Ru's feet pounded against the dock to plant himself stiff as a large rope slid through his bare hands. Men and women were shouting all around. Crates were lowered with bangs and cracks. Wingull and Pelliper circled above and gathered around. A few of the vermin panicked away for fear of being crushed when Ru's crate met the dock.
Random hands met the crate and the pulley mechanism before Ru could. So he, instead,
grabbed a nearby crowbar to pry open a side to inspect the merchandise. After a few quick and powerful yanks, the side of the crate toppled down. Shouts were hollered in warning of the six-foot panel of thick plywood falling to meet the dock with a sharp and deep slap of wood meeting wood on their flat surfaces.
The same random hands groped and tore at the merchandise inside. Ru was pulled to another, slightly smaller, crate that proved to be heavier. His boots failed him and he stumbled forward to be pulled by the weight of the crate. Several pairs of hands attempted to catch the rope. But the help only managed to drop the crate at a slower rate. It threatened to tear through the dock and shatter itself on impact, but the concrete and steel supports made sure that wouldn't happen.
Ru cursed loudly at himself as did the others to themselves. A few hearty and bellowing laughs could be heard a distance away. But, still, hands worked over the crate and its contents as Ru was called to unload more crates.
The Rustboro Wharf was named such out of courtesy. Owned by the Fairfax Association, it's an entirely private portion of the city. Security clearances are required to enter and exit the Wharf and is well-situated to make it quite difficult for outsiders to see exactly what happens beyond the ten-foot fence, gates, and tall warehouses without windows.
Considering the current events, any Pokemon usually employed at the Wharf were now filling temporary positions in security. Much of the staff were required to relocate or change occupations temporarily to accommodate those affected by the "Mauville Incident" for those still able and needing to work for a living.
----------
The influx of humans into Rustboro meant more opportunity for her. Her pile of loot had grown significantly in the past two days and she was still "finding" collectibles. She hovered between buildings to occasionally perch herself on a ledge to better spy over a greater distance.
Coins were her favorite. She knew them to be rare, an anomaly, bu nothing beat the ornate simplicity of a coin. It was her lucky day, too. Though she'd only found a few gems and shiny metal bits, her little eyes spotted a hand that reached out and place a small shiny circle onto a ledge. She dove as fast she could and dipped her beak to scoop up the treasure. In her excitement, she missed and it fell far to the ground.

The crowds were irritating, but she couldn't deny the cover they'd provide. Still, she didn't understand why Ms. Shade couldn't be bothered to do this herself. Samantha just let out a sigh and looked up toward her Bronzong hovering over the town. From the mountainside, Lavaridge definitely looked like a refugee camp. That Haven girl Ms. Shade learned of before the Attack was the last person they knew to have contact with Raiziel. But he seemed to have escaped without being able to be traced. This certainly killed two birds with one stone, but she wasn't as skilled with such a stone as Ms. Shade was.
"Bellarus" was all Samantha had to say for the Bronzong to begin to levitate her along the sheer southern cliffs of the small, but, now, overpopulated, town. She stumbled a bit as the heels of her shoes sank into the tender sand typical of Mt. Chimney. She managed a graceful stumble toward the nearest road where she could gain balance. Victims, townspeople, and Rangers rushed past her in every direction yet paid not mind to the fact she came from, seemingly, nowhere. It was like they couldn't see her.
"Good job, Bell," she thought. "Now, to find Asuna. Scan what you can for any sign of the girl..."
She stopped where she was and considered how difficult it would be to actually reach her primary contact. She hated Teleporting, but hated crowds even more. The thought of the sheer volume of strangers in front of her, bumping into her and shouting over her,
made her heart pound with anxiety.
"Actually," she thought. "Just get me there from here."
She was supposed to get a good analysis of the town in its current condition, but she decided she needed more time to mentally prepare herself. Luckily for her, Bellarus was excited to teleport her, since he often never got the chance. Because of this, he had to descend so his underside almost fell over Samantha. With a low hum, they both dematerialized rather slowly into silver dust until there was nothing. A moment later, she was standing in front of the Mura Bath where she knew she would likely find the woman. Bellarus then hovered away with his usual metallic hum to scan for their secondary contact.
----------
"Asuna," a voice almost shouted from the door. It was relatively low yet held the softness of youth trying to be forced away. "It's time."
Asuna just shot an arm toward the door with her index raised with some irritation as she continued to suck a man's face. But he seemed to have more manners than her and broke from the embrace, though likely out of curiosity than modesty.
"Aw, come on, you bitch," Asuna whinned, gesturing toward her "visitor."
"Don't care," Samantha said. "You'll just have to explain to Ms. Shade..."
Samantha held her face from showing amusement at the fear and dread that blanketed Asuna's face from the apparent "threat." Asuna just grunted a sigh and reached for the man's face to physically apologizing for the interruption before verbally apologizing for the interruption.

The smell of a freshly cooked meal made Rai's mouth water to the point where he was mildly surprised he wasn't drooling all over himself.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the kind of spread Jeanne had laid out on the table for lunch. He hesitated for a moment in the door as he just watched the family all scurrying about each other with their own tasks to finish putting the meal together. A familiar hand, large and warm, was placed on his shoulder as if to ease him into the house, comfort him or reassure him that it was okay to enter and sit himself at the table as the rest finished their preparations. Forrest had no problems joining his family, but Rai felt like an intruder on the scene in front of him. He had to wonder if this was how life was all the time for them.
He had to stamp those thoughts down quickly before the jealousy (already budding behind the longing feeling of homesickness) wormed it's way any deeper under his skin. Though, it wasn't until Kye poked his head out from under the table and ran over to gleefully headbutt him, while looking dirty and tired from his day training with Forrest's Pokemon, that Rai actually remembered how to move.
However, he needed no help remembering how to eat, and it was nearly painful for him to keep from inhaling the hoagie in front of him. He had to remind himself to tear off tiny pieces for Kye, waiting quietly with his head in Rai's lap for any scraps despite already having been provided food while he and Forrest were on their walk. Rai had a sneaking suspicion his Pokemon had likely been begging from Jeanne all along, but after weeks without a real meal, he couldn't quite blame the fire-type.
The cheese mealted over the warmed shaved steak perfectly. Of course, these products had been shipped from Johto, but the chemical-free preservation techniques kept the traditional tastes in tact. The hint of sourness with the salty wholesome flavor of the cheese perfectly complimented the savory and juicy steak. The sauce, likely having been made from the steak, itself, added some spice that matched perfectly without overpowering the pallet. It reminded him of the Olivine Grille, where he'd used to go with his mother and sister when he was a kid...
The bitterness of the beer went so well with the heavy and hearty tastes of the hoagie. Being a Double Hoppip, it retained the lightness of a regular Single Hopp but definitely hit his liver much sooner. He wondered if this might have been something his father might have drank...
His muscles continued to relax and as he ate. The reflexes in his arms slowed to a pace of contentment.
Good as the food was, Rai found his appetite suddenly draining away as they all started discussing their plans for visiting family back in Johto. Envy hit him like stampeding Ryhorn as he listened to the kids' excitement over the possibility at seeing their aunts and uncles. The feel of warm, rough scales under his fingers helped the smile on his face feel somewhat genuine as he scratched his Pokemon in silent appreciation while Forrest and his son discussed more training for the afternoon. He wasn't particularly thrilled at the prospect of more training, but it was familiar ground for him. He knew he could use it and he'd seize the opportunity so long as it was in front of him.

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Rai had been in his share of gyms in his life. Underground, usually sweltering hot and equipped with cobbled together - sometimes homemade - weights if he was lucky. The only thing Forrest's personal gym had in common with those "facilities" was the fact it was situated underneath Forrest's house. Oddly enough, it felt like there was more space down in the basement-turned-gym. Every square inch was being utilized for one style of exercise or another, and some of the equipment he barely recognized seeing it in actual working order.
Reality snapped back when Forrest handed him two twenty-pound dumbbells after stepping off a small platform. The word "dips" echoed in his ears and he realized what Forrest meant for him to do. Fear and frustration both surfaced. That was a sure way to get his calf to cramp again. He was sick of being babied and being meticulous and purposeful in his recovery.
But he found himself rising and falling gently, floating up and down. He realized he was staring at Forrest and Jerrek when Forrest gave him a little nod of some kind of acknowledgement that he was performing something properly. It's not like he didn't know how to perform basic exercises.
After the second intercepted staring, he realized his calf was flexing and stretching without issue. He could also feel how tense the muscle was, itself. Using his calves slowly and with purpose told him how badly he'd let his condition become. Rai let out a mumbled curse at himself, both by the relief he was getting from the exercise as well as irritation by Forrest's comments earlier and how right he was.
"You're slouching," Forrest said.
Rai felt a hand on his lower back and abdomen before he registered the voice and flinched slightly at the physical contact. He shifted his body to correct his form, though he didn't even realize his posture was incorrect - though he was usually a stickler for such things.
"Come on, straighten out." Forrest's voice lightly boomed, more commanding now.
Rai's brows twisted slightly and he looked toward Forrest who, even though he was on a platform, was still taller than him. He met a face with a level of concern and confusion that seemed to match his own.
"Hmm," the man hummed in thought. "I thought I noticed something during our walk. Your slouching only got worse at the table too, which I just let go..."
He was clearly talking to himself, assessing Rai's condition as if he was a problem to be solved. This was not something he was keen on experiencing.
Forrest's hand raised up to his shoulder blades and directed him in shifting his spine in, what he felt to be, strange ways. "Shift your shoulders back," "bend forward at the hips," "twist at the hips," "bend back at the hips."
And there it was. A major cramp that snapped his back to a forward position. But Forrest quickly wrapped an arm around his chest from behind and placed the other along his lower back. An Icicle Spear dug into his abdomen and he almost screamed in pain and begged Forrest to release him. The man just shushed him and told him to breath, which only caused more pain. He tried to fight the grip, but his arms were pinned under Forrest's and the pain was too great to do anything other than cry out in misery.
"Relax your abdomen!" Forrest bellowed, more commanding now than before. "Enough crying about it fight through the pain! You're only making it worse for yourself!"
The shouting triggered his instict to get mean, to get aggressive and angry. He even bent back what he could himself and let out a roar.
"Good! Breathe in deep and let it out!"
The encouragement was drowned out by the pain and adrenaline flowing through his body. His face, once white, was now turing red with fury. He roared a few more times until the pain subsided and he could feel Forrest's hold around his torso begin to ease.
"Keep breathing deeply. With your diaphragm." Forrest's voice was calm, now.
But Forrest kept his hold while Rai learned how to breathe again. It seemed he'd subconsciously changed his breathing habits due to the paralysis so his body only had to deal with one issue at a time. He cursed aloud to himself again with a light chuckle of relief.
"Good," Forrest said, returning the chuckle. "Now, keep this posture," he said and began to move his arm away from Rai's chest slowly and gradually.
A hand pushed his chest back two or three times. The spasm wasn't completely over and needed to be worked on diligently to be completely relieved. Focusing and relaxing at the same time was also an issue for Rai. His mind always raced, and usually with volitility.
He found himself on the floor in an empty room when the pain subsided enough that he could comprehend reality. Rai's head shifted to either side and discovered he was on a thin mat just the size of his body laid out upon it. He tilted his head forward, his gaze shifting from the ceiling to the wall in front of him. He met his own face in the mirror that covered the entire wall. He then saw Forrest a few feet next to him and spotting the boy who was performing some impressive yoga techniques.
"Ah, good! You're conscious..." Forrest chuckled out louder than Rai anticipated. The mixture of surprise and glee in the man's tone concerned him some. "-Was worried I'd have to get Jeanne..."
"- the fuck...?"
"Now it's time for some easy stretches," Forrest continued, seemingly unconcerned that Rai was exhausted and ready to pass out again from it. "Just do some pelvic tilts and tell me how that feels."
Forrest explained to flex his abdomen and push down his lower back while in his current position. The exercise, if it could even be called such, was so minimal, but Rai could tell that such a minor movement helped gain control of his muscles back. Another curse exhaled through his mouth while the large man hovered over him.
"How did that feel?"
"Fine-" Rai said with some dissatisfaction.
"Good. Can you roll over?"
With a groan and a grunt of both pain and irritation, he twisted his body quickly just to get this torture over with. But a hand pulled on a shoulder he had raised off the ground, holding him in place. His abdomen began to scream, so he allowed the hand to pull him back down onto his back.
"Slowly," Forrest chastised, once again demeaning him in a way that made him visualize just the kind of swing he could take at the man's jaw without hurting himself from this position. "You're going to set yourself back if you push too hard. You clearly can't handle being injured very well. You need to do what I say."
Rai chest growled with anger and frustration and his eyes rolled under partially pulled eyelids. He complied and moved slowly and deliberately onto his side and then gently lowered himself onto his chest, having, then, to shift himself over onto the mat.
"Good. Any pain?"
"No," he found himself scoffing.
"The truth-" Forrest said, demanding and impatient at this point. Rai's skin spiked and began to burn in defense.
"Sure," he spat back.
"What kind?" the man said, as if implying Rai should have known to describe it.
"Sharp ache..." he said, growing impatient himself.
"Where?" Forrest asked, continuing the paternal condescension.
"Abs and calf," Rai found himself almost shouting at this point.
Forrest just hummed, considering the answer.
"Do some press ups and hold them for 5 seconds. Extend as far as you can and try to push a little further each time, but don't push too hard or too fast. You'll cause another spasm. Keep going until I get back."
He then left the room Rai could see was the gym he was in earlier. He could now tell he was on the other side of the basement. Looking around, it was completely empty save some other yoga mats. Exposed showerheads were on the back wall. It seemed this space could work for both a dance or a yoga studio, not that he'd had any real experience with either. Now he was forced to into practicing yoga. But Rai understood that stretches were as important as hard exercise. He just never thought about it for physical therapy that he seemed to find himself in against his will.
His arms burned while they slowly rose and fell his torso. He was used to push-ups, but these press-ups only worked his arms and stretched his abdomen more than he thought necessary. But it felt good. His muscles twitched occassionally, but nothing that proved threatening or he couldn't end up controlling with enough concentration. Rai just pushed through the exhaustion and pain of the endless press-ups to prove to himself and to Forrest that he was strong enough to not need any more of this silly therapy.
That thought made him pause mid-press.
It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the help. Actually, he would have loved nothing more than to just deck Forrest once if it meant he’d shut his mouth about not pushing himself too hard. But as much as it hurt his pride to admit, Rai shuddered to think how much trouble he might be in right now if he and Kye had been on their own. This ordeal hadn’t been anything like his normal fare from the Pits, where he might limp home bloody and bruised but ultimately still the master of his own body. Now every twitch his muscles made had him held hostage to the fear that they would seize into a rock hard lump under his skin.
But why in the hell was Forrest doing this in the first place? These people had opened their home to him. They were feeding him and his pokemon better than they’d had in months or maybe even years. He’d offered taking him along to Mauville Island. And punishing as this whole exercise felt to his still unsteady body, Rai knew he’d come out stronger for the effort. And that’s what he couldn’t wrap his head around. There was no way it was out of some misplaced comradery for a distant shared homeland.
Nearly a decade ago, he’d sat among the ashes of the only life he’d ever known and watched people he’d always been told he could count on simply walk away without so much as a backwards glance. Sure, on the surface they wept, they talked about how sorry they were for his loss, how they would be there if he ever needed anything at all. It hadn’t taken long for him to realize what an empty gesture that really was.
The world didn’t work like that. Nothing was free and he’d spent those long years since learning that lesson over and over again. Most people made it obvious, some took a bit of reading into, but everyone wanted something. The fact Rai couldn’t work out what Forrest was getting out of this set his stomach burning as he reluctantly resumed the floor-presses. He wanted to prove he was better before Forrest changed him mind about bringing him along on this little camping trip, no matter what it was that Forrest might be getting out of this whole endeavor.
He strained to listen for the sound of returning footsteps, ignoring the rivulets of sweat that dripped to the mat under him. Better judgement screamed at him to leave it be and nevermind what Forrest’s reasons were for offering a helping hand when he so clearly needed it. But when the heavier sound of footfalls drew closer to him, Rai couldn’t help himself any longer. He needed to know.
“What are you getting out of all this?” Rai grunted, kept his gaze down at the mat as he continued his exercise, "I haven’t done a damn thing for you or your family. And until Mauville turned upside down, you wouldn’t have known me from any other bastard off the street. Why the hell are you helping me like this?”
The large man seemed to ignore him. Instead, Forrest set up a yoga mat for himself and began to do some poses quite unlike Rai's. Did the paralysis make him deaf, now?
"Get into a push-up position and stretch your calves," Forrest said through a pose and solidifying the fact he was ignoring the question.
Rai was about to get up and cuss the old man out and charge at him with all he had when Forrest's voice pushed through the space and off the cement walls.
"I'm not getting anything out of this." The words cut through Rai's abdomen like Razor Leaf. "You haven't - and I know," he added with an utter lack of care about the topic.
It seemed like an hour passed until Forrest answered the last question. "Because I can."
Forrest shifted slightly into a new position. "And what does it matter to you whether or not I'm getting anything out of it? Why so bitter about being shown generosity and hospility? What's damaged you so much that you can't accept assistance when it's been offered so openly and without condition?"
That was probably the closest thing to "offended" Rai would ever hear from Forrest. Still, it sounded accusatory and almost condescending. There was softness, though a disappointed tone hugged the man's words. But Rai could tell he struck a nerve since one of his own nerves was struck back.
"Fuck you, ol-"
"Get up and shower off," Forrest said with a boom, interrupting him and suggesting the questions were rhetorical or simply that Forrest didn't care to have Rai explain his suspicousness of Forrest's actions.
An argument wasn't going to be beneficial right now. Rai understood his situation and how his outburst might cause him to miss out on getting to Mauville Island. So Rai just sighed and cursed under his breath as he released the pose he was in.
The large man dropped his shorts and hung them on a hook. Rai was surprised for the lack of towels in the immediate area. Were they supposed to air-dry, or something?
Forrest shut off his shower head just as Rai prepared his own. Without an attempt to dry off or cover up, he opened a small cubbie Rai hadn't noticed before. The man walked over to the floor-to-ceiling mirror and looked at himself with a scrutinizing eye and a pair of scissors and a comb in one hand and trimmers in the other.
Even wet, the ends of Forrest's hair were seared and misshapen. It fell to the middle of his shoulder blades, but gave the impression it could have been twice as long. The large and callused mitt that held the trimmer placed it on the floor to then grasp the comb to go through the sopping hair and shake what moisture he could to get a better assessment of what he might want to do with it. A couple more shakes of his head and another pass with the comb seemed to spark the decisions to pick up the trimmers and shave the left side of his head clean to more closely match the right side of his head. He cleaned up the right side and worked at the back of his head, creating a V that reached the bump on the back of his head.
The trimmers were then retired and the scissors were retreived from the floor while the comb worked through what hair he had left. It was combed forward and backward and to each side as he examined what what the shortest section to which he had to trim. It was decided to be shorted just above the shoulder. Forrest's hand worked with notable skill, blending and layering the hair to give some volume that was naturally lost. The burnt ends were removed and gave some kind of life back to the hair as it slowly dried. Forrest passed his hands through the hair and examined the shaved parts for evenness. Without being able to see, he seemed quite able to shave the V perfectly on the back of his head.
Rai was impressed, amazed at the skills this man seemed to possess. Even something as mundane as cutting one's own hair, apparently, fascinated him. He was also surprised to see how much it began to curl as it continued to dry. He then found Forrest's eyes on his own and winced in subconscious embarrassment.
"Want me to do you?" he asked with a lifted chin, gesturing the comb and scissors in his hand toward Rai. "I can do whatever, unless you want to do it yourself."
Rai's hand automatically went to his own hair as he raked his fingers through the strands and tried to guess how long it had been since his last real haircut. He could feel the crackling bits at the ends where the high voltage charge had actually caused the tips to burn a little. He caught the tiniest glimpse of himself there in the mirror where Forrest stood, and couldn't quite remember the last time he looked so bad. He certainly couldn't remember the last time he felt this bad.
He was a mess of half-healing cuts and bruises from head to toe, almost to the point where Rai had to wonder if his natural skin tone wasn't the ugly shades of mottled green and purple that covered him in massive splotches. He knew full well Jeanne and Forrest were probably responsible for some of the more severe looking spots healing up as well as they were, as much as it irked him to admit. But his hair was doing him no favors. It was a ratted mess, even with the help of a shower, and long enough that he could actually get a grip and give it a firm tug. His pride screamed to ignore Forrest entirely, or at the very least, decline the offer with an accompaniment of a few choice explitives, but he doubted it would phase the man in the least.
Besides, now that he was aware of it, the burnt hair made his scalp itch.
"It couldn't hurt," Rai relented after a moment, telling himself that this was only because he was far too tired to argue with Forrest any further. "But if you shave a mohawk or something stupid, Kye'll give you a permenant bald spot."
"What do you want?" Forrest asked as he began to comb through Rai's hair.

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"Hell, I thought I hurt this morning..." Rai sighed, slipping into a seat on the porch. He ached, but his arms and legs felt boneless rather than stiff and immobile. He scrubbed his head with his fingertips, shaking out more loose hair from his trim and abscentmindedly ran the pads of his fingers across the short bristles.
"But it's a good sore now, right?" Forrest said, his voice sounding tired, now, as they relaxed on the porch in the shade of the afternoon.
"There's no such thing as a 'good sore,'" Rai huffed, rolling his eyes, though he was weary enough that there was no venom left in his words. "Pain is pain, some just hurts less than others."
A bottle hit the arm of his chair with some force that took Rai's attention away from the scenery. A cigar then found itself in front of him, and Rai didn't have the mind to refuse, having not had one for a few years, now, and welcomed the luxury.

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He wasn't used to the perpetually pleasant weather. His first day in Hoenn was stormy, not to mention the weather being less than ideal. It seemed that, wherever they were, the Sun was stubborn about avoiding clouds. The air from the coast wanted nothing more than to extend its cool saltiness inland. He couldn't tell how far away they were from the coast, but he could imagine it wasn't very far, considering the clean tang he'd become so used to so quickly. The trees in this part of Hoenn seemed to grow modestly in size but vibrant in color and scent. The wild berries, Rai'd learned, weren't so wild. He'd noticed Jeanne and the youngest of the children tending to them throughout the day. He wondered why they would plant them so haphazardly, but the thought crossed his mind that they let most of the berries grow uninhibited by humans' nature to be organized and efficient.
"How'd you get a woman like that?" Rai asked as they drifted down the dirt path same as the air around them. He was told they were going to the city-proper, whatever that meant. But he was beginning to realize they were much further away from a major city than he was initially led to believe.
"Pregnant," Forrest grumbled in front of the "vintage" cart he was pulling. He'd decided to bring the girls to Petalburg with him for some new clothes since he'd told Rai he was going to get him some new clothes as well. It was another thing he didn't ask of Forrest that was forced upon him. The level of charity of this man was insufferable.
"- the fuck does that mean?" Rai asked with a scoff at the vague response to his question.
"I'm assuming you asked how we met and how we came to be married," he explained rather dryly. "We met toward the end of my run in the Pokemon League about ten years ago. I was piss and vinegar and she was flirty and naive. She likes to say she took advantage of me, but I'd just turned 18 and she was 16 at the time and nowhere near as worldly as I. We had a good long night. Hung out for a couple weeks after that when we learned she was pregnant with Jerrek. We were engaged before we even reached home and married that next day."
"- fucking Houndoom, you," Rai chuckled.
"I'm just glad it's worked out as well as it has. We barely knew each other and grew up real quick. It was lucky that I won the Championship that year. The prize money got us off to a good start. But finding stable work was tough. I worked at the Wharf in Rustboro for a few months. Worked at the Marinas on Route 104 South and Dewford Town for a few months with my friend. Found myself working at the Academy and then teaching. But none of that makes us enough money to sustain what we have now."
This guy was an open book. But this book was pretty interesting. As long as the focus wasn't on Rai, the chances of his identity leaking were slim. "What does that mean?"
"This doesn't get to my wife," he started. Rai found steel eyes piercing into his. He realized how close he'd gotten to Forrest at this point. The neat lines of Forrest's hair that he cut off that morning made for a interesting texture. He didn't quite understand why he'd cut his hair again, but it wasn't his place to criticize. Not to mention, he thought it suited Forrest, made his face look even more masculine, somehow. But that was an opinion that would be kept to himself.
Rai just raised a brow and nodded in a silent agreement between men.
"I've taken a few contracts from the Rangers."
Ice shot down from the base of Rai's head to the bottom of his spine. Frost clawed like lightning down his arms and legs. "Like a bounty hunter?..." Fuuuuuuuck me. Here, I get away from the Rangers only to be in the lap of a bounty hunter.
"This doesn't get to my wife," he repeated. His voice was low and threatening. "In fact, no one can know," he added, almost spitting with preemptive retaliation for betrayal.
I wish I didn't even know.
"Yeah, man. 'Course," he said, looking down at the ground and began gathering some distance between them.
Explains the gym...
It didn't take long to fall back into a air of comfort between them. The girls certainly made sure of that. The rest of the hike to Petalburg was watching them run around or sneak up on wild Pokemon or climb over the cart their father was pulling or playing with the Masquerain that always seemed to be around them.
Petalburg was a quaint town. It was larger than he'd expected. But all he knew was that Forrest lived just outside the city, but he only just now learned how far away that really was. It took them two hours just to see the skyline of the city. The buildings were a strange mix of modern and vintage. The technology wasn't impressive but was incorporated in most everything. The city looked to have been cleaned daily. The cobblestone and slate streets and walkways gave the paths a classic texture. At this time of day, the city seemed low on citizens, which suited Rai just fine. But the amount of houses and apartment buildings suggested the population of this city was quite high.
It felt like they'd walked just as long in the city as they had just to reach it. His calf was feeling like normal by now, but his subconscious alerted his body in possible compromising movements he'd make that'd trigger his abdomen to twitch. It was a long and uneasy walk for him if only because his body was still recovering. But he just took this as a personal challenge to conquer weakness.
The store was huge. It was clearly a high-end clothing and equipment store that likely had chains across the region. Rai likened it to the Johto Outlets across his home region. But Hoenn seemed to boast cleaner, more sophisticated, and more various choices. He had to stop himself from ogling too long at some of the gadgets and pieces of clothing. One of Forrest's daughters certainly helped with that.
Little Shelynn tried to play fashionista with Rai. He relented at first and with initial unease. But she seemed to have an eye for some things, even though he felt a fool playing dress-up with a toddler. But he couldn't deny her innocent sweetness. It reminded him too much of his younger sister back in Olivine all those years ago. It was like he was getting some of that time back.
"Why you cryin' Rai-Rai?" a small voice came up from his leg.
Her hand reached up as if to try to catch the tears.
Fuck...get it together. Don't be a little bitch...
He got down onto a knee in front of the girl. Her eyes were wide with sympathy and her face exaggerated his own like some fun-house mirror. "You just remind me of my little sister when we were kids." His hand found its way to cup her round cheek as he let the girl wipe his own cheeks rather messily.
"What happened to her?" she asked with a surprising level of intuition.
"She died in a fire," he said without care how someone so young might take such a response.
"You must miss her," was all she said.
Rai rose and wiped off his own face after composing himself. "Yes," he said with a quick sniff and cleared his throat.

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The sheer amount of clothing Forrest bought just for him was startling, even to Rai. The girls each got only a few fewer bag-fulls than he. Forrest even went so far as to purchase an amount of underclothes and accessories he'd never thought he'd see in his life. A new backpack and shoes. Gloves and hats. And that was just the clothing. The amount of equipment he was gifted was surprising, but exciting. The tent and sleeping bag, the hatchet and fire-starter. He was even fitted with a Gauntlet that stored most of the items he'd been given. It was an Arceus' Day he'd never had before. Forrest was rolling in some serious money to afford all of this for a practical stranger, nevermind his four kids and a wife. Maybe he'd get into Bounty Hunting, himself, when he was done with the Pits.
Forrest even took them to a nearby pub for lunch. Some noontime beers and heavy food seemed to be what Forrest needed, and Rai didn't hesitate to follow suit. The girls ate a surprising amount, but considering their activity level and that they had to walk all the way back home, he couldn't be surprised.
Shelynn rode on Forrest's back most of the way home and Elizabeth laid in the cart with the soil and gardening equipment they'd picked up while in Petalburg. This man was like an Ursaring, never faltering or showing fatigue on his face. He'd taken his shirt off and the sweat that accumulated across his skin betrayed what his composure tried to portray.
Rai'd offered to take the cart or at least carry Shelynn, himself. Forrest turned down the offer with some bullshit about his abs and calf, but Shelynn was happy to take a ride on something different, which made Rai's chest warm and eyes burn. It'd been such a long time since he'd felt this way. It took him nearly too long to realize what it was. Rai was happy. He scoffed at himself for feeling so positive, for feeling so relieved to feel so positive. He just wished he could share this with Kye. It'd been such a long time since they'd had the opportunity to be relaxed.
But the idea of Mauville Island rudely reminded him of his true objective. He thought about just rejecting it and staying with this man and his family, as if that was appropriate. He thought about staying in Hoenn and turning to Bounty Hunting and being more successful than Forrest. About settling down and living a normal and content life.
The daydreaming tore at his conscience. How could he rest when vengeance was still to be served? He was so close to finding the fuckers that burned his house down. That killed his mom and his sister. That lit his entire life into flames and watched and laughed as they saw it consume him. That fire would be the end of their lives. It'd burn a thousand times more brutally...

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The Petildale Forest was more wild than Rai'd expected. They had to camp a night in the Forest since they'd decided to walk to Mauville rather than find a ride, like normal people. He was initially confused as to why Forrest wouldn't use his Gauntlet to carry their supplied, only to learn he never a Gauntlet to begin with. It was clear that Forrest spent most of his time either actively training or exercising or passively doing so. Rai was impressed at the man's tenacity. The boys seemed to follow their father in this way as they carried relatively heavy rucksacks as well.
Rai also got a taste of the even less modest side of Forrest and his kids that night. They'd hardly turn sideways and step away to piss or shit. Even in the wilderness, their clothes came off to sleep, even more than Rai thought necessary. Rowan seemed to love being bare-assed in the dark woods. Rai couldn't help but chuckle at the little bastard showing pride at his lack of shame or fear of the wilderness. Even Forrest struggled to reign the bastard in from showing all he had to their guest. But Rai just assured Forrest that he was more amused than uncomfortable and even commended the little guy.
After "struggling" to get dressed in the morning, they'd managed to make it to Mauville just after noon. Of course, they still couldn't go into the city, itself, but the docks were open to certain individuals. Forrest was one of those individuals. He had his own little motorboat that barely held them all and all their equipment. Rai felt preemptive guilt for their capsizing on the way to the island.
They barely made it to the island before sunset and they still had to go a distance around the island to their "camp site." It seemed to Rai that the "camp sites" here were privately owned pieces of the island since he didn't see another human anywhere.

The hollers boomed through the night and into the day. Metal scraped against wood and ropes were pulled taut or snapped. Planks slapped against the docks as a constant percussion to the almost-overwhelming symphony. Everyone worked hard and together and there was a strong sense of community amongst the laborers employed by the Fairfax Association. But that didn't mean there was dissatisfaction and contempt.
The gray clay-concrete walls of the storehouses made for a rather monochromatic and dull atmosphere. Splotches of white excrement were the only contrast upon the buildings throughout the Wharf. The pathways were barely wide enough to two men abreast. Hiding in the mazes of the alleys was a struggle only for the fact one could easily get lost. The textured cement pathways dissuaded walking without proper foot-wear, but that didn't deter some of the more sea-hardened individuals.
The only interest in the Wharf was a single wooden spire that shot up past the rest of the storehouses. The planks looked of a rich mahogany with steel structure beams painted black. Red velvet curtains would peak from behind windows and lights would be seen on throughout each night. Access to this building was highly restricted. Walking past it was reason for termination.

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"Bring'im'in!"
"Yes, sir."
...
"Mr. Fairfax - sir..."
"Shutchyer fuckin' mouth, boy!"
"The Sire wishes to speak with you about your contact in Slateport."
...
"Out with it, you fucking dickless priss..."
"ahem...Yes, well, I verified he was hired by your mother, but only because of the digging I had to do of how he got here. The Briney Marina is now short a Briney becuase of that -"
"I don't need a fucking sob story, Buxs. Did you terminate the contact?"
"Yes, sir..."
"sigh...That's all I needed. We know there's another contact out there, though. Someone native to Hoenn, or that's what we're led to believe. The only lead we have are the Pits. So get back to Slateport and report back when you've found them."
"uh...uh, yes-"
"Get!"

@c3p-0h
"Master General -" she said with chest high and hand at her head in salute.
"At ease, Sentinel."
"Thank you, sir."
"Where's Major White?"
"He is currently verifying the state of the refugee camps and the Lavaridge Medical Centre, sir."
"When will he be back?"
"Not until tonight, sir."
"And Grand Watcher Clerk?"
"She's in her tent, sir."
"Thank you, Sentinel."
"Sir," she said in a farewell with another proud salute.

It'd been almost a week since the Mauville Attack. He was concerned to not have heard anything devastating happen in Lavaridge. However, it was also not entirely surprising as it was Grand Watcher Clerk who was tasked with overseeing the operations of the area.

There was no contest when it came time to promote a Sentinel to Watcher. She was the youngest in history to ever be promoted to the rank, but none knew of a better candidate. She was impossibly bright and focused, though harshly stern and doggedly focused. But the Air Rangers of Hoenn were known for their effectiveness, not their sense of humor.

This kind of task is in what she excelled. She could retain high volumes of information without needing to record it immediately. In fact, she often came into the frustration of the other branches when she'd fail to properly record information despite being able to recite it verbatim.

She was the hub of all information. Currently, she was the hub of all information about the Mauville Attack and the goings-on in both Mauville and Lavaridge while she was updated about Rustboro by the Land Rangers. She had a team dedicated to solely recording all the information they'd gather in a day, and they only just recently became current.

__________

She watched from afar at this "Haven" playing with a Cutiefly. The thoughts revealed it was newly hatched. Samantha cursed at herself for finding it as cute as she did. Keeping hidden behind a tree for a little longer showed a softness and a strength in this girl that Samantha found surprising. Considering her recent past, she was impressed with Haven's determination to continue on as if nothing happened.

Samantha absent-mindedly brushed her ear where that damned Decidueye had got her. It bothered her that she didn't see it coming.

"Excuse me, Haven," she said as she stepped from behind the tree but keeping the distance between them.

Her tone was soft and polite, almost meek. She kept her hands behind her back as to keep a non-threatening air around herself. "That's an adorable Pokemon you've got there. Does it have a name?"

Now with pleasantries out of the way, she could get to the point of this conversation. But she had to be tactful. "I heard your story from the rangers around here and thought you could help me with something." She fidgeted with her hair a little to portray a kind of nervousness Samantha assumed might be warrented in this kind of situation.

"I know someone I think you might have seen and I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me where you saw him last or where he could have gone. I want to make sure he's alright."

Her brows shifted down in a kind of sadness and concern she'd seen others express before. "I haven't seen him in a while and I'd really like to meet with him."

A long pause was held between them. The mauve pelt of her Espeon appeared beside her and rubbed its face against her calf. Her eyes rose to meet Haven's. They were beginning to swell with tears she'd only recently learned she could produce.

"I'm his sister."

@Kymera

The new hatchet worked well without having been sharpened after purchase. The fire-starter was largely unnecessary with Kye around. But the fact he wouldn't have to rely on his Pokemon to start a fire made him oddly self-confident. It wasn't long until he'd managed to accumulate a hefty pile of small logs and large twigs by the firepit Forrest had thrown together with some nearby rocks.

The tents were up and equipment laid out in neat order. The two men then worked on falling a tree to then chop in half to use as benches by the fire. It'd only taken a couple hours, but the moon was high and the air cool by now. Jerrek and Rowan were running around the fire and the nearby woods. Forrest paid little mind as Medicham and Flygon were around to get them out of any trouble they would be able to find.

After hiking for two days and then prepping the camp site with Forrest, Rai was ready and glad to be able to rest until the morning. He and Forrest drank a few beers each. Forrest partook in a cigar with the kids indulging in a soda before bed, something their mother would never allow. He made them go to bed soon after, which they did without much fuss. Rai was mildly relieved to see Rowan with clothes on, but with the air being cooler, he couldn't blame the kid.

Forrest, on the other hand, was down to undershorts. His shirt and pants were slung over a rope that was tied between trees so it would hang relatively close to the fire for more efficient drying. They were even wrung out before being hung, proving that staying in them was the poorer of options. By now, Rai couldn't be uncomfortable with anything they'd do.

The flick of a match pulled his eyes from the fire. His tired eyes saw a cigarette in Forrest's hand as he laid on the ground, partially propped up by the log and laying his nearly-naked body worryingly close to the fire. Another beer filled his other hand as he watched the fire as he thought Rai did. But his eyes blinked up and caught Rai's. He twitched his chin in an offer to grab another for Rai. Forrest managed to reach for one, open it, and pass it without actually getting up.

Rai was just glad to experience the calm of a silent night in front of a fire. It felt good to be out on the road again, even if he wasn't alone. It amused him how quickly he'd become used to Forrest's company. It'd been so long since he felt part of a family.

@Akacen

Any surface damage caused by the attack was cleared away and repaired in little time with the help of the Rangers, both national and international. The presence of an Elite Four member also made things progress much faster than expected. However, repairs to the energy circuits throughout the underside of the city was a whole other project Mr. Sturm would need months to get back into normal working order.

The outskirts of Mauville were beginning to re-populate as the power grid was reworked to avoid the affected generator as it was being repaired. There was still a heavy presence of Rangers throughout Mauville as investigations continued as to cause of this attack. The suspects that didn't die were sent to Fairfax Hospital and there was precious little revealed as to the reason for this attack. All the rangers could get from these criminals was "Jonton is back."

"Sir Aeros, excuse me." A young man bowed before the Elite Four member with a hand outstretched with a piece of parchment rolled inside it. "A message from Madame Fairfax. She requests that you act upon this in haste."

When the scroll was properly delivered, the man simply turned and left without another word.

Sir Tristian Aeros,

Your presence is requested at the Fairfax Manor estate at once.

The script was a beautiful calligraphy he'd never seen before. It was never known for Mrs. Fairfax to request a personal audience with anyone. She only deigned to expose herself to the public when she so cared. This was certainly far from what would be considered expected behavior of the Queen of Fairfax.

This one was terse. Samantha certainly respected that. That annoying Cutiefly was forgotted by this quick response.

She shifted slightly to pause and consider which emotion she should play next. She giggled briefly and put a hand toward her mouth. Embarrassment. "Oh, yes, I apologize," she said with a slight smile and oddly dead eyes. "I'm just so caught up with the fact that my brother might be here.

"I knew him as Raiziel Kurin from Olivine City in Johto. I don't know if he's assumed any other names. I remember him having a Charmander that he called Kye or something."

She looked down at the Espeon sitting stone still beside her. She reached a hand down to place a soft hand upon the periwinkle coat. A brief twinkle in the gem upon the Espeon's forehead shone as leaves shifted in the passing breeze.

Samantha sniffed as if about to cry. "I haven't seen him in so long, I have no idea what he could look like. We were only children when we were separated.

__________

The town fell into an organized chaos. Now that some Mauville districts were habitable, there was a sense of relief among those directly impacted by the disaster. Rumors continued to swirl around, but they were casual and without much weight as the Rangers refused to disclose any more information than the news coverage that was beginning to slow down.

Despite all this, Veritas sensed a strange amount of residual guilt and embarrassment and fear. She followed it until she arrived at the Muro Bathhouse and tagged her partners to join her and affirm her assumptions. It was agreed that it would have been something to look into.

The Rustboro Wharf was named such out of courtesy. Owned by the Fairfax Association, it was an entirely private portion of the city. Security clearances were required to enter and exit the Wharf and was well-situated to make it quite difficult for outsiders to see exactly what happened beyond the ten-foot fence, gates, and tall warehouses without windows.

Considering the current events, any Pokemon usually employed at the Wharf were now filling temporary positions in security. Much of the staff were required to relocate or change occupations temporarily to accommodate those affected by the "Mauville Incident" for those still able and needing to work for a living.he hollers boomed through the night and into the day. Metal scraped against wood and ropes were pulled taut or snapped. Planks slapped against the docks as a constant percussion to the almost-overwhelming symphony. Everyone worked as one and with a heavy sense of obligation considering the state of Mauville. But that didn't mean there was dissatisfaction and contempt that it occurred in the first place.

The gray clay-concrete walls of the storehouses made for a rather monochromatic and dull atmosphere. Splotches of white excrement were the only contrast upon the buildings throughout the Wharf. The pathways were barely wide enough for two men abreast. Hiding in the mazes of the alleys was a struggle only for the fact one could easily get lost. The textured cement pathways dissuaded walking without proper foot-wear, but that didn't deter some of the more sea-hardened individuals.

The only interest in the Wharf was a single wooden spire that shot up past the rest of the storehouses. The planks looked of a rich mahogany and cherry with steel structure beams painted black. Red velvet curtains would peak from behind windows and lights would be seen on throughout each night. Access to this building was highly restricted. Walking past it was reason for termination and arrest.

A squadron of Swellow glided across the skies above Lavaridge Town. Grand Watcher Clerk wasn't keen on the idea of another mystery Draco Meteor taking out the remaining survivors for which she was responsible. The squadron bullied any wild flying Pokemon from traveling through. It was announced that only those with authorized permissions from the Grand Watcher herself could have approved Pokemon fly over Lavaridge. And so they dove straight toward the Xatu they spotted from above the clouds.

Oracle would have known their approach soon enough, but their speed would be quite concerning. Though they were headed straight toward her, they broke formation and simultaneously turned away like a kind of blooming flower. Oracle would hear a faint command from a voice she wasn't familiar with. "Leave the Xatu alone..."

Before relief could wash over her completely, she was summoned to the building attached to the bathhouse by her teammates. Their collective confusion and curiosity would have filled her consciousness before she cleared it to focus on the past and the future of the place. She heard the entire conversation among three people talking about the woman she could see being commanded to go to The Quay in Rustboro City. A Decidueye shot through a window on the other side into the void that surrounded one of the women. The man was levitated and slammed into the wall. The void disappeared and the man was released. But the conversation, itself, was overall vague. The ability to hear subconscious thoughts from the past was beyond any psychic Pokemon, as they were so thin and fleeting. Fortunately, their target was confirmed - they mentioned Ms. Shade, their target. She watched as the vacant orb in the room disappeared.

The void was very familiar to Oracle. It felt very similar to what Ether would do to hide herself and others, if she chose, from the prying "eyes" of others. It was unnerving to feel something so definite and potent that she could say it matched Ether's, though the thought might have frightened her a little. Regardless, after the void disappeared, the other two eventually left the home. Oracle could follow them to the tram that went directly to Rustboro. Once they were far enough away, her vision faded into the present.

"Um, excuse me, sir? Are you going to do anything?" a voice asked behind Tristan. When he would turn, the young man would say "are you okay? Do you need help using that?" he asked and pointed at the Pokestation Tristan was standing in.

When Tristan and his team decided on their next course of action, Oracle's eyes glowed bright and her wings splayed out straight from her sides where she stood. Her body glowed bright and the air around her buzzed with intense psychic energy. Though she thought she had mastery over her visions, when she pushed her abilities, there would be times she couldn't control them. This display was specifically when she saw powerful visions of the future.

She hovered far up in the sky above Rustboro. It was pouring rain. There was no wind. It felt heavy. Rustboro was burning to the ground. Her vision zoomed in to see a large man slumped over something on the ground. A Masquerain - dead. Beyond him, another man in a suit stood emotionless. A Gorebyss and Huntail hovered on either side of this man. Her vision shot up toward the sky, past the clouds, into space. A Pokemon - unmistakably Jirachi. Her vision followed it back down until it was hovering above the man flanked by the Gorebyss and Huntail. He touched the Gorebyss and all four of them teleported away.

Her eyes dimmed and the glow around her faded and she fell to the ground - exhausted.

The week went by like it always had, though with the addition of Rai. Jerrek and Rowan welcomed him to their vacation and had him chase them through the forest and swim with them and jump off a nearby cliff into a deep pool. They ate and drank much. They slept at their leisure. They chatted and sat in silence to listened to the nature around them.

When the week came to a close and Forrest was packing up camp, Shaq-ti notified Forrest of someone approaching the camp - a young woman. Shaq-ti felt a twinge of unease but thought it was just due to the surprise as she looked innocent enough. Still, she alerted the rest of her teammates and they all instinctually moved closer to the camp.

Samantha. Samantha Kurin. Rai's sister he thought had died when they were children back in Olivine City. It took some time to convince Rai that this was, indeed Samantha - his sister. She revealed she had found him thanks to years of searching and the help of her Espeon that apparated from elsewhere. The reunion was quiet but certainly intense. Forrest made Jerrek and Rowan busy with something elsewhere so they could have the time to experience the existence of each other. Forrest was glad that Rai's broken family was a little less broken.

She convinced him to go with him to where she had made her home in Mauville City. The city had yet to be entirely restored, but she knew her home would be safe to go to. Rai thanked Forrest and Forrest gave Rai his contact information as a sign of friendship. They then teleported away.

It took a few moments for Forrest to recover from the experience. But he was soon finished with packing up camp and getting to the boat that would take them to Mauville as well.

Forrest's large brown boots seemed to pound against the tiled hallway floor. His fitted jeans zipped rapidly with his pace. The muscles under his short sleeve white shirt could be seen flexing rather erratically. His face was stern, determined, irritated. The Rangers moved out of his way when they realized he wasn't going to move for them.

It looked as if he tried to tear the door handle off the door as he swung it open. He took two steps into the office and stood straight up with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. His eyes bore into the Master General.

"Fucking bastard decided to show his ugly fucking face right after my vacation. I haven't even had a solid week at home for eight months, now. Where is he? I'm done playing his games."

"Whoa, Forrest, calm down a little. No need to be so fired up." The Master General raised his open hands and shook them a little. "I forgot it was your vacation week. I wouldn't have called you if I had remembered."

"Yeah, and have them pussy-foot around 'cause he's a fucking Fairfax? Fuck that. I'm going to parade his head around town and then bring it to you on a platter."

"Enough theatrics, Forrest!" the Master General's voice boomed louder than Forrest was shouting. "Calm the fuck down! You're acting like a child! Now sit!"

Forrest took a deep breath. His arms lifted to his chin as they were still pulled across his chest. His jaw clenched but he took the few steps to get into one of the chairs in front of the Master General. His nostrils flared as the tensions lowered.

"You're right, Forrest. I've been too precious with him because of his last name. That ends. I'm more furious than anyone that it took the destruction of Mauville for me to wake up to that. Mauville is my fault. I had him five years ago, but I let him go just because of his last name. He's going to pay for all the lives he took and ruined."

"What's the plan, Dick?"

"Raid Rustboro Wharf."

Forrest's brow rose and he kept quite for a couple moments. "He's in the Wharf?"

"Yup. That's his domain. The Fairfax's admitted that they don't control it anymore. But only one of my spies assigned to Jonton still lives."

"So I can raze it to the ground to find him?"

"You are under my orders to use whatever means and force necessary to bring him into custody either alive or dead. You also have clearance to use whatever means required to neutralize any and all threats that you come across."

"Hell fucking yes," Forrest said with a determination that was almost gleeful though his face remained stone still.

A couple moments passed until the Master General pushed up out of his seat. "Go, you fucker! I want that fucking bitch's head on my desk before sunrise tomorrow!"

Forrest nodded and quickly rose and almost started running out of the Rangers Headquarters and straight to the Wharf. Forrest remembered how it used to be called the Quay and was still referenced as such colloquially as he released all of his Pokemon. Due to his lack of discretion, he was soon recognized and people started to follow him. Children cried for his autograph or to ride on Antligon. Adults wanted to shake his hand and ask him questions. They were all fended off by his Pokemon, however. Additionally, Rangers started to make way for him so he wouldn't be disturbed.

"Mr. Aeros? What are you doing here?" Forrest asked once he reached the massive gate to the Rustboro Wharf. He stopped and leaned back on his foot and crossed his arms. He wore a wry smile and curled a brow. "Do you know what I know. Are we both here for the same reason?" he asked and tilted his head to one side.