Chu-e may have had to stop at least once or twice to catch his breath but that was here nor there. Otherwise, it wasn't too bad. He did have the absolute audacity to try and pat the Gengar on the head at one point, like one might ruffle a kid's hair, but that was really the most interesting thing to happen. Since Cait didn't seem interested in talking to him any more, he kept himself busy by taking in the sights. This place still looked rough... but not nearly as bad as it had been before.

He kind of just idled as the young woman took care of business, examining his nails and wondering if it was time for a cut. It was only when the conversation seemed to be wrapping up that he stepped forward, shrugging off the portly man's agitation at dealing with him in much the same way he had dealt with Cait's earlier. He just simply seemed not to care.

"Shame. I think you've got a better bite to you." And he did not hesitate to side eye the officer, showing what he may have thought of the man in comparison to the ranger in that moment. Antagonizing him probably wasn't a good idea, but so had been giving her both his IDs. If he had really wanted to hide that badly, he could have just given her the false one alone and spun some sob story about getting wounded in the line of battle or something. He used to be pretty good at lying.

Speaking of...

"Before you leave, why not call Sinnoh right now? We're in an official area with official equipment... I'll even be a good boy and be quiet till you get someone you trust on the line." And he crossed his arms at that, a small challenge to her like earlier. His eyes were harsh again, not with any malice or anger but with a brimming confidence. He only broke it off to turn his sharp gaze on the officer. "You got a secure place in the back? You never know who might hear out here."

"I'd rather sleep in a bed of my own choosing. I also wanna see if you look like you swallowed a lemon."

When they were in the backroom, he sat down heavily in one of the chairs with only a slight groan. He offered a brief grin to the Gengar, as if to reassure it he was fine. A soft sigh and he tilted his head back, eyes closed for a few moments. He snorted softly at her words, though.

"I wish it was an exciting as that." His eyes cracked open and he stared into the space above them, something solemn catching on his features. "It was mostly a lot of doing bad and not being able to stop it." A quiet measure of his words then. "It makes you feel bad for some of them, too." That was probably something she... might not like to hear. "Rocket is violent and terrible. But for every person who likes seeing blood you got five who were just doing what they had to do to get by in their own messed up way."

Ah, maybe he was feeling... well, for some reason he thought he might like Cait. Even if she had arrested him. Maybe that made him chattier than usual. At the same time his eyes were faraway, some place else, another time.

"One of the Grunts under me in Kanto. She was barely eighteen. Got knocked up and her parents disowned her or some shit. Kicked her out. Public assistance is kinda... shitty, ya know? It helps but there's a lot of needy people and not enough money and the people in charge are worn thin and can only take so much. She was a dancer at this club but it wasn't enough. So her options, to keep her kid fed and roofed and pay for babysitting, was she could turn tricks for the customers. Or she could make a tiny sum by making sure crates of pokeballs made it where they needed to be, turn a blind eye to what was happening. She wasn't a bad person. Just... desperate. But once Rocket has it's claws in you, they own you. She tried to run when stuff started to get hot. They used her and the kid as an example of disobedience."

And it's quiet quiet quiet and he pulls his arm over his eyes, face twisted into something terrible underneath, hiding whatever was there. Whatever little raw piece of himself he dared to let show for just a moment. Even if Cait would respond or ask or talk, he wouldn't hear it, a ringing in his ears loud. Cait could press and poke and prod at however many people she wished until she got transferred to the appropriate office.

"Morick Reyes, Head of Intelligence." The man was clean cut and proper, eyes hard in the call. He didn't look that much older than either of them but there was a sharpness about him that spoke more than word could. He met Cait's eyes before they glanced to the side, finding Chu-e, and his expression morphed into one of exasperation and anger. "Choi. Why aren't you in Kalos right now?" They were familiar, at least.

"I slept walked, I guess." He didn't uncover his face but seemed calmer now.

"I see." And he moved his eyes back to Cait with the look of a man who was very done dealing with whatever shenanigans he did on a daily basis. "I take it you apprehended him?"

Morick sighed, already knowing this wouldn't be an easy call. "He does. Choi was in Kanto already at the time and willing." Morick listened to her words and his face was all business again, unlike with his momentary lapse earlier. However, before he could respond, Chu-s surged to his feet and slams fist against the wall.

"I didn't have shit to do with Slateport! Don't put that on me, Alfric! I didn't even get to Hoenn until three months after that was over! I didn't want to come to another Region and watch it crumble like Kanto did!" Any all those carefully hidden emotions burst forward, fury and hurt clean on his face as he snarls. There is a remnant of what he used to be there, of a man who could once do great cruelty for his cause. But then it was gone, a hacking cough making his double over until he managed to collapse backwards on his chair again. All the fight drained out of him.

It was quiet for a long moment before Morick spoke up again.

"... what he says it true. Choi was wounded in a bombing two months before Slateport was invaded and did not recover until roughly three months after. I can assure you that Hoenn knew he was coming, but..." He made a face. "You know there was a lot of political upheaval. If you want it, give me time and I can dig up the paperwork. But, shortly after Choi arrived the situation complicated and he was compromised."

"Blackwell didn't like me." Chu-e cuts in. "I think he saw through my shit right away. I stopped getting information. Left on my own without a squad. No backup when I needed it. No money. I was cut off. Then he sent me on a long boat trip we both figured I wouldn't come back from." He smiles and it's like acid. "Don't be too hard on Lumiose. They did what they could with the pieces of me they could find."

"... Yes. Well." And Morick turned back to Cait. "Alfric. As far as Rocket is concerned, 'Chu-e Choi' is dead. Choi is was ordered not to set foot on Hoenn or Kanto soil for his own safety." He glanced sternly over at the dark haired man. "We can both see where that ended up. You're free to send him back to us or even arrest him. I will leave that in your jurisdiction." A sigh. "... but he's stubborn and stupider than he thinks he is. He'll end up right where you don't want him. My best advice is to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

Reyes nodded to her when she answered. "Good luck, Miss Alfric. If you ever need anything, you know that Sinnoh will do what we can to stand by Hoenn." And a click and he was gone.

Chu-e was silent as he was more or less shuffled from the back to the front, then outside. He felt old and tired and like he might fall apart. From the way the officer in the front looked at him, he probably looked like it, too. Later, if he ever saw this woman again like he so planned, he would need to remember to thank her pokemon for being so gentle with him. For being kind to him. Vindicated or not, he didn't really deserve it.

"I just want to see if my husband is still here somewhere, Alfric." He gripped his bag tight in his fists before he started to open it. "I get confused a lot. Don't let any false bravado from the harbor fool you- I didn't mean to show you both IDs. I do stuff like that more now."

Pulling out an old receipt and a cheap pen, he did his best to bare on his hand and scribble something down. He offered the paper to her, a phone number written in shaky writing. "My number." He then leaned in a little, lowered his voice for her ears only. "Be careful. My information is two years out of date but... it was bad. I'm technically just a civilian now..." Pulled back, shook his head. "Never mind. I can't do shit like I am. Wishful thinking on my part."

"I'm going to go pass out in a cheap motel and then head to Mossadeep. Remember you owe me a steak."

And then he turned and wandered off.