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A fissure forms under his Metagross and it explodes with energy, striking the underside of the Iron Leg Pokemon. The steel-psychic type roars in agony and collapses, unable to continue to fight; meanwhile Kaname fumbles with a pokeball before recalling it. “What do I do…” He murmured, swallowing a hard lump in his throat and stared at the Venusaur for several seconds, it was mega-evolved. It was stronger, sturdier. He needed a pokemon that would be decisive in its strikes. [break][break]



He pulled a pokeball from his pocket and pressed the button, releasing a Crobat. The chiropteran pokemon hovered in the air, his four wings silently beating. “Air Slash, and don’t let up!” The Crobat let out a cry as its main pair of wings took on a silvered glow and fired forth multiple blades of air with every wingbeat, aiming for the Venusaur. [break][break]



His plan was simple, bombard the grass-poison type pokemon with Flying attacks until it couldn’t stand anymore. It was a plan of desperation, a final gambit before he would attempt to escape. [break][break]

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The world changes, shifts. Like the tide washing over the sand, the topography is altered. The very landscape is a different place altogether. There are pokemon in the distance, the world feels lighter here. Kaname swallows hard, realizing he is where he should not be. A place not accommodating to humanity.[break][break]

The Ultra Deep Sea.[break][break]

He feels like there’s a blue film over his eyes as he runs through this alien world. Like he is viewing in a technicolor spectrum he should not be. It is unsettling for the grunt, his fear is joined by paranoia. A paranoia that whispers to him “if the beast does not kill you, this world will.” That paranoia is not wrong. This is an alien world, with its own rules and designs. If he was unsure of that fact before, the maddening sound of a heartbeat not his own would serve as proof of the fact this world would not be kind to him.[break][break]

There was no time to think more on the matter as splinters of stone were scattered over him. That Garchomp, that great land wyrm emerged from a cavern wall and swam with ferocity at him. Kaname could not run, his legs would not work; they were locked in place by fear. This was how Kaname Fujihara would die. A coward done in by his own terror and weakness.[break][break]

Or he would’ve, were it not for his Mienfoo launching himself from his shoulders and straight into the jaws of death itself. That little mustelid martial artist didn’t intend to go down without a fight; its small paw glowing with a bright blue energy that intended to discharge upon the dragon’s snout. Whether or not the Mienfoo succeeded mattered not, it had leaped into the jaws of that great dragon; death was its only reward for foolish heroics. The path of a warrior always ended in blood.

The sight of this, however, brought pain to Kaname. Loss was an unusual experience for him. This sacrifice was untoward, but like a candle flame lighting another… it sparked his will to live again. So while the dragon would feast, he would run. Run harder and faster, unburdened by the weight of his friend.

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There was nothing about dark types that truly interested Kaname. They were unwieldy, untrustworthy, and a large majority of the time, violent. They were everything he disliked about others. So his face soured when he and Kouji came across more of them. “Orbeetle, Bug Buzz.” He said drily, and the Orbeetle compiled; her wings vibrating rapidly and unleashing a torrent of harmful sound waves in the direction of the Impidimp. It was a bit extreme of a tactic when all he wanted to do was scare off the Pokemon, but at least he was assured the super effective move would take care of it or cause it to flee.[break][break]

“I’ve got what I came for Kouji, but I’ll stick around with you as long as you want.” The day was young, and Kaname didn’t have anything pressing to tend to in Ever Grande or in the Rocket HQ. So he would stay and support his streetwise friend in his search to collect the things that he felt most aligned with.

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There was something about being under the sea that made Kaname uneasy. It was not the unusual circumstances or noises that had placed him with one Alba Evovae, a fellow grunt and scientist, that bothered him, after all the noises could be explained. No, it was that a submarine was a waterbound, iron coffin for everyone on board if something went wrong; and things always had the potential to go wrong.[break][break]

He glanced over at his compatriot who had just yawned. Alba Evovae, clearly either bored, tired, or both at the prospect laid out before them. It wasn’t glamorous, being the chaff sent to investigate tales of strange noise and stranger happenings but if they did their job well, they’d be rewarded. That fact alone motivated Kaname, who was ever trying to climb the ranks of Team Rocket. [break][break]

“We should use the opportunity to do some additional work while we investigate the noises. Two Pidgey, one stone.” He suggested, glancing over at his colleague to gauge his reaction. It seemed like a good idea to Kaname, accomplish what they could while they waited for whatever was causing the sounds to do its thing. “Regardless, we should head in there and wait it out.” He said, producing his badge, ready to swipe it at a moment’s notice and enter the supposedly haunted labs. [break][break]

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The move connected, and for a brief moment Medicham and Urshifu were eye to eye. The mythical pokemon could see that there was no malice in the Mediate Pokemon’s eyes. Merely understanding. Understanding that they were both warriors and this was the way of things. Combat was how they spoke to each other. So what would his opponent have to say?[break][break]


“Let’s finish this! For-,” there was a moment of hesitation from Kaname as he watched the black-and-white bear’s paws clamp down on the extended leg of his Medicham. A low, deep red glow shimmered across the Urshifu was now building up momentum. It was obvious what was about to happen next, but Kaname was too stunned to speak as the Urshifu’s arm was thrust forward, hurling the grunt’s Medicham at the arm’s full extension like a baseball.[break][break]



There was no time for the Medicham to react, to curl itself into a ball, or brace for impact. It instead slammed into a rocky wall at full force, leaving a small impact in the cavern wall before sliding unceremoniously onto the ground. That blow was powerful, it shook the core of Medicham’s being. The Mediate Pokemon clamored to his feet, panting heavily as it took a defensive stance.[break][break]


Kaname was shocked that his pokemon made it back to its feet. He was sure that such an impact would’ve knocked it out, but his warrior held on. “Use Recover!” Medicham nodded and inhaled, pink energy surrounding it as regained some strength and stamina; but would that be enough to this fight?[break][break]

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Whatever spark of hope that existed in Kaname Fujihara’s heart died as he felt the very stone around him tremble. The rock below him shifted and shook; threatening him with an earthquake. He swallowed hard; an earthquake in this cavern would mean certain death, crushed beneath a coffin of stone. [break][break]

Was the entire world now out to get him, a bit player- a pawn? Why was this happening now, of all times? [break][break]

There is a roar that rattles Kaname’s very bones as stone churns and erupts forth; that great dragon of the land dove from beneath the rock as though it were the surface of a pond. He can hear its snapping jaws threatening to devour his soft flesh, he can feel the beast’s hot breath mere inches away from his flesh as it dives through the air and back into the earth below. [break][break]

Kaname had narrowly avoided the jaws of death.[break][break]

It was there, beneath the earth, waiting, waiting for him to stumble again. It may be playing with him now, but if he faltered again he would die. [break][break]

Kaname took off sprinting once more, his mienfoo clinging to his shoulder. The image of that wretched dragon bursting from beneath the stone to swallow him whole played in his mind on repeat. The thought of being crushed in those gnashing jaws pushed him to run harder than before. Despite his lungs burning and legs aching, Kaname raced against death itself in search of a Primal Rift to escape into. The Ultra Sea may be full of dangers, but he may have a fighting chance there. Inside this cave, however, he was sure to die. [break][break]

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Kaname sucks in a few deep breaths and straightens himself, the nausea finally passing; his headache, however, would not abate. His body ached and he was starting to feel the effects of exhaustion more heavily now. He had to end this battle soon. [break][break]



A wave of weakness passes over his Metagross, but it doesn’t phase him. No, Kaname is focused only on the pokemon on the field now. He glares at the Venusaur, it was an interesting choice to replace the unknown pokemon with the grass-poison type. “Use Psychic,” the grunt sounded sure of himself, sure that this move would do enough to take down the venusaur. [break][break]



The Metagross’ eyes gleamed as pink waves of psychic force were fired at the Venusaur. Kaname hoped that even with being weakened his Metagross could finish it off in a single blow. He needed to finish this battle in a single blow and retreat from Ultra Sea, this foreign world seemed to weigh on him more and more as time went on. [break][break]



The longer he remained inside the Ultra Sea rift, the more he felt ill. There was a building fear inside him that if he stayed too long, he might die.[break][break]

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Intelligence was not a unified measure; wisdom was not a zero sum game. Kouji may not have been the same kind of smart as Kaname, but that didn’t mean the scientist thought less of him. It was clear that Kouji Matsubara possessed his own kind of intelligence; it took forethought and wisdom to know that the path laid out before them was one that would be wrought with violence and bloodshed. “I’m afraid we’re going to pay the toll in blood and suffering.” An earnest fear and they would be the ones to pay for it first; the grunts would be the first pound of flesh offered up at the table of sacrifice. [break][break]



He made sure the van was in park before sliding out of his seat and onto the pavement. This was it, their last drop. “Last one,” he chirped nervously as he walked around the side of the vehicle. Once they were through, they’d drop the van off and go their separate ways. Part of Kaname wondered what would happen to Kouji tonight, would his fellow grunt stand victorious atop a pile of corpses or would he die in the dirt? [break][break]



Ambition could be a killer, it could make smart men foolish and foolish men braver than they had any right to be. Kaname feared the latter in regards to Kouji. They both wanted to climb the ranks, to prove themselves. But how far would the grunt be willing to go? Kaname knew he’d stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and wondered if Kouji was the same.[break][break]



“Yeah, got it.” He said in acknowledgement, walking in step beside Kouji toward the door. Once they’d made it to the door and the box was set down Kaname would rap on the door. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, turning to head back to the van. He sighed, putting his hands in his pocket. “In the event we survive tonight, let’s grab a drink afterwards. I’ll buy.” [break][break]

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A spherical Pokémon with legs had appeared, its body wrapped in silken threads. A tarountula, not quite what he was after but it was too good to pass up. “Orbeetle, use Psychic!” The Seven Spot Pokémon’s eyes glowed briefly as it repeatedly buffeted the little spider Pokémon with psychic force.[break][break]

After a thorough battering, Kaname produced an empty pokeball and tossed it.[break][break]



Bug pokemon were interesting to Kaname, they weren’t as affable as other types. They possessed a cold exterior, a social exoskeleton that required work to bypass. But of all the pokemon Kaname owned, he was absolutely assured his Orbeetle was extremely loyal. He earned that loyalty, raising it up from a blipbug; and he planned to do it again if he caught this tarountula.[break][break]

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Other planets, other worlds. What lay beyond those primal rifts were entirely different ecosystems from what Kaname understood. They were the home of various Ultra Beasts, creatures who were so alien in comparison to what they knew so it made sense. In a different time, under different circumstances he could be studying those ecosystems and the creatures that called them home. Now, however, was not that time; instead he was delivering cargo in preparation for a night of hell.[break][break]

Kaname glanced at Kouji out of the corner of his eye. The delinquent's words did not soothe him, he considered them to be platitudes. Empty, devoid of meaning. It was what he hadn’t said that had an effect on him. He couldn’t prove it, but he was sure Kouji pivoted what he planned to say to spare Kaname. Was Kouji the kind of person who chased disaster? He was the kind of man who craved ruin and violence? Was Kouji Matsubara an ill-tempered Houndoom in a foolish Dubwool’s clothing? The mere thought of it was more alarming than any conflict could be. [break][break]

He pushed the thoughts of his mind, there was a time and place to deal with them and it wasn’t here and now.[break][break]

Might not be forever. Kouji was right, Rocket might not last forever; but the kind of people that existed in Rocket would always exist. And those people would always find each other and organize into something more formidable than their parts. “It doesn’t matter if it’ll last forever, I’ll make it worth it while I can, Kouji. The fact is, they’re willing to sponsor my research in ways that no one else will and that’s important to me.” He paused, slowing the vehicle down as they approached their final drop. “My research means everything to me.”[break][break]

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The sound of footsteps came from behind him. The sound of those rumbling footsteps made his heart beat faster, like it was slamming against his sternum in an attempt to free itself. It was there, the beast was keeping in time with him. There was nothing he could do, except run until his legs gave out. He sucked in breath after breath in a desperate attempt to keep oxygen flowing into his panicked body. His legs were starting to ache from the running, his arms starting to ache from holding tightly onto his mienfoo. The Martial Arts Pokemon had since ceased protesting and fell silent, silent with fear as he had also seen the dragon that hungered for them both.[break][break]

Desperation and fear were funny things, they could push you to new heights or drive you into the depths of the earth. Kaname was more desperate than afraid at this moment; desperately clinging to a life that did not fulfill him because he was afraid of what lies beyond the jaws of that dragon. In spite of every primal instinct in his body urging him forward, it was the desperation to cling to what is known that pushed him to keep running.[break][break]

He makes a sudden left turn, panting as sweat drips down his face and gets into his eye. His vision blurs some as the droplet stings his eye. He considers, for a moment, the point of his life. Was it worth it to run? To avoid the jaws of death? Or was it better to great oblivion head on? The odds of him saving himself were low, and his mienfoo would only serve to piss the beast off.[break][break]

As he ran through the tunnels of Granite Cave, he stumbled ever so slightly on a protruding rock. It wasn't much, but it was enough to cause his pace to slow.[break][break]

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Two more pokemon rose to challenge them, an extremely fast bug type and an aggressive dark/dragon type. “Neither of these are what I’m after.” The scientist replied, pulling another pokeball from his belt just in case things got hairy.[break][break]

“Use Light Screen and then Reflect.” The Orbeetle’s spots glowed vividly as two shimmering barriers appeared one after the other around Kouji’s pokemon. “That’ll save your pokemon from taking a lot of damage.” He was content to let Kouji’s pokemon do the heavy lifting; they were better suited to this fight than Kaname’s Orbeetle was.[break][break]

“Are you familiar with the move Trick Room, Kouji? That’s what I’m basing my research on, so I need slow pokemon to run experiments with.” He smirked to himself, all he had to do was assemble the right team of Pokemon and he would never have to worry about being weak again.[break][break]

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Kouji may not feel fear, but Kaname did. The reality was this was an all out skirmish for an extremely valuable resource. The League and Team Rocket would stop at nothing to possess it, and corpses didn’t mean a thing to either organization. “Yeah… I think your gut is right to be doing those flips…” He responded, his voice sounded tense. Unnerved. There were endless possibilities and variables that could determine how this skirmish went, and that was terrifying.[break][break]

Kaname took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, exhaling loudly. He focused on the road, the feeling of the steering wheel under his hands, the fabric of his clothes; grounding himself back into reality. He couldn’t let the fear of possibilities overtake him right now, not when had a job to do. It was Kouji’s remark that helped him truly reorient to the task at hand. “You’re right,” he admitted. If he survived, if he went above and beyond, he would be that much closer to his goals. “Can’t lose sight of that.” [break][break]

“Ultra Space is an interdimensional zone; a place between worlds. It’s accessible via rifts or wormholes. It’s the home of the Ultra Beasts, they’re like alien pokemon, and Megalopolans, a race of people who come from ‘Ultra Megalopolis’. The Megalopolans were the belligerents of the Three Days War… Hoenn obviously repelled them. But that’s all I know, other than there’s areas of Ultra Space referred to as “wilds” and they’re all vastly different and crazy dangerous to your body. And I know we’re fighting in one such wild zone… So, be careful. It's hard to tell what can happen. I hear there's reports of the Interdream Zone leaking in too.” It was a lot of information to have dropped on one person, but it all necessary information in Kaname's mind. After all, knowledge was power.[break][break]

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