If he had any trouble with comprehending anything, it would have been now. He couldn't understand why Howard had gotten his hands on such a thing, or what this greatest shame could have been now, no, rather the doctor could only mutely stare at the titan. His understanding had been that he was standing before a legend of Hoenn itself. 

It listens to me. 

That had been something difficult to chew, the idea of something so autonomous and powerful falling in line to another human. Laurence could only conjure up the idea of Howard once dying on his cot, the blackened ice that grew on him, and his eyes barely hanging onto life. He was human.

Luckily his body had at least managed to make up for what his mind lacked currently, when Howard tossed him the Pokeball, instinctively he had tossed it toward the heavily injured Raging Bolt, it easily not putting up a fight as it settled inside. The entire time, however, his brain had not registered any of it. He wouldn't be snapped from it until Howard had accused him of poisoning the Pokemon. 

"Yeah...I have a cure back at the lab... I'll administer it when we get back. It shouldn't be too difficult. We should head back, speaking of that--"

The doctor had begun to turn and hopefully get his own Pokémon back into their respective Pokeballs when the thump from behind him took his attention. Howard had fallen then and there...The doctor was quick to grab hold of the man, relieved that his lungs expelled the cool air it took in. Shit, he had passed out, here of all places. The doctor brought the man up a bit resting his body against him to make sure he wouldn't choke, hoping that he could at least care for the limp body without interaction...This would be a problem, he wasn't exactly in the best condition either, and the doctor swore at the situation. 

"Howard... Dammit, you better not have died here..."

howard slayte

They were out of options. Out of time. The toxins would be working their way into the Raging Bolt's system, but it wouldn't be enough to take it out unless they were given a miracle by Arceus itself, and right now...Any miracles they had had ran out long ago. They could only accept the fate that had been handed to them, a bad had they could do nothing but play with. The only thing he could hope for was that whatever would happen to him, Sophia wouldn't grieve him too long. A picture of her came to his mind, his nerves calmed down from the aching and screaming they did, but he'd be ripped from the comfort when he heard Howard's voice.

The doctor's vision was blurry, hazy from the debris and smoke that had assaulted the group from the relentless battling, but he was certain enough that he could see Howard reaching for another Pokeball on his belt. He still continued to fight, even though it had seemed like the odds were stacked against them...In a way, he couldn't help but hope it would fall through.

The Archeologist's comment had made Laurence suck in a breath, the refusal of going out in such a way almost an admonishment on his immediate defeatism. Get up. That was what he was saying. However, once Howard released that Pokeball, little did Laurence know what he would see, for it would take nothing for the area they occupied to go white with an ethereal and frozen mist.

The first thing he could feel was the sense of isolation, the mist itself shrouding the world around him entirely, covering what it could in what had felt almost too similar to a permafrost, the second he felt was the cold that had slowly began to sneak up on him, gnaw on him. 

"Howard! Howard!"

He called out, yet dared not move an inch, fearful of what he could have walked into had he gone wandering about the haze. But the response he wanted had gone cold, replaced with incoherent beeps and buzzes and then with a looming shadow, something that only dwarfed what he could remember of the Paradox Pokemon. Something new was here, but it wouldn't stay hidden for long...It attacked.

Hyperbeam.

Light engulfed the area, followed by a heat that had eradicated what haze had been first generated, leaving behind the sight of the Raging Bolt much further than it had been, the ground before it singed a dark black from the blast. Laurence turned to see what had caused it, and froze. Behind him, stood the culprit, a titan made from what could be only described as crystalline ice, Regice. 

"Is that..."

The question had come out rather than stayed as a thought, the thing that stood before him was no ordinary Pokemon, rather it had been something that had been only talked about in legends and folktales, however, it stood tall and real. Laurence's eyes erratically tried to find something to anchor it to reality for him to make sure he truly hadn't died in the attack against Raging Bolt, however, they easily landed on him. It's trainer, standing beside it just as battered and bruised as from before. 

"Howard, don't tell me you have..."

howard slayte

He hadn't seen a Draco Meteor so close, the brilliance of what could only be seen as God-like, raining down destruction from above. The shower of fallen shards and flares came down with what force it could, bringing scorching heat with it, and before the Armaldo had time to respond, it found itself in the flurry of it all. Smoke erupted, blanketing everything in its wake, only when it cleared would Laurence be also to witness himself from the distraught sight of Armald, fainted on the ground. It left him and Scolipede now. 

"Shit shit shit, Scolipede, still fighting?!"

Laurence called out to his Pokémon standing tall amongst the carnage that had been unleashed on it, the Scolipede letting out a guttural sound as it responded to its concerned trainer. The air began to crackle, hairs on the duo's arms sticking up as dark clouds gathered around them, Raging Bolt was charging another attack, one final thunderclap to send the rest of its prey to a shallow grave. The doctor had to manage to survive a one-on-one with the beast. 

"Scolipede, hurry and use double edge!" 

And with such, the Scolipede took into a mad dash, only had Raging Bolt gone and attempted to strike Scolipede when it collided with it, would it have gotten a point-blank thunder on it. However, it would be another great sight of true progress, as once Scolipede connected with it, would the Raging Bolt's large body be moved a bit, the impact enough to cause another uproar of dust to begin, clouding each party. Laurence tried to find his own Pokemon, however, even he knew that it too would have been knocked out from the brawl...it could only take so much. 

howard slayte

The Raging Bolt commanded lightning as if it were nothing, sending a bolt towards Armaldo in its attempt to strike back from its previous attempt, yet completely forgetting about the Scolipede that had quickly been in its vicinity. 

"Scolipede, Venoshock!" 

Laurence barked at it, quick to capitalize on what he could do, if it had only gotten Armaldo, then Scolipede would pick up where it left off! The insect moved back a bit before its stingers shot out a dark and ominous liquid from them, the force almost like a fire hose being shot at it, and it wouldn't have taken long for the dinosaur to be covered, the toxin painting over the canvas of the Raging Bolt in mere seconds.

It wouldn't have been much damage to it, but it was exactly what the Doctor wanted, the toxins of the Scolipede worked quick, and soon what skin it covered seeped in effortlessly...Only then would the Raging Bolt feel what would happen. It's skin slowly began to blanch, the striking yellow paling in certain areas, as the veins began to darken, revealing a purple hue to them. It was fast working, that Scolipede poison. It wouldn't be much longer before it'd reach throughout the entire body either, making it at least somewhat a bit more manageable for the two.

howard slayte

"Y--yeah...You?!"

His muscles had demanded to give in, his knees starting to quick to buckle quickly under his weight as Laurence tried to stand up. Raging Bolt had hardly given them any time to adjust, its force was something it demonstrated easily, and judging by how Laurence's Scolipede had struggled to get back up, it had seemed there was little time at all before the party before it be decommissioned. Howard had relied on what Pokemon he had left, the doctor witnessing even the most stout giants fall to the beast's strength. Even his own roster had been no exception, Mandibuzz had been shot from the sky with stray bolts from the heavens, and Toxicroak had gone entirely still with paralysis. What Pokemon he had left would essentially be fighting what could only be seen as a losing battle. 

However, it was a battle to be fought nonetheless. It had seemed Howard had known that, and Laurence would have to have learned it as well, and that started with Armaldo charging in. 

"Scolipede, Megahorn, now!" 

His command came out weak as he tried to right himself back up, watching his Scolipede get to its command with a mad dash towards the Paradox, its head lowered as its antennae grew much larger in an attempt to pierce the flesh of it. He had hoped this duo would at least get some sort of merit from simultaneously assaulting, the two bug Pokémon heading towards to deal as much damage as they could to it. 

howard slayte

"I guess I can't say that I'm surprised, the articles about Gigantimaxing Pokémon almost seem...unreal, in a way. However, I guess with the technology we have, I would have thought that all could survive such a thing."

Gigantimax had been recently talked about among all of Hoenn, an innovative method of research that scientists both professional and unprofessional alike had wanted to explore, and once those lucky enough had gotten their hands on it, truly boomed...Laurence couldn't remember the last time he'd gone about his workday without someone speaking about the popularity of it.

Howard's comment on the tracks had Laurence baffled too, he had seen that the Iron Moth had glaring wings, each a perfect replica of the other, and while they did seem to fly, it was truly odd that the tracks could come to an end so abruptly. Laurence moved forward, behind Howard to hopefully see if he could get a look at the strange disappearance of the Iron Moth trail as well...

"Well, Pokémon don't just vanish from thin air, so there could only be a few conclusions...Either the thing truly did fly away or--"

He hadn't finished his sentence when the doctor's eyes drew towards something rising, the length of it casting a lithe shadow that seemed to grow with every silent second before the cry sounded out, attempting to deafen the duo. Laurence turned around and stumbled back, almost tripping over his two feet as he had to raise his head to meet the majestic Pokémon that loomed over them both, another anomaly had approached them...One likely causing the strange disappearance of their previous target. Raging Bolt.

"Shit, Howard!" 

---

caKgI8HR
howard slayte

So both parties were good at hiding their evidence, just because they were out of sight did not mean they were out of mind. He should have expected that from the group, there were still plenty of things he hadn't known about that somehow, Rocket had seemed to uncover. This shouldn't have come as a surprise. 

"I heard Dynamax was dangerous for Pokémon but I'm sure both you and League know that as well. Death was almost certain of a Pokémon who was not ready for it."

Another statement rather than question. Stating it wouldn't have changed that both of the groups could have done such without a second doubt, especially if their backs were against the wall, and with how the talk of Power Spots becoming ever so popular in the Rocket-Free cities, he could have seen such a thing becoming much more of a problem in the foreseeable future. Howard's confession made little 
of the situation, much like Laurence's questions, whether he was admitting it to get some sort of absolution from it, or to ask for mercy, Laurence couldn't do much for it. 

"It is all of your faults. Partially or not, you've now marked yourselves. If what you said is right, then League would kill anyone indiscriminately... Doesn't matter now anyways, the only thing you can do is fix it like you said."

He quietly let a breath when he said it. Yeah, fixing it. It'd be easier said than done. With the abrupt stop, Laurence went silent, looking at the tracks that they'd been following for the past third of an hour or so...The way that it'd been cut off from the others, as if the pokemon had simply vanished entirely. 

"It does have wings, could it have simply flown off?"

The companion would ask, trying to grasp for a good reason as to why they tracks would have gone cold. 

---

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howard slayte

"Everyone remain calm and follow the pathway towards the nearest road!"

Laurence's voice had risen above the crowd's cries, the panic, and concern palpable in the densely pollen-polluted air. The doctor had gone out with a few of the other Rocket groups to try to keep the terror of the people under wraps, helping mothers find their scared lost children, and husbands comfort their discombobulated families. 

"Make sure to stay together! Do not run, there are children among you! Any wounded go and seek medical attention immediately!" 

He'd yell again, watching as others zoomed past them amid the commotion. While he couldn't stop them, he also couldn't blame them either, he'd be concerned, and running with his child too had he been in the crossfire between the two gargantuan Venusaur that battled each other. It was as if mother nature had warred with itself, the skies and flora in disarray as the two fought for dominance. He had heard of the dynamaxing of Pokemon from Howard, however, seeing them in action was an entirely different story...The one thing he could think of as he went about it was:

How in the hell are we supposed to go against that..?

He had been feeling odd all day, the fluorescent lights in the hospital too bright for him to focus, and the ground too fluid for him to ground himself. It was rare for him to feel so out of place, for his body to feel so disconnected from him, like a circuit that had been broken from the main power source. His body ached and groaned, his skin hot and yet cold at the same time. The doctor had tried taking his temperature, but no matter how many times he thoroughly double-checked the thermometer, it came back with the same standard temperature as a healthy patient. 

He had to be coming down with something. 

All of those times he had spent helping with the mysteriously agitated Pokémon began doing a number on him, and now, his body had just begun to feel the effects of it. Laurence gripped the sinking, feeling himself get ready to dry heave. He...he couldn't work today, and he sure as hell couldn't see himself driving home either, the threat of him getting his kid sick too painful to bear. Instead, he crawled onto the empty cot in his office, the cool pillow doing its best to stabilize his erratic body temperature, and stayed still. He'd rest up, he just needed the moment to do so, and once he woke up, then he'd go back to doing his job. But for now, he wanted to sleep.  

"Haven't you heard, Daddy? The news said that we have to stay inside, apparently, there is a big swarm of Dustox and Beautifly that are around! The air is super bad right now!"

Laurence had almost finished putting his coat on, his keys in his hands as he had started his morning routine of going to the Rocket headquarters. This information now though, had stopped him in his tracks. He was sure that he'd have gotten word that this was something that had happened, rumors and news spread through the rocket's medical ward like an airborne pathogen. But, to think that he'd hear it from his kid before anything, was surprising. 

"Really now...And you heard this from the news? When was this?"

The father cocked a brow, the coat he had slowly slipped off to go back onto the rack as he grabbed his phone to check the phone, alerts of the issue clouding the screensaver. So, she was right...And to think he'd had ignorantly started his day, he could've been a patient in his own hospital. 

"It said it this morning! That's why I'm here still, the driver hadn't come at all today!"

Sophia replied, making Laurence look from his phone for a moment. True, today was a school day for her, and for her to be here did mean that something had to have happened. That checked out too...Laurence scratched the back of his head, letting out a brief chuckle. Then today would be a work-from-home day, nothing too difficult, he'd enjoy his time with his daughter. 

"Wow, and to think you watch the news, I always thought kids watched cartoons like Sailor Moon and all that. Thanks for looking out for me, how about we go and get an extra breakfast in then?"


The question elicited a grin from her, something that easily brought a smile to him. Yup. Today would be a work-from-home day.  

---

SrdEElqO

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY SIGN-UPS

LOCK IN

CHARACTER: Laurence Whateley

WHICH WARD?: Dumb Ward

PREFERRED CELLMATE(S): Any Character

PKMN TEAM (6 MAX):
[break][break]


WHY WAS YOUR CHARACTER SORTED INTO THEIR WARD? (OPTIONAL): Ignorance is bliss. He knows that there are issues with joining Rocket, that there will be complications that will bite him in the ass in the future, but for his daughter, anything and everything must be done. 

Of course we did.

Howard had said it so casually as if he were asking such obvious and noteworthy questions. 

Of course we did.

That collective we made Laurence pause, he didn't do anything. He didn't create such a thing, no, that was them. They were making weapons to kill one another, they did this, and Laurence and his child had simply been forced to live in the crossfire of it. 

Of course they did.

Laurence bit his lip, this was war. He was upset, but Howard had been upfront about it when he first opened the position of joining Rocket. He knew what he had gotten into, for living in the crossfire still meant he had to do something. And he was right, mankind was only good for a few things, and self-improvement...Self-sustainment was the part of it they clung to.  

"So, these things are the means of how we plan on going to war then...And while I haven't seen any of them out in Sootopolis, I assume that League has their hands on them too?" 

His question had come out as more something he knew he could answer as if he were just asking whatever part of him still denied the idea of war. Surely League wouldn't have gotten as far as it has had they not already had them. 

Of course they did.

---

howard slayte
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"A machine? Don't tell me you think that you think these things are machines..."

The thought of the Pokémon he'd researched being a machine had crossed his mind only as a sort of cruel joke, a twisted theory that while it had some evidence, the evidence had felt stretched and unreasonable. People couldn't make Pokémon, or well, normal people couldn't...

"That is fine, though I would have guessed that you'd be a lot more adept in battling than some trainer...What, Rocket doesn't give out training sessions? As for me, I have a few Pokémon that may be able to help out, I'll admit that they may not help in the medical aspect of my job, but in a pinch, they'll provide support."

And it was with that, Laurence went and grabbed his Pokéball, preemptively keeping it on hand. 

"Back to what you said, you think they're machines, don't you...It would make sense, but there are still some holes in the idea of that. And what about mankind's collective unconsciousness, you're telling me that we thought of weapons? We made weapons?"

---

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howard slayte