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Oh, he'd have to pick her brain sometime when they weren't engaged in hunting down some kind of fearsome beastie. Granted, he was zero for two on that front, but he had to believe at some point that his tenure with the organization would allow for some kind of downtime, someday.
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He hoped.
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While his field of interest veered significantly toward the more biological byproducts of certain pokemon, he found himself fascinated as Aurelie spoke - clearly this was a field that she had an enormous amount of experience in, and as absolutely bitter as Rhys could be much of the time, he did enjoy hearing others expound on their fields of interest.
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He nodded to her, grinning wryly. "Oh, I'm sure we'll find something interesting down here. This place always seems to have a curveball of some kind to present, I've found." When he notes her drawing a pokeball, he reaches to his satchel to do the same - as much as he doesn't want a fight, he's discovered firsthand the dangers of being unprepared.
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He froze as Aurelie pointed out the footprint, blinking at it as well as the surrounding singed vegetation. "Oh yes," he affirms, his voice dropping to a more quiet cadence, "That definitely looks like it's nearby. This is still smoking." He peered down the way, and froze again.
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Settled on the ground in slumber was an enormous leonine creature, characterized by an ornate crest of some sort rising out atop its head. Wholly impractical, in Rhys's opinion, but the beast in question didn't seem as though it would entertain opinions even if it were awake.
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He glanced to Aurelie silently, putting a finger to his lips and pointing out the sleeping beast, then noticed the Joltik crawling on the cuff of his jacket. Carefully, he attempted shaking his arm to dislodge the small creature, which only succeeded in causing the tiny bug to send an electrical jolt through him that felt briefly like getting kicked by a horse.
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"OW, you little bastard!"
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Rhys's exclamation caused the sleeping beast to rise, almost immediately turning its head toward the thicket in which he and Aurelie had ensconced themselves. Swearing fluidly under his breath, Rhys hurled his pokeball, drawing out his Nidoking, who lumbered toward the creature, slamming his feet into the ground and causing an EARTHQUAKE that send the earth underfoot crackling toward their mysterious quarry.
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Rhys glanced to Aurelie apologetically. "Well, let's knock it out rather than kill it, shall we?"
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Unfortunately for Rhys, one solid hit from the Dark-type was enough to crack the Starmie's rubescent gem. To its credit, it held firm under the blow for two seconds, perhaps three, before it crumpled, flying backward from the mouth of the tunnel, the flow of water ebbing with its break in focus.
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Will it never end? Rhys griped to himself, recalling Starmie and running a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture that tended to help him think. With that particular tactic fouled, he not only had Tavish to contend with, but a stampede of Iron Treads that were not, in fact, neatly dispatched by his attempt to use the terrain against them.
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Damn it, this is a bad look, but I'm not taking this guy in a fistfight again.
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When the missions into Area Zero had begun, all parties involved were explicitly told that emergency functions would be available in the instance of an actual emergency, and that misuse of the function would result in revocation of the function and potentially the ability of the individual in question to remain breathing.
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Still, desperate times. He thumbed a few buttons on his phone, sending out his SOS, though he didn't know what form the assistance would take. Were there other Rockets nearby?
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His question was answered barely moments later, as twisting, smoky shadows seeped upward from the ground like a tenebrous miasma, coiling togather and blanketing the entire area in a darkness so thick he felt he could touch it, if he wanted. Blinking at the sudden oppressive nightfall, Rhys made a mental note to never get on declan walsh's bad side.
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Still, he knew his opportunity to make a break when he saw it, so he released his Zoroark and hared off in the direction of the nearest cutoff through the canyon. The shadows should be more than enough to cover his escape, but it never hurt to have an illusory backup plan.
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He'd take the fight to Eyepatch another day.
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Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Rhys relaxes slightly as the swarm of Paradox pokemon follow his diversion. With any luck, Everard would be able to lead them away long enough for Dane and Rhys to deal with the surveying machine, and getting back?
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Well, he'd come back at some point, surely.
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He raises his voice to be heard over the continuing sandstorm. "That should buy us some time at least, what's the endgame with this thing?"{/b] He waves generally in the vicinity of the rig.

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NOTES

• AZ Excursion B: Geological Survey

[break][break]TAGS: DANE FAIRCHILD

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"Oh, good," Rhys quipped as Aurelie made her analysis, "It's a climber. That means we have to look up as well, which positively fills me with delight."
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He couldn't help but lift an eyebrow as she continued, however, the scientist in him roused. "Could you even do that?" he inquired mildly. "Rationally, I suppose you could, though I've never really researched it - are metals on pokemon smeltable? Do they have different properties than the traditional sort?"
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He almost daydreamed for a moment, envisioning a precision blade that never needed sharpening, canisters capable of holding volatile substances without degrading, shackles-
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No. No, Rhys. That simulation was just a simulation. It's not you.
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He glanced up to Aurelie suddenly, eyes bright. "Well, something to chew over, I guess." Following the direction of her indication, he took in the sight of the stones and cycads similarly marred by their mysterious bladesman. A cursory sweep of the area didn't indicate any other signs that whatever had left the cuts had been through, so that only meant that they'd need to go deeper.
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He sighed, stretched, and nodded. "Well, follow the cuts and we'll find the cause. If we work together as well as we did the last time, we might even be able to bring the thing in for analysis." His eyes gleamed as he offered her a sly wink. "Maybe as the capturers, we'll be allowed in on the research part, eh?"
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"Oh, thank Arceus," was Rhys's automatic reaction upon seeing Aurelie as he drew near to the meeting spot. He'd been down here more times than he'd like to admit, at this point, and while some of his excursions had been pleasant enough, at least as many had...not.
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He gave a sigh of relief, and offered a wave and a crooked smile. "Very good to see you again," he echoed, because at least he knew any issues that arose would be from the wildlife and not his partner. At her phrasing of their affiliation, his smile stretched a little wider. Subtle.
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"Yeah, I heard something about that," he offered, squinting to look at the photos. "If we're lucky, we'll just be able to say we scouted around for a bit, didn't run into any trouble, and catch an early dinner." Glancing around, he began walking further into the Chasm, humming a jaunty tune.
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His progress was arrested as he passed a cluster of rock protruding from the ground, enormous straight slashes gouged along its surface from something that looked both large and deadly, judging by how deep the incisions were.
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Raising his eyebrows, he turned back to look at Aurelie. "Or...not," he grimaced.
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A shattering, cataclysmic noise practically shook the tunnel, and even though he was running for his life, Rhys couldn't help but take a quick look back to see what the hubbub was.
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More of that powdery residue hanging in the air, and handful of Iron Treads lying wrecked on the side of the tunnel as Eyepatch and his Obstagoon ran past.
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"Nice job!" he yelled. "You killed 'em! You sure you don't want another job? Most Grunts haven't even managed that level of violence!" Well, a lot of them hadn't - he just couldn't resist an opportunity to take a jab at the other.
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As he approached the mouth of the tunnel, he dug into his satchel and recalled the Kecleon in his arms with a tap, then rummaged for another ball.
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As soon as he cleared the exit into blessed sunlight, he dove to the side and threw the ball back into the tunnel. His Starmie materialized, spinning.
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"Surf's up, my friend!" Rhys hooted.
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Coming to a halt in its rotation, the Starmie's gem glowed brightly, and a torrent of water rushed forth, building from a low trickle to a steady wave to drive the ensuing horde back through the tight confines of the tunnel. It wouldn't hurt to drive Tavish back, either, but he'd feel badly about the Obstagoon that seemed to have more sense than her trainer. Still, the man was apparently a cockroach, so Rhys didn't feel too particularly guilty about his tactic.
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"Letters? What le- oh," Rhys cuts himself off. The Unown, yeah, those seemed to be Nomi's thing. Creeped him out, a little bit, sometimes, but he'd worked in all manner of places with security cameras all over, so on some level having Nomi on the other end of them was a step up from his previous employment.
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"Oh, damn it," he sighs, shoulders slumping as they reached the research station to find it empty. He'd been hoping for another scientist down here to get things rolling, and clearly Parker had been looking for the same - or one scientist in particular, anyway, so at least they were both disappointed. Misery did love company.
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"Ev, go check the drill, make sure nothing's been chewing on it while it's been unsupervised, I've already seen two of these get almost totaled, and I'm not taking my chances at this point." He unshoulders his satchel and begins rummaging through it. "Yeah, this oughtta do," he replies, glancing at Parker over his shoulder.
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"Hang out if you like, and thanks for the company. Fucking robots," he grunts, coming out of his satchel with a small data pad that he begins poking at. "I'd say I'm glad you think so, but I know what you mean. Some of these guys...yeesh," he trails off, partly because he doesn't want to go into it and partly because he doesn't want anything to get around if he did say something.
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He moves into the station proper, head in his data pad. No rest for the weary or the wicked, it seemed.
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Kidding? Rhys thought the minute he no longer had feet on solid earth. I hope you bruise.
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The sensation of being buoyed by PSYCHIC energy was an unfamiliar and unwelcome one, but he supposed it was better than the alternative of breaking something at the end of his fall. Despite the precaution - or perhaps because of it - he was surprised and a little gratified that his impact on the other man was less than graceful and sent them both down in an ungainly fashion.
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Serves you right, he grimaced, pushing against the other man in an attempt to get off the floor, or at least directly off the person who was currently at the top of his frustrations.
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"Oh, yeah, you sure did. My hero," he quipped, rolling his eyes. "This part's going in the story."
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As his Audino's LIFE DEW finished its work, Rhys let his head hang, just for a moment. This had been far more excitement than he'd bargained for, but at least he'd made it this far. If it had been six months ago, Rhys was unerringly certain that he'd be bleeding out on the ground where he and Marianne encountered the first Megalopolan - and her beside him, as likely.
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Still, he'd come here as an independent researcher, and she the same, so he shouldn't feel conflicted. He knew he was putting on a show, the smiling mask he wore when he encountered...well, anyone, really. The submarine - no, that first mission with Zev Harcourt - had been the first time he'd really been himself. Not a psychopath, not a megalomaniac, no, just...tired. Frustrated. Bitter. Vengeful.
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Growling, snapping, and sulking wouldn't help the woman - girl, really - who'd entered the space with him, and if he were honest it wouldn't help him, either, so the polite, reserved, encouraging mask did all the talking.
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He did raise an eyebrow at Marianne's Klefki setting to work at the door, and it was as honest a reaction as he'd ever given. It seemed that she was in fact capable, in the right circumstances. "Nice job," he ground out, coming slowly to his feet.
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At her inquiry, he shook his head. "Barricading isn't going to help, I think, not if these things really want to get in. Still, between the illusion and you setting things right, it's bought us more time than if we'd just been sitting here with the door wide open. We need a way out."
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He moved slowly, but he moved, at least, which was a positive. Heading to the stairs, he beckoned Marianne. "If there's one entrance, there might be more than one exit. Maybe, if we're lucky, we can come back here in the future, when we're more prepared. Save us the time of having to dodge those...things right off the bat, yeah?"

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The silence between Rhys's offer and Caden's response was deafening, and for a moment all Rhys could hear was the blood pounding in his ears.
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The response that came was as infuriating as it was welcome. Fucking self-righteous piece of-
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His mental tirade was cut short by the appearance of the Magneton and the subsequent appearance of its TRI-ATTACK, neatly taking out his aggressors. Having narrowly avoided one of the beams itself, his Crobat took the welcome opportunity to immediately drop to the ground, unmoving.
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Rhys squinted over to the thing. It at least appeared to be breathing.
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"You've got to be kidding me," he hissed under his breath at the man's next comment. Still, it wasn't like he had any face to save at this point, not here.
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He jumped.
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Absurdly pleased with his capt- er, rescue of the small Toxel, Rhys was lighthearted and light-footed on the way back to the entrance of the Safari Zone, Alakazam floating behind with his arms crossed petulantly.
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"Here, now," Rhys encouraged, "You did wonderfully, but not everything is an excuse to push combat. Know your strategies, see?"
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A small Froakie hopped out of the water from a nearby pond, and Alakazam looked at Rhys expectantly, raising an eyebrow.
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"...fine," Rhys allowed, "But hold back again. Careful."
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The psychic pokemon hummed an assent, closing his eyes and concentrating. A single spark of pink energy from what had to be the worlds tiniest PSYCHIC winked into existence and tapped against the Froakie's head, sending it flopping backward, eyes spinning.
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Rhys grinned, throwing his final Safari ball at the fallen amphibian. "Well done, very well done. Focus is key, I've told you."
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Patting the Alakazam absently on the shoulder, he continued on toward the entrance, whistling softly.

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