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He was never one to be easily convinced. They would try what they may, but it may never amount to anything. Whether divinity was truly just a mortal concept, he couldn't say. The world held so many wonders—things that mankind's efforts couldn't scratch the surface of. Perhaps the reverse was true—maybe he had reason to hope.[break][break]

After all, they'd made it through everything that had come before. When had he lost his bravura...?[break][break]

"Yeah, sure." Adrian would not lightly invoke this power—nor did he intend to let himself rely on it—but the opportunity may one day present itself.[break][break]

In everything, it paid to be well prepared.[break][break]

His eyes did not lightly peel away from the mainland, but as Howard seemed to offer partings remarks, he paid them the courtesy of returning them.[break][break]

"You take care of yourself," he manages to say with a murmur, curtly turning his attention back to dry land—fostering a sense of homesickness.

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He might've thought Howard to mean anything but ETERNATUS, but the answer is able to satisfy his curiosity. It was not the likes of any peaceable creature upon which he wished harm—one might even consider it deserving. Retribution for its many crimes against mankind and pokemon both—and perhaps even more than that.[break][break]

"...I'm not even sure it can be killed."[break][break]

Many of these awful yet awe-inspiring creatures were forces of nature deified. The permanence of death was a thing of mortal convention—beings of a higher order were not so easily brought to their end.[break][break]

He did not doubt a thing could be destroyed, or even buried—but the tenacity of these amortals was mistakeable for immortality—and such an errand spelled certain doom for those foolhardy enough to try. Not that they would be left with ample alternative when disaster next razed Hoenn's marred landscape.[break][break]

Adrian steadies his hands to the ship's rails, staring back towards the mainland. At those jutting peaks guarding that island oasis; a land that was itself a house of memories, fond and foul. In times past he had been quick to defend it, and time had not so greatly changed his inclinations... And yet—[break][break]

It might have meant something once, to be held in such esteem—but now he equally considers his own expendability—especially to those as intended to wield him. And it makes him hesitant to promise anything more—to give anymore than he already has.[break][break]

"I do not doubt that I will make myself useful, if and when the moment calls for it—but I can promise you nothing beyond that." He stares.[break][break]

As with all things, he would have to find his own way, even if he had to muddle through it indelicately.[break][break]

He would not allow himself to be used.[break][break]

That had been his last lesson—he needn't revisit it.

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Adrian manages to nod his head in quiet approval. That sounds as good a contingency as any. Waging war throughout a flooded city wasn't ideal. Literal tides would be turned.[break][break]

It was a solid countermeasure—and something he himself would be thankful for, sporting mostly landlocked pokemon. Following along after them at a brisk pace, he would stop only to sort through a special Rocket terminal, accessing several pokeballs.[break][break]

Yeah, this should work wonders...[break][break]

"...I'm something of a collector."[break][break]

As with all things, Adrian poorly managed an addictive personality—and this extended to capturing many pokemon, arguably too many. Though such a vast collection had supported him through many trials and tribulations, to say that he was able to care for and appreciate each of these pokemon equally and fairly would have of course been a blatant lie.[break][break]

But among these pokemon, some were special. Once upon a time, they had guarded something invaluable atop Mt. Pyre—something he no longer thought necessary to guard, however precious it remained.[break][break]

He would follow Gavin through the submarine, emerging from the exit hatch after them.

[attr="class","bottom"]Cillian Quinn[break]

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It is chilling to see man's ravenous pursuit of power mirrored in Howard, just as it had once gripped him, without the other seeming to be fazed by their own power lust. Even for Rocket, Adrian was surprised to see others take to these new outlets so readily, undeterred by such a hefty setback. Truly, in some ways they seemed heartless.[break][break]

Where was the apprehension of any sane being?[break][break]

Adrian watched as a Gyarados broke through the surface, impressed by its size and stature, hoping to see its demonstrable power—perhaps hoping to gauge Furor's capacity with Dynamax—but the leviathan was swatted away almost as quickly as the upstart had surged through the rapids. Their vessel buoys with the turbulent waves, forcing them to deepen the buffer distancing them from the conflict.[break][break]

POWER—AND PURPOSE

[break]

It reeks of the clandestine nature of Yveltal's work. Through its many musings, Adrian came to know the gifts these creatures imparted on them were always burdened with a greater purpose. And for now, Howard had perhaps revealed to him the very charge that had brought Regice into his possession.[break][break]

"...And exactly which god would that be?"[break][break]

Adrian was not one to make conditional pledges in ignorance, not after what it'd costed him.

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It seems so obviously dangerous to push his luck by being here, but then there is much he stands to lose by not laying claim to what was rightfully his once. As Adrian meanders through the woods in search of a once lively grotto, he finds it has come to be overrun by rampant growth of weeds.[break][break]

Luckily, his plants still bore fruit.[break][break]

The Vileplume that remains here lies dormant, surrounded by a dense growth of vines. Perhaps it has grown accustomed to being left alone for great spans of time—he hopes this is considered to be a great deal more liberating than cumbersome for the creature. Adrian reaches for a tool from his backpack, finding a sharp instrument to cut away the undesired brush.[break][break]

The rustling of the growth drowns out the sounds of night. It's only when he goes to wipe his brow after extensively clearing out patches of invasive growth, that he notices the rustling somewhere behind him. On edge, he manages to slowly turn around, finding a set of eyes in the dark. Hmmm, I wonder what you are...?[break][break]

"Vileplume, wake up," he calls out loudly. The LUXIO takes this poorly, nimbly exiting the hedges and approaching him and his berry garden. The Vileplume is slow to rouse, but eventually joins the standoff. "Vileplume, u—"[break][break]

Abruptly the Luxio ROARS, cowing his Vileplume. Its hairs stand on end before small arcs of electricity streak along its body, its feet digging into the earth before it tries to make a dash for Adrian.[break][break]

"You cheeky runt," Adrian mouths in contempt, reaching suddenly for a spare pokeball and pitching it in the creature's path. In the moments it's caught in the sphere's clutches, he readies a separate pokeball, realing his Arcanine onto the field. When it released, it was clear he had an advantage, though the creature seemed desperate for a berry—and lunged for the patch regardless.[break][break]

But Howitzer quickly caught it by the scruff, tossing it away. After a rough landing, it managed to stand itself up, though it seemed to struggle with what to do next. Perhaps it was wounded? At the very least, he could see its bones through its skins enough to mean it was probably hungry. Ah, hell...[break][break]

Adrian had too many pokemon under his care. In the past he might not have been troubled by this, but now, with his own movements feeling so restricted, it seemed cruel to try and bring anything else under his guardianship. And yet...[break][break]

Preparing another pokeball, Adrian tried to capture the creature again. He could always re-release it into the wilds, but part of him knew he would never bring himself to do it...

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"I should think so." Adrian is usually not one to lie. But Cillian does not seem to press the issue, instead ridiculing Adrian in his own way. But not before plucking a mug for himself from a cabinet, making for the simmering brew that they might share a fresh cup of joe together. It was almost domestic.[break][break]

He finds himself surprised then that Cillian shares the news with him so lightly. He is so far removed as to find almost any news novel, and in this case he is mostly blindsided—though he is not in the least bit surprised the League wants to take back what Rocket had rightfully stolen from them. Still, there is a bitter taste in his mouth that coffee couldn't account for...[break][break]

"Defenses? What do you expect them to try?" Probing questions like this were... Well, they would unsurprisingly raise questions as to which side Adrian found himself on. Though in truth, he wondered how much more entrenched they could be on a remote island crater.[break][break]

He imagined blockading sea routes was the most obvious attempt at defense Rocket would take, but anything beyond that, he failed to consider. They surely had more in store...[break][break]

"Might as well," he responded, rising from his seat to dump and rinse his mug, allowing it to fall into the sink with a faint clatter.

[attr="class","icon"]

Adrian is no stranger to the danger posed when one lightly brandishes these greater powers, but he would not have counted on the repercussions of the transformation being so damning. Even if it could be done without a Dynamax Band, it was a fatalistic process—something that would have been learned firsthand before it was documented... Who found that one out?[break][break]

Adrian manages his sympathy before locking his eyes with the pokeball hurtling skywardly. He did not count on Howard having in his possession another Regi, though with how lightly he handled it, perhaps the knowledge was not so much guarded as he was simply ignorant to it.[break][break]

His instinct to know compels him then to glance in Howard's direction—his eyes strain as if trying to discern something about him—but it proves a fruitless gesture. A thin smile breaks up the intensity of his stare, as fingers run over his face and through tousles of hair, a sort of tic. Of course, there was nothing off about Howard...[break][break]

...Save that he wears no Dynamax Band...[break][break]

"Yeah... It does." Mostly in how the eyes were formed. Outside of that, its body was comprised solely of its designated material, in this case the ice that chilled the seabed around them.[break][break]

But more than that—he feels the pressure of its presence weighing down on him; daunting enough that his heart skips a beat.[break][break]

Adrian manages a hard stare at the monolithic creature. It presents a troubling problem for him—how could he ever hope to challenge something of this caliber, that can be so easily conjured by simply wearing the requisite band?[break][break]

The titan takes to the transformation naturally, its influence spreading over the waters in spite of their turbulence. Adrian manages another side glance along Howard's wrists, his brow quirked quietly. Perhaps such things were simply best worn discretely, to avoid theft.[break][break]

"Are there no other conditions necessary...?"[break][break]

Adrian wanted, needed to know more.

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Adrian manages to nearly choke on a sip of coffee when Cillian's voice punctuates the air. Where he might've been content to sit here and while away the next few hours, it seemed that would be cut short. Abruptly. Adrian immediately throws out a defensive quip, though it's clear he's on the back foot.[break][break]

"Actually, I'm waiting on something dorian westcliff cooked up..." For all that certainly entailed, Cillian would be able to tell Adrian was markedly not so weary for it, which may have come as a surprise. He would learn in time. For now, he managed to find his peace, even if it had been jostled lightly just now for their arrival.[break][break]

"I haven't seen you around for some time." Adrian wonders how far they have come with the RKS, though ultimately such dives seemed to him pointless. Or they chaffed him too much to be bothered... Perhaps not so obvious to others, he obsessed over his own misgivings.[break][break]

"Everything alright?" He asks less so out of curiosity, and moreso to poke the metaphorical bear, if only to see where it gets him.