The bird had fight. Even worse, it scared Howard. The Rocket Admin had faced down kings of the sky. He had faced down avatars and gods that could turn the world upside down with but a snap of a finger. He had climbed a mountain to seize a giant, and when he had overreached and fell, he had tried again.

Yet this one bird that pecked at both him and June put the fear of Arceus in Howard more than most things. He shimmied next to June in an attempt to hide from the bird's gaze.

It didn't work.

"Matchstick hates me. Damn, I can't blame her. If you had shot me out of the sky, Shirley would be in the same place." Howard sighed, before shaking his head. He didn't know how to approach this bird, besides fighting it. "When we're not in here, I'll let my Golurk out. Maybe she can let off some steam."

Yet Howard suspected that the contempt this bird had for him was undying. The stars could go out and she'd still want him dead. The only thing that Howard could offer to Matchstick was time. Time dulled all wounds. Given enough time, even her cast would be a distant memory.

"But June, I promise you:"

He took a ragged breath. His voice was firm.

"I'm not sorry for you. Well, maybe a little. But every shitty decision you've made, every shitty decision I've made, they've led us here." He gestured at the dank bunker they were hiding in. "If you don't regret it, then I won't either."

He gave her a look.

"Do you?" His eye flicked to the bird. "Does she?"

---

june sleigh

If Howard knew that this was the true form of FERNANDO SILPH's Zygarde that kept causing him so much grief, he would've went to Ever Grande, strutted into his office, and laughed in his face. It'd almost be worth getting arrested for crimes against humanity at that point.

The cell was so remarkably small. Howard had never seen one in person, before. He had heard reports on it, but seeing the little green cell worm around was bemusing.

"Oh, wow. Look at the little guy~!" Howard gushed, half-expecting Roy to stuff it into the thermos. Instead, he pulled out an odd artifact. "Huh?"

The Zygarde Cube was an anomaly. The admin had never seen anything like it in years of pouring over ancient texts. Admittedly, if the piece was Draconid-adjacent, Howard wouldn't know much about it. Draconid were tied to the blood of Hoenn, but that did not mean that the masses of the region could recall the land's progenitors.

They had been forgotten in favor of their own heroes, after all.

"What is that, Roy?" Howard appeared in Roy's peripheral vision, his eye as wide as a saucer as he regarded the strange cube. "I've never seen it before. It acts like an antique Pokeball, and yet..."

He cocked his head.

"...it's so truncated."

---

freya morningstar Roy Aker

He waited, but only briefly. Howard was faster. In another decade, that speed would save his life. The man who ran faster than his contemporaries was the one who saw the sun rise again. The child who ran faster than his friend was the one that left him with his demons.

The former gave rise to orphans. The latter gave rise to outcasts.

"You're lucky." Howard grumbled as Balmung disappeared into a capsule. "I want my own Pokémon, some day. Can't believe you get one while I get nothing."

Nothing but studies, anyway. Rustboro eventually gave way to Route 115, and flatlands gave way to gently sloping hills. In the distance, hills became mountains where stars shot across the sky. A place where meteors fell. For others, it was an exalted homeland. To Howard, it was just a mountain range.

And mountain ranges meant adventure.

"Alright." Howard took a moment to catch his breath, now that they were in the wilderness. "Gimme a sec."

---

Roy Aker

It turned out that Howard's security wasn't as good as he thought. As Leaguers rushed over the fence and sprinted between orchards of berries, all Howard could do was let out a low groan and snap his fingers.

"You're up, Regirock." Howard threw a Pokeball in a graceful arc, and a stone colossus stepped forward. Limbs the size of sixteen wheelers rose up as the golem released a large shout that caused individual grains of sand to vibrate and flatten. "Kill 'em."

With a shrug, the admin produced a second flask and began draining it while the golem faced the swarm of League officers.

"Actually, don't. There's no crime in exploration." The admin sat against the edge of the pit, drinking away. "They're brave. That should be commended."

A Dynamax Cannon flashed in the golem's pattern, before erupting forward in an arc of light.

---

Makoto Kurumi ameena abadi

Calyrex bowed. Aurelie asked with the tone of someone requesting a great favor. The admin's only response is to laugh, and such laughter echoed across a thousand distant leaves attached to branches that stretched into the heavens.

"You're so formal. Calyrex is rubbing off on you. A Kalosian duchess, through and through." His eye sparkled with faint amusement. His amusement only seemed to grow as he looked at Calyrex, though his voice was soft as he spoke to the king's unconscious vassal. "My king, you bow to no one."

Calyrex had already fulfilled its oath a millennia ago. History had forgotten it in all but the faintest of fairy tales, echoing across a thousand years. The king had fought, it had perished, and it had revived due to the circumstances of this foreign region that it now called its own.

It was cruel to call upon it again. Yet if Hoenn's people would rouse their own weapons of war to fight against the divine, then Galar would follow. Such was the circular nature of history, and of the world as a whole.

I am sorry, High King. I wish I had met you in Galar. Though he didn't turn to Aurelie, he thought of her too. It's cruel that you were dragged into this, shopkeep.

That was what Aurelie had wanted to be, after all.

"I see you brought food. Calyrex probably eats better now then he did when he was alive. I'm almost jealous." What a lucky rabbit, to get taught by him and fed by Aurelie. With a cough and a leisurely yawn, Howard leaned back against the Dyna Tree. "And I will teach you what I know. Come and sit. Let me tell you a story."

The Violet Book flipped open, and the admin read a story of Motostoke.

SPOILER: Click to show

From another w'rld, heroes arriveth,
acting as earthen bulwarks for our town to survive.
Violent women slayeth the hands at our throats
while a mistress of the forge builds cotes
for our wingless people as the bleeding train
is severed from its track.
what more shalt beest remembered?

Did clothe in the black knight's armeth'r didst a bird
arriveth, with froren stare and its poisonous fyrd.
From the depths, a geant Garbod'r didst appeareth,
bringing stench and sludge to Motostoke's sph're.
Our h'roes combated backeth, and did protect our town
and so we didst bestow our crowns.
What more shalt beest remembered?

Prophecy's riddles unfold, entwined in a mad tower with poison's haze,
Glowing ore tinkered upon, its power carefully appraised.
Training camps arise, wielders sharpen their might,
While the kingdom sharpens the mind; knowledge's flame is made bright.
Travelling in our policed Motostoke is made with ease,
Smithing's hammer strikes, creations born of fire and steam’s breeze,
Our courier's path unfurls, messages on swift steed,
As an orphanage is made for the young ones so desperate in need.
What more shalt beest remembered?

Through the passage of ten years, time's relentless flow,
Our heroes evolved, their knowledge and strength did grow.
They unlocked the secret, the power to dynamax,
Harnessing cosmic energy, one birthed from the primordial past.
What more shalt beest remembered?

Through the passage of another decade's reign,
Time weaved its tapestry, bearing both joy and pain.
Illusory Zamazenta emerge from the stones,
On the day of least light, to lead us to to the final zone.

In the heart of the battle's pestilent fray,
Against an army of Poison, we held our sway.
Hexperts and Hermits led the charge on the bloody wold,
But we stood unyielding, steadfast tenfold.

A gigantic Cinderace, atop a burning fire,
With agile strikes, it sought our pyre.
The enormous Inteleon with an eye so astute,
From its tower it stalked, seeking our heroes to shoot.
A Rillaboom, mighty and strong,
Its thunderous drums echoed, a primal vinesong.
But with unwavering spirit and valor untamed,
We vanquished every force, our victory proclaimed.

In a clash of titans, The Black Knight and Skeleton engaged,
We united, our valor unswayed.
Together we fought, and the Skeleton surrendered.
But The Black Knight did not possess a heart so tender.

Greed in its eyes, it turned upon our kin,
A looming threat, radiance collected within.
Yet in that dire moment, the true Zamazenta revealed,
Brandishing its golden shield, its power unconcealed.

With a dauntless dash, it rushed the night,
Defeating The Black Knight, a radiant blight.
As it fled to Ultra Space, Skeleton in its wake,
Zamazenta's courage shone, the realm's destiny now truly safe.

In the realm's fading hues, where colors slowly dim,
The memory of this epic tale, will never grow thin.
Whispers and echoes resonate, in timeless harmony they may slumber.
Legends woven by stars, the echoes of heroes, forever we remember.

When he stopped, Howard's throat was parched.

"Hm." He seemed perplexed as he tucked his chin against his chest, looking towards Aurelie and Calyrex. "That's odd."

---

Aurelie Lefevre

"Damn." Howard checked his broken watch as Naomi Sato disappeared. "I was going to ask her to stash Regirock in there too. Whenever I'm in danger, it has a tendency to lack subtlety."

Hopefully it didn't deem whatever was going on in the ship a large enough threat to rouse itself from his Pokeball, lest it tear a hole in the ship and send them all careening into space. It wouldn't be the first group of people that the golem had killed, but that didn't mean that Howard wanted to join that increasingly long list.

Yet eventually, the dream faded and Howard awoke.

"Uguhhhh..." The admin blinked blearily as he looked up from his pillow, his hair tied into a ponytail for convenience. He was hungover. That, or his internal clock was still on Hoenn time. Space didn't agree with him. "Five more minutes..."

There was a crash. A thud. Several shouts. No rest for the wicked, it seemed.

Still, Howard wasn't some well-trained soldier. He was just a guy. A guy fighting a hangover and the fact that he wasn't a morning person. He fumbled for a few moments with his belt of Pokeballs, grabbed one at random, and rushed out into the hall. There, their assailants would be met with a man wearing Aerodactyl slippers.

"I'MAWAKEI'MAWAKE!!!"

---

Howard wakes up
He's so eepy
Runs out into the hall, not attacking yet.

Had Raziel been at the bear hunt? Howard didn't remember. Most likely not, because if that had been the case, the Megalopolans would've been far easier to deal with. It had been a weird day, to be sure. The only reason Howard had lucked upon the Toxic Chain was because he wanted grant money for research.

Things were so much more simple then.

"I was hunting for Hoenn's first Bloodmoon Ursaluna for a research paper, and a bunch of Megalopolans attacked us. Toxic Chains aplenty as well. I wrote a report on the matter when I returned to headquarters, but nobody took it seriously." His eye fell upon the corrupted Bulbasaur, his displeasure clear. "And I fear we never will."

People were actually catching and using these Toxic Chained Pokémon on their teams now. Humanity's greatest strength was its ability to integrate all evil into itself, but that also came at a cost.

"I don't approve of using these types of Pokémon. They're anomalies. Be cautious of the fact that it might turn against you." Howard tossed out a second Pokeball of Hisuian make, which opened to reveal Doug. The bear growled at the Bulbasaur and sniffed at it. "The Loyal Three love messing with this bear, so maybe we can get one to show up."

Lucky them.

---

Raziel Beckett

Jayden Cross was a hard man to shake. Ever since their first meeting in Sootopolis, Howard had the suspicion that he was the type of man to sink his fangs into his prey and refuse to let go, regardless of how desperately they shook and how quickly they ran. Howard Slayte was a fast runner, on account of his oft-frazzled nerves and tendency to retreat.

Unfortunately, Jayden was faster. Chien-Pao was faster. Hate was faster.

Howard really needed to work on his stamina if he was going to outrun them all.

"Admin Cross." The admin looked up from the clipboard in his hand. He handed it off to a nearby aide who quickly gave the two admins room. Now more than ever, Howard relied on the support of grunts. There was too much to do, and only one Howard. The God General had given him quite the task indeed. "Jayden."

He corrected himself. They were equals. There was no reason for Howard to defer. Yet more often than not, Jayden felt taller than him. It was hard to defer.

"I've been busy. Petalburg is a large city, and the terrain has fundamentally changed. It means that our building plans must change too." He brushed a strand of increasingly unkempt hair behind his ear to regard his colleague. Weary magenta eyes met blue extracted from the core of a glacier. "And it means my nights grow long."

They did. Still, Howard feared this meeting. He had been avoiding it.

"Your clothes are dusty. You've been looking for a while, now." He sighed, his breath frosting slightly. "What do you want?"

---

jayden cross

He heard the fist coming, and he felt the air rushing as it flew through the air towards him. Yet Howard wasn't fast nor skilled. He took the fist with all the grace of a lumbering Cranidos. That was to say, face-first.

As Howard fell to the ground, he let out a low moan of pain as his nose started dripping like a sieve. He was lucky. If Montgomery could actually see, he could've crushed Howard's windpipe. As it was, the gangster had just beaten him like hell. Taking a few steps backwards, the archaeologist felt a woosh as Shirley flew over his head, serrated teeth lunging for the gangster.

"No! Don't attack him!" Howard hissed, but when faced with a threat, Shirley prioritized her trainer's survival over weak protests. "Where's that fucking Sigilyph?"

The admin's eye scanned the darkness, but he couldn't find it. Yet they were guardians of ancient cities, and their paths were pre-determined. If Howard defiled the ruin, then its protocol would force it to face him. Grunting, he ran towards an ornately carved wall and kicked it.

Too weak to damage history, but with enough force to draw a defender's attention.

---

Montgomery James

"I know there's a really annoying monkey that I want to kick off a cliff." Howard's lighter ignited with a flick as he puffed at a cigarette. If they were dealing with the Loyal Three, this was going to be a long and likely miserable day. "And that if people listened to me a year ago, this wouldn't be a problem."

Howard was remarkably good at dealing with the Loyal Three by this point. He had trashed them a few times, now. Plus, if he could stare down Absinthe Blackwood's Fezandipiti while getting slammed at her bar, he was basically invincible.

Fortunately for Raziel, Howard was anything but accepting. If he wanted to be called that, then the admin would oblige. It wasn't like he knew Razz Kingsman, anyway. They had met once. There was no connection there. None at all.

"Normally I'd bring Regirock to crush them, but it's busy in Petalburg. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. If you wanted a strong ally to beat them, then I'm not your guy." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Are you planning on chasing them down?"

If he could kill Fezandipiti, he could unshackle Absinthe from her self-imposed chains.

---

Raziel Beckett

Or maybe it wasn't? Damn. This whole star chart thing was pretty hard. Howard's knowledge on the subject was passing, and it was more akin to something that Lulu or Alba would indulge in. Unfortunately, the admin was left with two piles of rocks and ice that didn't do much besides beep at one another.

And Makoto, bless their hearts for trying.

"Huh. You're right." Howard peered through the telescope. The other four were there, at least. Howard thought he saw Regieleki for a moment, before turning his eye to the largest constellation in the sky, rivaled only by one on the chart that came before. "That's... huge."

A giant, even.

Howard turned his eye to the nearby constellation that reminded him of Crumble. Claydol had a long and illustrious history in this region, and Howard wondered if, like the region's giants, they could be forced into motion by Dynergy. The admin pursed his lips and thought, before shrugging.

He'd look into it later.

---

Trying ClDl

"You're particularly proud of that stunt back at the party, aren't you? Forcing me to shut my muzzle while tempting me with bits of lore."

Howard grumbled, his helmet reflecting little but an umbral void back at Hoenn's Top Champion. Even if Howard hated the seat she filled, even if he hated her, it was an undeniable fact that she was this era's Top Champion. With such large shoes to fill, Howard almost pitied the woman. How many people looked at her and saw the one that came before, rather than the one they had now?

From his pocket, Howard produced a cigarette and slipped it through his helmet. In spite of everything, he didn't suffocate from the constant stream of smoke that the nicotine stick produced.

"I kept the peace far better than many of my colleagues would've, to be sure. My tongue isn't as gilded as Elisabeth's, see. Shame I had to put her six feet under." Howard knew that was a lie, but Melody wouldn't. There was no reason to doubt that Elisabeth Fiorelli was dead when everyone had seen it. "It was a good party."

He turned his head towards her old gym, his cape flapping as he did so.

"This was your gym?"

---

Melody Miro

"I'll be visiting Melody's gym alone. There's no need for you to follow me."

The clatter of shoes on tile rang out as the admin left the Morningstar estate with a small host of grunts for protection. Howard wasn't particularly known for his martial prowess, and his abilities as a trainer were mediocre at best. Regirock and Regice were his aces, and they were notoriously dangerous to use in urban environments.

It was far easier to destroy something than it was to rebuild it.

"Return to your assigned positions, or go buy a coffee or something. Watch the sunset or be with your families." Howard looked towards the distant gym. "I make this climb alone."

"Yes, Admin Fox."

The grunts dispersed, and Howard silently wished that they were still around. It was getting late. Dark. The admin's nerves prickled as he began walking down the street. Several minutes passed as Howard closed the distance between himself and his destination. All of a sudden, something felt off.

"...!" From beneath his helmet, Howard's eye widened as he ducked and turned around.

---

annalise henderson