[yeah getting poisoned probably is the worst thing right now... archie takes another ball out and throws it up; sharpedo materialises into the water. it's not... quite deep enough, but not shallow enough to harm the shark. it looks around, then sees mareanie.]
Sharpedo! [it says, flapping its fins in the water. fellow water type!!
archie looks back to james.] I'm sure they'll figure it out, even if they miss you being there to help.
[he exhales lightly.]
Maybe finding someone to stay with'll help? I can't imagine being out here with just you and Mareanie makes you feel any better... the environment might be familiar, but the loneliness won't be.
Really, though, he can't imagine anyone who'd be able to tolerate having him around longer than five minutes. Even Jessie could barely put up with his presence when they'd reunited at the training facility. She got used to him because he'd refused to leave.
He tucks his tongue into his cheek and thinks dark thoughts but his expression brightens slightly when he sees Mareanie hop over to Sharpedo. She smiles and starts splashing the other water-type.]
[he doesn't say anything else and lets the subject drop. he can recognise when they're starting to tread ground that'll only lead to sliding into a pit of despair.
sharpedo laughs a weird fishy laugh, splashing her back. archie stays crouched next to james.]
Ha! I was worried they might not get along, but they look to be fast friends. Maybe they'll be able to hunt together after all!
Er, yeah. [fuck it. he was gonna tell him eventually, anyway.] I guess you're not from Hoenn... I'm the leader of Team Aqua.
[he looks over to james, cocking his head.]
Maybe you don't know what mistake I ended up leading my team into-- but it's not like that anymore. [...] In theory. Given I'm here, instead of back home and sorting everything out.
You let that ferocious fish monstrosity loose on people.
[There is no reproach in James's voice as he says that. The Unova region had almost been ground into paste by the Forces of Nature, after all, and he'd been a part of that.
Not surprising... [he winces at the summary but james certainly isn't wrong. he ducks his head slightly, shame clear on his expression.] It was never meant to end up the way it did.
[he shrugs lightly. boy, that spot in the grass in front of him sure is interesting. he's almost literally staring a hole through it.]
--You didn't get hurt by it, did you? Or anyone you know?
[he's... not sure how he feels about james's reaction. he would police it, but he seems almost too forgiving.
best not to think about it.]
Uh... I guess quite a few people. [he sighs.] May and Steven-- other trainers here, were involved in it as well. May defeated Kyogre after it achieved primal reversion and Steven...
[his expression goes blank for a moment.]
...Was absolutely useless, like most champions.
[he hums.]
Maxie was there too. Ugh. I can't believe I miss my rival.
She's a very powerful trainer. [and while she shouldn't ever have to do it again, archie has no doubt she could calm the raging leviathan without breaking a sweat.
...god there's a lot to unpack there. but first, he feels a weird urge to defend team magma, defend maxie.] You heard wrong, bro. It was just us that woke up Kyogre. Team Magma never got to Groudon.
[he snorts at the ball part, though. childish.]
I handed the Blue Orb over to... [may, but hmmm.] ...well, doesn't matter who has it now. Important thing is it's not me.
I-- Okay, I get there's probably crazy rumours goin' around, but I never even saw Groudon. Why would I have any interest in it?
[...actually he can think of about twenty reasons off the bat, but.]
That can't be right. If I had Groudon, the world would've ended. Kyogre alone was so powerful... there's no way anything could've survived both of them, especially with their Primal forms.
Give me a minute. My brain just stopped working, because I thought about the shit I'd get from Maxie if he'd found Kyogre first. Oh, god. Awful.
[then looks up.]
I don't-- you were there? That can't be right. We went from the Seafloor Cavern on Route 128 to Sootopolis and nowhere else. Groudon wasn't involved. I'd remember if Groudon was there, trust me.
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[and... all his grunts, but y'know. archie looks back out to the stream where mareanie is splashing around.]
...'Least our Pokémon are here.
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[He looks over at Mareanie as memories of Jessie and Meowth wash over him.
The tears in his eyes start to stream down his face as he slowly sinks to the ground.]
Aw, Jess....
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he gets up and walks over to james, putting a hand on his shoulder.]
Hey-- hey. Sorry. [he gives his shoulder a squeeze, then drops his hand down.] It really sucks, yeah. Maybe they'll show up here, huh?
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Someone needs to man the shop.
[Mareanie, seeing her Trainer in distress, stops eyeing Mightyena and hops over to James's lap.
"Reanie!"
She reaches up to lovingly wrap her tentacles around his neck and he gently pushes her away.]
Please, no...
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Sharpedo! [it says, flapping its fins in the water. fellow water type!!
archie looks back to james.] I'm sure they'll figure it out, even if they miss you being there to help.
[he exhales lightly.]
Maybe finding someone to stay with'll help? I can't imagine being out here with just you and Mareanie makes you feel any better... the environment might be familiar, but the loneliness won't be.
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...But...
[Maybe company would be nice...
Really, though, he can't imagine anyone who'd be able to tolerate having him around longer than five minutes. Even Jessie could barely put up with his presence when they'd reunited at the training facility. She got used to him because he'd refused to leave.
He tucks his tongue into his cheek and thinks dark thoughts but his expression brightens slightly when he sees Mareanie hop over to Sharpedo. She smiles and starts splashing the other water-type.]
Did you make a friend?
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sharpedo laughs a weird fishy laugh, splashing her back. archie stays crouched next to james.]
Ha! I was worried they might not get along, but they look to be fast friends. Maybe they'll be able to hunt together after all!
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Would you like that, Mareanie? Would you and your new fishy friend like to hunt together?
[Mareanie returns the smile.
"Mareanie!"]
I know it's not the same as the ocean but it's something, right?
[She hops over to James and wraps herself around his bare knee. He pats her reassuringly.]
I'm okay, I promise, go play.
[She lets go and returns to splashing Sharpedo.
James watches them for a few silent moments.]
She must miss having other water types around.
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sharpedo in turn is delighted for her to come back to play, spraying a mist at her where she splashes around.]
They're going through the same stuff as us. Crobat misses all the grunt Golbats, too.
[...shit.]
I mean. Other people's. Golbats.
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[He looks at Archie through the corner of his eye and sighs.
The other man has been kind to him so he'd might as well let the poor guy off the hook.]
Your grunts, you mean?
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Er, yeah. [fuck it. he was gonna tell him eventually, anyway.] I guess you're not from Hoenn... I'm the leader of Team Aqua.
[he looks over to james, cocking his head.]
Maybe you don't know what mistake I ended up leading my team into-- but it's not like that anymore. [...] In theory. Given I'm here, instead of back home and sorting everything out.
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[He rests his chin in his hand.]
I've always known.
You let that ferocious fish monstrosity loose on people.
[There is no reproach in James's voice as he says that. The Unova region had almost been ground into paste by the Forces of Nature, after all, and he'd been a part of that.
Sometimes things just get out of hand.]
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[he shrugs lightly. boy, that spot in the grass in front of him sure is interesting. he's almost literally staring a hole through it.]
--You didn't get hurt by it, did you? Or anyone you know?
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[He hums as he thinks about this.]
...Electrocuted in a giant net, nearly drowned, almost crushed by a submarine....
[He scratches his head.]
Nothing that unusual, we were fine.
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[he can't mean explorer 01. that would be literally impossible.]
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[He says dryly and gently beats a fist into his palm.]
You'd be surprised how much this happens, really.
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You could've died because of me. [and he's sure there's someone out there who did.] ...I'm sorry doesn't really cut it.
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Huh?
Hey, it's okay.
Who hasn't gotten all tangled up in a wee bit of apocalypse here or there? Goodness knows I have!
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best not to think about it.]
Uh... I guess quite a few people. [he sighs.] May and Steven-- other trainers here, were involved in it as well. May defeated Kyogre after it achieved primal reversion and Steven...
[his expression goes blank for a moment.]
...Was absolutely useless, like most champions.
[he hums.]
Maxie was there too. Ugh. I can't believe I miss my rival.
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[He blinks.]
But I had no idea May had what it took to defeat a critter like Kyogre...
I'd heard Groudon beat back the beast, then they both just took their balls and went home.
Erm.
So to speak.
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...god there's a lot to unpack there. but first, he feels a weird urge to defend team magma, defend maxie.] You heard wrong, bro. It was just us that woke up Kyogre. Team Magma never got to Groudon.
[he snorts at the ball part, though. childish.]
I handed the Blue Orb over to... [may, but hmmm.] ...well, doesn't matter who has it now. Important thing is it's not me.
[he cocks his head.]
What was that about Zygarde and Kalos?
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Hum?
Of course Magma never got Groudon, you had it!
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[...actually he can think of about twenty reasons off the bat, but.]
That can't be right. If I had Groudon, the world would've ended. Kyogre alone was so powerful... there's no way anything could've survived both of them, especially with their Primal forms.
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[That's not right, he'd been there....]
But you had Groudon and they had Kyogre.
Kyogre escaped and then you had both....
And then Kyogre and Groudon both got loose but you were all Orb-loony and you and the Fishstrocity tried to flood the world.
And then, and then...
[He thinks.]
And then I'm not sure what happened, I was unconscious at that point and people tend to not fill me in about these things.
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Give me a minute. My brain just stopped working, because I thought about the shit I'd get from Maxie if he'd found Kyogre first. Oh, god. Awful.
[then looks up.]
I don't-- you were there? That can't be right. We went from the Seafloor Cavern on Route 128 to Sootopolis and nowhere else. Groudon wasn't involved. I'd remember if Groudon was there, trust me.
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