There was a reason? Howard had never really given it thought.

"I never thought there was a purpose to our region's otherworldly suffering. It's a hard concept to grasp. Hell, I figured it was just another law of the universe, like gravity or time or space. It'd be hard to argue against that, Nomi." The admin crossed his arms in thought as he gave Kallistatus a smirk. "Now you're telling me that it's intentional? Particular?"

As if challenging his parent, Howard took the cup and sipped on the scalding hot tea. His eye twitched for a moment, but he didn't start screaming or shouting. Instead, he grimaced and put the tea down.

"Damn, that's hot." He was a lot more like Regice than he let on. Extreme temperatures hardly bothered him anymore. Whether that was nerve death or mere resistance remained to be seen. "Arceus above."

The tea was delicious, but it was best to focus on Nomi. It'd be rude if a guest didn't respect the effort of the host.

"So this world is going to end?" Howard's lip twitched down into a downcast expression. "Huh."

It was the voice of a man who did not understand the dire circumstances of the situation. Who could? The end of the universe was too vast for the average person. Howard studied humans and their history, not the end times.

"That doesn't matter. The DRK Triad is wrong." He gave Nomi a look. "They misunderstand the human condition, and how every timeline works."

---

Naomi Sato

"■■■."

The name flickered out of Howard's mind as soon as it left the sheriff's lips. He could not perceive his name, because names had power. It was best to avoid being chained down or perceived by a man capable of rending the universe apart. If push came to shove, ■■■ could simply leave it all behind.

What happened when the Devourer no longer hungered?

"Nope. Can't hear it." With one final drag of the cigarette, the admin flicked it into the void. "Not that it matters."

When questioned about Eternatus, the admin gave the sheriff a long searching look. Cillian Quinn would kill him if he told the truth. BARNABY FINCH would lynch him if he found out.

"Nah." He lied as he looked up at the constellations of Wishing Stars above. "Nothing of note."

---

Michael Navidson

"You know better than me that the clock stops for nobody. Least of all you."

A dying patient did not stop dying just because the clock struck midnight. Time was an eternal concept, but humans attempted to track it with mechanical devices such as clocks and sundials. Yet Howard knew better than most that mankind existed within a small bubble of time. They could not control it. Only one could, and last Howard checked, Laurence Whateley was not Dialga.

He was just a human with human problems and a human daughter. As Rocket was familiar with, humans tended to break.

"Your daughter is lovely. You're a lucky man." Howard's tone implied that Laurence wasn't lucky, and the two knew it. It was strange, watching the joy seep from Howard's face as he spoke with Laurence. The mask came off, and the cog in the great machine of Rocket was all that remained. "Good on you. Cherish these moments."

It was not a threat, but it certainly sounded like one. Howard was on Laurence's side. The two were the same, but there were expectations to uphold. Otherwise, the admin would end up just as dead as Laurence if either of them reeked of treason.

"She's still in Sootopolis." He noted as he gave the doctor a look. "Why? Don't you have family you can send her to?"

---

Laurence Whateley

"He scares me, Navy." Howard took a deep breath. "More than anyone on your side or mine. More than the Volatile. More than our Harbinger. More than that bitch who runs the HBIC."

For a moment, he paused, trying to gauge where he ranked declan walsh in comparison to the Devourer. It was not a hard contest. Necrozma's chosen was a thunderstorm who ripped at the world, but Walsh was ethereal. He could not be killed, no more than Howard could stab a shadow. Soft power terrified the admin far more than hard power did.

The hammer was far less terrifying than the threat of the hammer.

"Never went to his bar. Didn't really think about it. Hell, never really thought he could run a bar. Figured he was just born to break bones." The admin was silent for a spell. What had Necrozma's chosen done in the Galarian dream? Had he put down his sword? Had he continued to wage his war against the universe?

Did it even matter.

"I don't even remember his name anymore. I can't say it. I can't hear it." Howard blinked once in annoyance as a massive organ exuded energy that caused his functioning eye to twitch. "Say his name.

---

Michael Navidson

Harming Shirley was impossible. Howard's heart wasn't strong enough to do what needed to be done. He could only protect what he understood, and he understood his Aerodactyl.

It was the same reason that he struggled with the concepts of multiverses, despite Naomi Sato's constant lectures. The Head Scientist was a genius in regards to dimensions, but the admin simply could not comprehend it to the level that she could. No. Not that he couldn't, he simply chose not to.

How could another universe compare to the one Howard and Navy hailed from? It was impossible.

"Those stories need to be remembered. Who will recall them all? You?" Howard's lip tightened as a Poipole appeared from the haze. With a surprisingly deft hand, the admin threw a Pokeball with remarkable dexterity, like the movies with young trainers setting off on adventures.

An adventure the admin never got to take. He lacked the talent for such things.

"I couldn't wish that on you. You don't deserve that fate." His nerves jolted as he realized who Navy was talking about. "You know him?"

Howard did not honor that man with a name.

---

Michael Navidson

The Ancient Tomb was one of Hoenn's biggest examples of its rich history. Runes carved from stone and steel painted a fine history of the region, and its easily accessible nature from Lilycove made it simple to visit.

"If that's the case, no wonder I haven't been shot yet. My early career with Rocket wasn't the crusade of a criminal mastermind, I'll tell you what. I'm surprised that I'm not rotting in some cell in Ever Grande, even now." If kyle lopez had been competent, it was likely that he would be. The champion had the opportunity to arrest Howard, but had simply waved him off. "Not that I'm complaining, though."

The admin jumped slightly as his boot crushed the warped and blackened skull of a Megalopolan pioneer. After a moment of sheepish amusement, he kicked the bones into a pit of acid far below. They disappeared with a hiss and a splash.

There was nothing left to learn from them, not here. Only a warning.

Just like the warning of the Ancient Tomb.

"I should've been there. That dream is a fog that I can't broach, no matter how much you describe it to me. It's something I'll never be able to relate to, for better or worse." The admin looked up at the fleshy ceiling of the sea, where several Wishing Stars shined with an eerie light. "I should have been there/"

He looked down and ahead.

"But I wasn't. Can't do anything about it but keep going."

---

Michael Navidson

Howard wanted a raise.

"AQUA has spies? Shit." Howard grunted as he lit a cigarette in the fleshy caverns of the Ultra Deep Sea. Even as he lit the flame, the admin quickly realized his error. The bowels of Eternatus were hot, humid, and extolled life. Lighting a light had added a smoky aftertaste to the climate.

"How many are following me?" Occasionally, it did feel like charging at Eternatus was like striking a windmill. How could two humans wage such a war? "Is my mailman a spy?"

With Navy, nobody could question the admin poking around in the Ultra Deep Sea. If Cillian Quinn saw this, he would've thought of it as treason. Luckily, Cillian was a million miles away. Instead, the two were accompanied by the rhythmic beating of this world full of vile life.

A drag of the cigarette caused smoke to fill the air.

"Reminds me of the ship you blew up. Remember that?" Their first mission together. "Scared the shit out of me. Still does."

---

Michael Navidson

A good compromise left neither party happy, but it gave both the opportunity to pretend that they were. Howard wasn't particularly pleased with Oscar, but he'd pretend.

That would have to suffice.

"The end of the week? Damn. Guess I'll have to stay in Sootopolis for a little while." Howard tucked his head against his chest and frowned. That meant he'd have to spend more time doing paperwork instead of going out on digs, but what was there to be done? "That's fine. Do the best you can."

That was all he could ask from the engineer. Maybe if he was lucky, Oscar would get carried away and attach a few upgrades to the Sygna Suit.

"If that's all, then I'll be going..."

He stopped as Oscar mentioned something unfathomably incredible.

"Charjabug racing?" The admin turned to Oscar, eye gleaming with excitement and interest. Oscar had him. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

---

oscar clayton

It all came back to the multiverse. Hoenns within Hoenns within Hoenns. An eternal spiral of worlds with no discernable beginning. Except there was a beginning, back when the multiverse was new. There was, in fact, an origin point.

"On a historical level? I know Hoenn well. I could tell you about the first pioneers who landed here, about the Draconids that charted the stars, about the native people who worked the land, about the geological eras that act as the foundation of this world."

Yet he suspected that wasn't what Nomi was talking about. When dealing with someone who could transcend dimensions, the physical history of Hoenn seemed increasingly small in comparison. The Visionary saw the grand scheme of things, but what about the small and minute?

"Though that term," Howard tapped Kallistatus in a manner that could be considered petting, "is unknown to me. You said origin point, yes?"

He tucked his head to his chest, deep in thought. Why would such a term interest Nomi? There was only one group that she pursued to fervently.

"Is it connected to the DRK Triad?"

---

Naomi Sato

"Pokémon come back from the dead?" The masked man's voice had an ember of hope. It was a dream of a dream, hardly tangible, but if Doug could come back, maybe it was worth it. "I thought that was a myth."

The Border was very real, and its capacity for revival was infamous. There was a rumor that kyle lopez could bring dead things back to life, but Howard had never seen it done. The deceased champion had made sure to not use that trick on camera, if it was a trick he had at all.

Yet it was a trick that Howard wished was real more than ever. Why had Doug died? Howard had done his job. He had worked hard. What was the point of crushing Doug into smithereens?

Why? Why? Why?

He put a hand on the container holding Andrea's Hydreigon and her menagerie of dragons. Where were his Pokémon? They were nowhere to be found. After a moment, he gave Andrea a look.

"How?" He rasped, voice choked. "How're you so hopeful? We're in prison. We're treated like shit. How're you still going?"

---

Andrea Vaneau

With a wry smile, Howard gave Adrian a look.

"I'd assume that Regirock's fragments are made out of rocks. Call it several years of experience talking." After laughing at his own wit for a few moments, the admin gave it some thought. He hadn't done too much research into Regirock's composition, on account of the fact that the golem was constantly killing whatever it deemed a threat. "Various stones infused with Dynergy. I assume it functions in the same way Regice does."

After several days of testing, the admin came to the conclusion that his golem interfaced with Dynergy in a unique way. While it was constructed with the aid of the power, the Dynergy within was a closed system. If the golem was shattered, Dynergy leaked out. He was unsure how the Dynergy that powered the construct was regenerated.

If it did at all. What if the Power Spot Regice had within itself had been put there for a reason? Could it really be as simple as type advantage?

It was likely wise to not mention that Howard still had no idea how the type chart worked.

"It could be seeking to incorporate its other pieces into itself, but why would it come here? I'd assume that the Pokémon League has the other fragments. I'd pay to see Regirock lay siege to Ever Grande." It'd be funny up until the moment that the golem was shattered and taken into League custody.

"Any other tips for fighting this thing? You have the most experience with it of anyone in Rocket, besides maybe priam conrad or Cillian Quinn."

---

Adrian Malcolm

"You tell me. I haven't seen the sheriff in weeks."

Being a member of the Elite Four was busy work, but Dewford's Gym Leader was busy far more often than he wasn't, and that meant he was hardly in the town. A small part of Howard understood why Navy was gone. It was a terrible thing to lose a friend, especially when that friend was Hoenn's Top Champion.

Still, Noel was a solid substitute, seeing how he dealt with that Nihilego without breaking a sweat.

"That's crazy! You're super strong!" Howard's eye grew massive as he stared at the deflating corpse of the Ultra Beast, his fear of Scream Tails momentarily forgotten. "Why didn't you use that thing at the tournament?"

It all came back to Vital City.

More Nihilegos began to descend, and Howard nervously swallowed. Noel was strong, but there had to be... what? Twenty Nihilegos here? That was a lot for Dewford's sheriff on a good day, and he was one of the strongest trainers that Howard knew. Meanwhile, Serizawa sat dormant, still refusing to budge.

"This is bad. You can't stick around either. We can't deal with this many." Howard turned to Noel. Somewhere deep in his heart, Howard suspected that this man would rather die than retreat. That was just the type of deputy that Navy liked to hire. "I'm not leaving you! We'll fight together."

"Tar." Serizawa agreed as the Nihilego descended. As their tentacles outstretched, the Pupitar lunged forward with a massive bang, shattering three Nihilegos like glass as it blasted forth. Serizawa didn't break a sweat as it landed next to Noel's foot. "Tar."

---

Noel Parker