Okay, sure, you can have a proper introduction. :|a

[aquaboss]

[If you're out by the beach today, you may notice a certain Team Aqua boss sitting on a rocky outcropping above the ocean. How he got up there is a mystery. He's throwing pebbles into the water, but it looks like he's looking for something in the distance. Below, his Sharpedo is taking quite the pleasure in chasing after whatever fish Pokemon he

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[oceansbane]

[How did you get up here, Archie? Presumably the same way Maxie did. And you, sir, can have one of those small rocks thrown at the back of your damn head. It's a pretty sharp throw. Feel lucky that he didn't choose something larger.]

I think we all have better things to do than be here.

[aquaboss]

[Oh hey look, it's our favorite crazy Maxie! Except Archie doesn't notice him until that rock collides with the back of his head. Ow, fuck that hurt.]

What the hell-- [He turns around and groans. Great. He's pretty sure this is the same crazy Maxie instead of the one he knows - or some other one, assuming there are multiple Maxies roaming the island. That idea alone makes him want to get the hell out of here even more.]

If you wanted my attention, all you had to do was ask. [Rubbing at the back of his head now; you're a real bastard, you know that Maxie?] Then why the hell are we here in the first place? I sure as hell wasn't headed toward any damn island - but here I am. [That seems to frustrate him more than confuse him.]

[oceansbane]

[Well. Now that he has your attention, he'll just be resettling up on that outcropping, if you don't mind. He doesn't sit down, instead choosing to brace his leg against the top of it, leaning forward and folding his forearms across his thigh. It's a broad but generally casual stance, though his gaze remains very, very alive.]

I wasn't exactly intending to end up on some island of the damned, either, you know. But you have a point - here we are.

[He tips his head a bit, deflecting his gaze downwards and slightly to the side; he's watching the Pokémon more than their trainer. His hair falls forward a bit, the red locks tumbling down haphazardly and obscuring parts of his face; he doesn't bother to move them.

He simply remains where he is, his body almost unnaturally still. Watching.]

And obviously, we're not very happy to see each other.

[aquaboss]

[Archie remains silent, watching the crazy Maxie stare down at him - or maybe it's just the water he's looking at, it's hard to tell with that hair in his face - and he's struck again by how different this Maxie is. That thought is brushed aside immediately though; all Maxies are awful, no exceptions.]

You got that right. [He's not entirely sure what this Maxie intends to do, considering he just got a rock thrown at his head, but clearly he's up to something. Archie folds his arms and waits. Let him make the first move.]

[oceansbane]

[Not up to anything in particular. Just talking. Honestly, Archie, would it kill you to pretend to be a civilized human being? It's not that hard, you know.]

I can't sense you. And from the sound of it, you're new. But still...

[He shifts again, arching his back a little as though re-aligning it before resettling into his previous position.]

I have to ask you if we've met before.

[aquaboss]

[There he goes with the "sense" thing again. What the hell does that even mean?]

Yeah, we have. You don't remember? [Or choosing not to remember?] It was in that Silent Hills place; you said somethin' about me being Kyogre or somethin'. [Which still makes no sense.] You don't remember that? [Skeptical, of course; how could he not remember it? It was creepy as hell, and Archie's sure not going to be forgetting it any time soon.]

[oceansbane]

...I don't know what it was called. It...there was noise. Music of some sort. And it was in my head. I couldn't get it out.

[His voice is shaking badly; by this point, so is he, a sort of shuddering coursing through his body. It isn't the violent tics from Silent Hills, but rather deep, steady tremors, and he keeps his head down; whatever's going through his mind right now, he's clearly having a hard time controlling his reaction to it.]

My body exists, and I interact with this world when I can. But I no longer exist, except as a vessel. As an extension of Groudon's will. And something about that place woke it up.

So no...I don't remember very much.

[aquaboss]

[Archie doesn't like Maxie. They're enemies. But watching this version of Maxie shake does alter his expression to one of confusion. This was the guy who just threw a rock at his head to get his attention. This was the guy who circled him like a wild Pokemon in Silent Hills. This was the only version of Maxie he'd met on this island and he was creepy as hell; but Archie felt sympathy for him.]

[His explanation makes no sense, at least in a way Archie can understand. But he was right; this Maxie is - was? - possessed by Groudon. The emotion is no longer sympathy - though that is still there - but also pity and something Archie can't quite identify.]

I guess you wouldn't. Sounds rough. [He's not sure what to say to that. Though he does have to ask about what this Maxie was saying in Silent Hills.] You said you couldn't "sense" me. So there's another version of me who's Kyogre's... vessel? [The idea of being controlled by a Pokemon instead of the other way around is terrifying.]

[oceansbane]

My rival.

[He lifts his head then, resuming eye contact a bit more clearly, some of the locks of hair that had been obscuring his expression falling back to frame his face; the look on his face is manic, though the tremors haven't stopped - it's closer to barely-contained laughter than anything else.]

Through the power of the orbs, we, too, came to know power - and we'll rise to power again, to finish what we started back in Hoenn. The final battle is ours alone; one will be right and one will be dead, and both will have gotten exactly what they deserve.

We're going to change the world.

[aquaboss]

[Whatever sympathy there was is gone now - that expression says it all. This guy is completely crazy. The pity is still there though - this Maxie appears to be nothing more than Groudon's plaything. It looks like he's laughing now, and Archie suddenly wants to move away from him, but checks the urge to do so. He's not afraid, goddammit.]

So that's how it is in your world? You fight to the death to see who's right? [That doesn't settle well with Archie. He wouldn't kill his rival if he had the chance (landing him in the hospital for awhile would be nice but...); apparently their world is very different. They must really hate each other.]

Going so far to accomplish your goal... [In a way it's admirable. At the same time, it's dreadful.] Can't say I can agree with your methods, though.

[oceansbane]

[And he actually laughs at that, openly, the sound high and uncontrolled.]

No, no. You're not listening very well, and putting words in my mouth besides. I'm not surprised that you'd think of it that way, though. Every version of you is egotistical. Every version.

You see, my rival's death is a means to an end. Not the end itself.

[He shifts his leg so that he's no longer bracing against it, lowering himself down to drape idly over the top of that rock formation; he toys with one of those smooth pebbles scattered across the top, running it back and forth over his fingers.]

I've explained this to one of you before, but for now I suppose that I shall humor you - my rival has a great deal of my respect. He wouldn't be my rival, otherwise; he wouldn't be worth acknowledging. He's special to me, in a way that very few people are. It'll almost be a shame when he dies.

At the same time, it's necessary. He's currently the biggest threat to my goals, and I can't let that stand if I want any sort of real victory. Killing him won't prove

[aquaboss]

[Crazy laugh. Well, that was unexpected. Archie folds his arms and listens as this version of his rival talks - not that he's really taking any of it in because it sounds completely crazy. The more this Maxie goes on about his own version of Archie, the more Archie gets the idea that there's something... not quite right about the two of them - or rather, their relationship. His expression remains quizzical, as if trying to ponder out exactly what this Maxie means - but he's pretty sure he's already figured that out.]

Alright, I can see that your world has some very different ideas than mine... [Understatement of the year.] But what I don't get is your... connection to him. The other version of me. Your rival. It sounds like you admire him. ["Admire" is another understatement. Archie's just not sure how to put into words the idea of Maxie liking Archie, even if it isn't himself and his own rival he's talking about. It's just weird. And wrong. Because it definitely doesn't apply to him.]

[oceansbane]

Admire...? Hardly. Use your head; I wouldn't oppose him if I found him to be admirable.

[aquaboss]

[Do you really want him to say it, Maxie? Really?]

I'm pretty damn sure you know what I meant by "admirable."

[oceansbane]

[Mm, why not. He's been terribly bored lately, not to mention a bit out of sorts due to the recent possession.]

Humor me...tell me your thoughts.

1 / ???

[aquaboss]

[You bastard. You are going to make him say it. Which, for some reason, seems to be more uncomfortable to him than it is to you. It's not supposed to be that way, dammit!]