Bruin the Salamence touched down in the center of the first League base he'd spotted from the air. Gunner slid off the dragon's back, then immediately reached up to help PENELOPE LIVY down. He grasped her firmly, trying to ground her in the strength of his arms. [break][break]

Her Charizard landed beside them moments later. [break][break]

"Someone get a medic!" Gunner yelled at the startled personnel scattered around the camp. Two individuals surged into motion, rushing toward a tent with the familiar medic's symbol printed along the side. [break][break]

The agent adjusted his hold on Penelope, encouraging her to wrap her arm around his shoulders while he folded his own arm around her waist. "Hold on, Miss Livy. We're safe now. Someone's going to take a look at you to make sure you're okay." [break][break]

He started making his way to the tent, supporting her the whole way.

TAGS – PENELOPE LIVY[break]
NOTES – social | takes place after burned in blue

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A tremendous gust of air slammed into Gunner and his Salamence, sending them tumbling through the air. The man had to let go of his rifle to avoid falling off his dragon; the machine disappeared into the chaos of magma and fire below. [break][break]

"Miss Livy!" Gunner shouted once Bruin had righted himself. He scanned the area below frantically, seeking the familiar shape of his boss amidst the flames. Finally, he spotted her. "Bruin, there! Go!" [break][break]

The Salamence dove. As he swooped past Penelope, Gunner reached out in case she needed a hand. He'd pull her onto Bruin's back with him if needed. Then, with a great flap of his wings, the Dragon-type wheeled around and flew back to the nearest League campsite.

TAGS – Naomi Sato parker jones PENELOPE LIVY[break]
NOTES – mission

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"Smart thinking," Gunner said as he watched the Swampert's EARTHQUAKE bring several Muk and Grimer to the surface. "Ophelia, Tom, give them a hand." [break][break]

His Pokémon obliged. The Steelix DUG into the toxic sands, mowing down the wild Poison-types. Meanwhile, the Baltoy swatted at stray Grimer and Muk with MUD SLAP. Soon, their efforts saw all of the offenders corralled into an unconscious pile. [break][break]

Turning to Beau, Gunner asked, "Do you need help getting these to Ranger Headquarters for relocation?"

TAGS – Beau Fontaine[break]
NOTES – mission

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With his two Pokémon leading the way, Gunner forged a path toward the center of the sludgy, swampy mess. On the way, he noted fewer Poison-types than he expected to see—a disconcerting fact, considering how much poison had accumulated along the beach. [break][break]

"Fontaine!" he called out when he saw Beau's tall figure alongside his own Pokémon. The Ranger and his team were putting up quite the good fight, it seemed. [break][break]

Gunner waited until the distance between them grew smaller before saying, "There's way too much poison for the number of wild Pokémon out here. Something's not right." [break][break]

He glanced around, frowning, hands on his hips.

TAGS – Beau Fontaine[break]
NOTES – mission

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"Gideon, are you up here?" Gunner called out as he climbed the stairs to the second floor of their childhood home. Wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet. [break][break]

Like his brother, Gunner had arrived to check on their parents following the incident at Mt. Chimney. After surveying the damage to their property, he'd arranged for local services to help remove the debris. Their parents were getting older, after all. [break][break]

Peering into Gideon's old bedroom, Gunner found the elder Graves sitting at the desk inside. Gunner stopped short, lingering in the doorway. [break][break]

"Hey, Dad wants to know what you want for dinner. We're doing takeout since he and Mom are still pretty shaken," he said.

TAGS – GIDEON GRAVES[break]
NOTES – mission

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Soaring in the sky high above the battlefield, Gunner did not hear PENELOPE LIVY. He did not hear her venomous boasting nor see the sneer plastered across her face as she exulted in the victory within her grasp. He did not notice the way her triumph bled away as wrathful envy overtook her, bringing her far across the line of reason and goodness. [break][break]

What he did see from that height was the crystalline city as it manifested before him. Circhester, he realized, recognizing the skyline from photographs and videos. [break][break]

No—not just that. [break][break]

Hazy half-memories emerged from his subconscious as scenes flickered across the faces of crystal, filling Gunner with the strange sense of watching his life unfold on a television screen. Yet that had not been his life, not really. [break][break]

Or had it? Was that GIDEON GRAVES next to the rough-looking woman with the VI on her cheek? Why were they smiling and laughing? [break][break]

The image of a young man appeared, barely out of his boyhood years. Light shining on smooth crystal blurred his face, and yet a strange familiarity filled Gunner at the sight of him. An unusual longing, like missing an old friend. [break][break]

Bruin twisted in the air, jolting his trainer from uncertain thoughts. Gunner breathed air warmed by volcanic fire and looked down at a single orange dot. The Mega Blaziken, carrying a screaming Rocket grunt. [break][break]

Gunner's Salamence descended upon them with all the speed and fatality of a launched missile.

TAGS – Naomi Sato parker jones PENELOPE LIVY[break]
NOTES – mission

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"Hey, Concordas!" [break][break]

Finding Paxton was not a difficult task, not during the work day and not at the headquarters of the HBIC. Gunner knew the path to Paxton's desk by heart and could find his way blindfolded. [break][break]

This time, though, his feet dragged as if leaden weights had been tied to his ankles. A great reluctance made even opening his mouth seem like an impossible task. And at first, he could not look the other man in the eye. [break][break]

Man up, Gunner, he chastised himself, before forcing himself to meet Paxton's gaze. [break][break]

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He gestured to an empty conference room nearby, indicating a desire for privacy.

TAGS – paxton concordas[break]
NOTES – social, ~1 week post-Primeval

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Navy did not have to speak a name for Gunner to know who was dead. kyle lopez had perished on Mt. Chimney during an operation kept so confidential that not even the agent had known about it. But paxton concordas had been part of it. Though he'd returned alive, there had been no guarantee of his survival. [break][break]

That was the truth of their oath to protect Hoenn. Gunner was prepared to lay down his life for the defense of the region, like Paxton was. [break][break]

Like Kyle had. [break][break]

Their petty squabbles were so, so stupid. [break][break]

"I know." Gunner sighed but nodded. "I know." [break][break]

He downed half of his beer in the next couple of gulps, wishing he had something stronger. Then he glanced sidelong at the man seated next to him. [break][break]

"How are you holding up?"

TAGS – Michael Navidson[break]
NOTES – social

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Gunner watched the anger overtake Annalise again, from the small changes to her facial expression to the way her hands curled into fists at her sides. He waited in silence to see how she'd react—if she'd lash out at him or curse up a storm. [break][break]

But instead, she looked at him with resigned, accepting eyes. Though he couldn't begin to guess at the emotions she struggled with, he could empathize with the struggle in the first place. [break][break]

He offered her a rueful smile. "Sure, we can be even."

TAGS – annalise henderson[break]
NOTES – mission

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The woman who brutalized GIDEON GRAVES dodged at the last moment. Gunner couldn't see through the plumes of black smoke, but he was certain he'd still hit her. Perhaps a shoulder or arm injury—nothing fatal. [break][break]

As Bruin rose higher, he chambered another bullet. But suddenly the air filled with numerous small eyes, each one fixing its unblinking stare upon him. Unown, he knew, and raised his gun to find a target. Psychic-types, he knew as he searched through the screen of smoke and falling magma. [break][break]

But it was not the Unown who attacked him. Instead, a Mega Evolved Blaziken emerged from the flames, screaming. Bruin reared back but could not swerve away in time; he uttered a rumbling roar as flames licked up his limbs and body. [break][break]

"Shit!" Gunner squeezed the dragon's flank with his heel, urging Bruin to fall back. The Salamence shot up higher instead with FLY, far out of the Blaziken's reach.

TAGS – Naomi Sato parker jones PENELOPE LIVY[break]
NOTES – mission

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Gunner was sitting at his desk, typing away at a report, when one of his bosses came around. One of the Silphs had dropped by the Bureau's headquarters without arranging an appointment beforehand—again. But instead of the illustrious FERNANDO SILPH who didn't need one and the more unpredictable MATIAS SILPH, their visitors was none other than the actress, Delilah Silph. [break][break]

"Humor her for a bit and see what she wants. If it's important, we can look into it more formally, but for now, just figure out why she's here." [break][break]

Gunner had no choice but to put aside his current task for the time being. He made his way to the small conference room where Delilah waited, making small adjustments to his suit and tie as he walked. When he reached the conference room, he spied her elegant figure through the glass window moments before he entered. [break][break]

"Miss Silph, what a surprise. I'm Gunner Graves." The man held out his hand for a shake, but only offered a slight smile, for the sake of politeness. "Unfortunately, my supervisors are all preoccupied and were unable to meet you. Is there something the Bureau can assist with?"

TAGS – Delilah Silph[break]
NOTES – social

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Somehow, the fact that Navy wrestled with the same question reassured Gunner. At least on the outside, men like them weren't allowed to make mistakes. Doing so invited too much risk. Yet they were also only human, as foolish and prone to misjudgments as the rest. [break][break]

Navy's answer made sense, too, as difficult as it was for Gunner to swallow his pride. He tried not to make regretting his life choices into a habit, especially considering what he did for work. Even admitting he'd been wrong, even in vague terms, had tasted like a bitter pill. [break][break]

"Yeah. I guess it is." Gunner sighed and took another sip. "It's about Paxton. Outside of missions, we haven't been talking. I got pissed off at him a while ago, and, uh… I punched him in the face." [break][break]

The memory twisted his expression into a grimace. "I know I shouldn't have, but in the moment…" He shook his head. "I don't know. Everything went red."

TAGS – Michael Navidson[break]
NOTES – social

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