated, the Megalopolans covered in toxic chains just like the pokemon swarms breaking out over the region the past month. Speaking towards Petra, he beckons her over to show her something. "I think they can't hear us. Or if they can, it's not really registering what we're saying. Like with the mochi breakout in Oldale, I think." he said as he pointed at their chains. [break][break]

"Something else is going on." The platform began to move and he looked up, gesturing at his cellmate. "Look." [break][break]

Anybody would say he's unusually calm, and that was true. But if he began screaming, it’d make his mask hotter. For now, it was better to try to stay lucid under pressure than give in to despair. No pokeballs? Fine. No weapons? Fine. If they wanted him to stay put they should've killed him already. "They need us for something. Whether it's a sick battle royale or something more humiliating." he said, hoping it would assuage any concerns for now.


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He'd looked into the destruction of the DESOLATE LAND incident before. Back when he was just a beat cop working at Lilycove City PD. He's retired only a year or so ago, and he'd missed his chance to welcome CALLISTA MOON to a region he's desperately tried to bring her and MATIAS SILPH to. [break][break]

He'd been grateful to not having gone in the response team. He was tired of saving people, saving things. He'd become a cop because it was the closest to all he'd ever known. He'd just wanted to find his sister and try to make something out of the ashes of his lost youth. He hadn't wanted to be in DESOLATE LAND just like he hadn't wanted to be in PRIMEVAL. [break][break]

The lofty ideals he'd nursed on as a soldier maimed and burnt and buried along with all the other accolades he'd received. That instinct- that calling to a higher power had been silenced. At least he'd thought it was. For years he'd simply thought he was working for a safer Hoenn because it was convenient for him to lend his skills. He trusted the region to dahlia goode, and he wanted to do his part to ensure it stayed stable. As stable as Hoenn could be. But now something thrums inside his chest past the adrenaline and the regret. [break][break]

Names and faces of people he's loved and lost whisper and simmer right under the surface. And that something hums inside him. Their odds are fucking shit, but Paxton had already failed so many people. [break][break]

The thought of failing MATIAS SILPH again would kill him. Whatever was left in the hollow of his chest would vanish, turned to dust before he could catch his breath. He'd never be able to look her in the eyes again. He needs to do this. He wants to do this. [break][break]

What's death to a man who's already been killed so many times before? [break][break]

Streenstrup's water evaporates almost instantly and he gives her a silent apology for putting her in this mess and consigning her to the same fate as him. But she's trained. She knows how to go on even without him. He pushes forward, following Virizion and their new knight. They take point and Paxton is more than willing to let them as they finish their rush up the volcano. Tremors shake the ground, a warning of the volcanic activity ready to burst. Paxton's mind races beyond him and his party. An explosion like this would have an infinite number of consequences for the entire region and its ecosystem. The immediate damage massive, and the gas, smoke, and ash could reach farther out to other regions. They'd know something was wrong before the news broke. [break][break]

But even worse than that? The face of that destruction: MATIAS SILPH . [break][break]

He's seen a lot when it comes to avatars, but nothing quite like this. Paxton managed to catch sight of the monochrome magma bubbling in the crater, eyes upon eyes staring up and through him. It's terrifying to witness, and that primal fear of the unknown almost makes him balk. He tenses his fists, not given any time to break against his own momentary panic. That same unknown entity speaks through him, and Paxton recalls their conversation so many months ago. Back when he'd been assigned to help monitor the E4. When he'd gone from asking him about @elisabethh to Groudon. How he'd practically begged him to talk to him. [break][break]

"He alluded to this!" Paxton yelled against the roar of explosions, shaking from the innate fear of something far bigger than himself looking down at him through his own friend's eyes. His Octillery tries in vain another HYDRO PUMP at him before attempting to SHADOW HOLD the avatar. [break][break]

"MATIAS! Don't let that fucking thing bully you out of your own body!" he screamed, their conversations coming back in hurried snippets. "You are more than just a vessel for destruction!" He had to be. [break][break]

He had to.


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