How many kilometres, now...?

Crud. He hadn't kept proper count. Should he start over? Maybe he really should try investing on one of those newfangled 'smart phones' that were all the rage...

A worthless thought; he did not have the capital for such things.

For several uncounted miles now, the youth had run. Jogged, sprinted, leapt, climbed. If the plan had been cardio then it had certainly gone beyond it.

He was the Captain now. If his soldiers ran 10 kilometers a day, he had to run at least twice that, with twice the weight, in as uneven a terrain as possible. Anything to prove he was worthy of being their commander.

Specially given he was absolutely worthless as a soldier where it mattered.

His face burned, his lungs burned, his legs burned, but he did not dare stop; if your body hadn't given up on you then you were not at the point of needing rest just yet.

He jumped up to grab onto the edge of elevated ground, swinging himself atop it before breaking into a sprint through the woodland, leaping over tree roots and ducking under low branches.

In the distance, he saw it as he grew closer- a fissure running along the soil, cutting a wide enough gorge a thin river could run through it.

Breath puffing in and out, the youth's sprint quickened, arms swinging wildly as the fissure grew closer and closer.

He leapt. And even as he did, he felt his heart skip a beat, feeling from the way his feet almost gave out under him... He was not gonna make it.

"DAMN IT-!" His chest slammed against the other edge of the gorge, bouncing off it and falling madly into water below with a loud splash, back first.

It was shallow water. The wind was knocked out of his lungs, and he coughed roughly, feeling the shock of the landing spread through all of his body.

He laid there for a moment, staring at tree tops and what little blue sky peaked through them before rolling over with a rough series of coughs, attempting to kneel only to faceplant onto the water, his legs like jelly.

Panting heavily, the youth dragged himself over the shallow water until he made it to a shore.

He rolled onto his back and gasped once he made it there, taking deep, long breaths as he laid himself spread eagled, almost unable to move.

Still staring at the sky, the youth slowly dragged his gaze around him, not too keen on being caught off guard by some wild pokemon while he was like that.

He found no wild pokemon- but a small silhouette among the trees, he did saw, across the shallow river.

"What...?" He muttered, squinting at the silhouette... and seeing double. He almost puked then and there.

But that aside, he could have sworn he was familiar with that figure...

---

TAG: cait alfric

The silhouette came closer, twin figures in tow, and it quickly became clear why it had been so familiar.

It was Ms. Cait. Wearing The Shredder's claw, to boot.

"Think I hit my head too hard." He mumbled lowly, watching The Claw™ come worryingly close to his face and somehow managing to maintain a state of complete, dissonant serenity the entire time.

Fortunately, the good lady stopped and did away with the dangerous cosplay prop (because why else would a sweet lady like Cait be totting around something so dangerous looking) before she could add another scar to Doug's collection.

The youth leaned against her touch (did his best to try anyway) as she spoke a reassurance, her words more or less going in through one ear a garbled mess and coming out the other with not a single one registering.

That was probably bad. He really might have hit himself too hard.

Eventually, as the woman kindly wiped at his bruised face and neck, the youth's senses began to clear; almost as immediately as they did, Cait seemed to catch on. Was she used to dealing with the injured? Wouldn't surprise him if so.

Her words were rather soothing, her accent being so similar to his own. It gave him a sense of nostalgia.

"Ms. Cait." The youth finally managed to utter, somehow prioritizing acknowledging her over responding inquiries on his health. "It's nice to see ya again!"

He hadn't gone out on a run expecting to run into anyone he knew, specially not his oft impromptu theology teacher. It had been... Couple of months? Far too long, since he had seen her.

Was he hurt? His chest did hurt, but he didn't think it was anything serious. He had felt much worse before anyway. So he simply laughed, his chest seizing into coughs shortly after.

"N- Nah. I'll be fine. Don't think I broke anythin'." He said, wiggling his torso uncomfortably. Yup, everything was still in place. He grinned up at her. "Sorry to crash without callin'! Wasn't expectin' to run into anyone out'ere! Any thing, either."

He had been wrong on both counts.

"What'cha doin' out 'ere, Ms. Cait?" He asked after a moment. He chuckled. "Not waitin' for me to faceplant, I hope."

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TAG: cait alfric

"Yes, ma'am." He said as she looked over his bruised figure with a critical eye, glad to have worn his undershirt. He suspected he would never hear the end of it if she got a peak at the thing in his chest. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I was wonderin' how ya were doin', with all that's been goin' on."

The Rockets declaring themselves to be back had thrown the youth's life for a loop. Had it messed with Cait's as well?

Her analysis over, Dr. Alfric gave her expert opinion.

"Darn. Guess I ain't skipping out on Hoenn's most recent mess." He managed to chuckle out. "Back to work it is."

With those words said, the youth forced himself to lurch forward onto a sitting position, rubbing his chest gingerly as he breathed in slowly, before turning himself where he sat to look at Cait, eyeing her with palpable curiosity.

"Trainin'?" He asked. "What, like yer Weaviles?"

No, as it turned out.

Like her Shredder™'s Claws.

Doug eyed the things with wide open eyes, looking between it, and Cait.

"Excuse me, what?" Doug uttered, looking completely bewildered as Cait managed to draw blood out of her own finger with that thing- with absolute ease.

That thing was real.

He associated Cait with many things; peace of mind, a soothing voice, religion, Arceus, kindness.

Ninjutsu was not one of them. Not bladed weapons either; not weapons at all, as a matter of fact.

How much did he even know about Cait again...?

Other than her name, family history, and some details, not a terrible lot. Not terribly in depth, either...

"... Why?" He asked, genuinely curious. Cait truly did not strike him as the kind of woman who go out armed with a glock 'just in case'- much less The Claw™.

There had to be a reason.

If he wanted his questions answered however, he supposed it was only fair that he return the gesture.

"I'm trainin', too. Daily routine, ya know?" He said, before flushing slightly. "Er, running, I mean."

Not the whole crashing and splashing part. Considering his goal had been to outdo the soldiers at camp and prove he was worthy of being their superior despite his age, but had somehow ended up being helped and treated to by a woman he usually needed to think twice before speaking to so he wouldn't call her mom...

He sighed.

"Those people are back, so... A soldier's got to be at its best." He was not doing terribly well on that front.

---

TAG: cait alfric

"Yes." He said, brow shifting low, mood immediately turning for the worse.

Rocket was a cancer. The longer it was allowed to roam free, the worse it became. Untreatable in Kanto now that it had taken over- or at least, so the world seemed to think, seeinghow unwilling to do anything it appeared to be.

But it had chosen to reveal itself in Hoenn; there was a chance now.

But of course, even before they revealed themselves they had already left injury on Hoenn.

And as it turned out, on Cait.

Pupils narrowed. Teeth crashed together. Hands clawed the earth, digging until soil and grass gave way.

The youth's brow had sunk low enough it almost seemed to merged with the white of his eyes, twisting tautly until the veins running on his forehead and jaw began to show.

Of course she would arm herself. Of course she would train. She had been made to hurt and suffer by them- permanently, by the sound of it.

What else could she do? Forgive and forget?

The youth's temper made his chest rise and fall quickly, the veins running along his arms tremble, his gaze almost turn red- but there was nothing to throw his anger at here.

And what would a crap soldier who couldn't shoot dummies in the head do to real, live people anyway?

He felt himself slowly deflate, his anger abandoning him in the face of that though- of the that memory.

He was all bluster.

"Yes... Yes, I... I'm so sorry it happened to you." He said, lowering his gaze to his lap. He didn't know what they had done. But still. His brow curled again, much more weakly, and his hands squeezed the soil. "I'm so sorry I can't do anything."

He couldn't find those responsible, nor even make vague promises as to what he would do if he did. He was bloody useless.

He grit his teeth, before shaking his head sharply.

He couldn't make it about himself. Forcing himself to meet her gaze as well, the youth brought his hands to his knees, squeezing them.

"S- so... What are you going to do?" He said, looking at her weapon. "Do you have a..."

He paused, brow furrowing in thought.

"Training plan?" He said after a moment, uncertain if that was the right word. He glanced at the duo of Weaviles accompanying her, growing somewhat worried.

She wasn't planning to spar with her pokemon, was she?

---

TAG: cait alfric

He hated waiting. Being stubborn did nothing to alleviate it frustration, however.

As the subject changed to her training, his gaze followed her own, fixing unto her weapon as she spoke.

"That makes sense." The youth said as he curled his legs under him, gripping at his ankles. His brow furrowed in thought. "Do you have a sparring partner?"

His gaze shifted towards her pokemon.

"That is, an adult sized one, rather?" He said after a moment, scratching at the back of his head.

Not only were the two pokemon severely more capable than most humans could ever hope to be- they were also much smaller. They would not be good opponents, if the woman's desire was to defend from human assailants.

After a moment, he offered a tentative smile.

"I, uh. I've been training with noah faber and Thomas Benoit for a while now, if ya need one!" He said; Noah could more or less be considered single-handedly responsible for the youth's late growth spurt and new bulk.

He laughed a moment later when she narrowed her eyes at him, a nervous energy in him becoming more apparent as he looked away and pushed his index fingers together.

"I'm really sorry. With all that's been happenin', I've, uh... been trippin' down a lotta rivers lately." He admitted. Wasn't the first time he nearly injured himself training this week, wouldn't be the last either. "Haven't been keepin' up with friends at all. The League and the military both've been on edge."

It had been a good while since he had mentored or even seen Hideo Kino. Not much thought had been spared for his other friends either. He had been... focused.

"Maybe we can schedule something now?" He offered tentatively. He would have even less time in the near future- for Cait or any of his friends. Perhaps he should make an effort now to enjoy their company, before he became trapped within his newest office.

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TAG: cait alfric

"I'm available now." He said, offering a tentative smile as he scratched at the back of his head.

He had delegated all the tasks that he could back at base, and his studies could wait until the night... An all nighter wouldn't kill him.

The Charja-Cola might though.

Now aware of more or less how Cait lived, the youth was reminded heavily of his father's farm- if on a much larger scale. Ms. Cait must've had a vast amount of pokemon to run such operations; the logistics of it all must have been a nightmare to account for.

"I didn't know ya ran somethin' like a farm, Ms. Cait! Let me know if ya ever need help- I used to live in one, so I know a thin' or two!" He said, grinning as he leaned forward. "Never eaten anythin' m'pokemon caught- but then, only Kama really hunts... and she don't share much."

He doubted could find anything brutalized by that butcher of a Scyther all that appetizing anyway.

As Cait's gaze swept over his body analytically, the youth couldn't help but flush slightly, feeling his body tense on reflex.

"Uh... Last two. I haven't really gotten into scraps with m'pokemon yet- though I did find a promisin' Machop recently." He said, scratching at his chin in thought.

Little Cobra Jr. was already an expert practitioner of most martial arts in the world; once he evolved, he would probably be an excellent sparring partner and teacher.

"But as for what I've actually done- We were trained in CQC when I joined the army during bootcamp, and the drill sergeant kept at it for a good while, too." Despite the pains that man put him through, he remembered him rather fondly.

Probably because he hadn't seen his angry, red, screaming face in a while.

"After I became a 2nd lieutenant though, training sorta became my own responsibility- I had already been a regular at noah faber's gym for a couple o' months by then, though." He said, remembering his first meeting with the man; he had sought him out only a couple of days after enlisting.

The first days of bootcamp had been hellish to a malnourished youth like him- he had realized quite quickly that he needed help.

"He taught me 'bout muscle buildin'- both the dieting and the exercise parts, and he's still teachin' me Mixed Martial Arts to better my CQC. He pretty much introduces me to the mat every mornin'." He said in a mutter, reaching over to rub at his shoulder as he said this.

He and the mat were well acquainted fellows at this point. He was asking the mat about how its wife was doing these days; a little humor to disperse the pain on whatever body part he landed on hardest.

"We had been trained in shootin' back at Bootcamp- and I was quite good at it. M'pops taught me how to use a hunting rifle when I was a kid, ya know?" He said, lip curling slightly at the memory. Not that it wasn't a fond one, but he didn't like thinking about those times anymore. "But I, uh... hit a big slump after a mission involving Megalopolans in the desert. It all went fine, but..."

He had gotten some Megalopolan brain matter splattered across his face, courtesy of Andy Blackadder.

"After that mission, I couldn't hit the manikin targets' heads anymore." He said, "Or handle the sight of blood, really."

Not ideal, when you were a soldier.

"My superior officer... for some reason he was always helpin' me out- So he gave me a letter and sent me to introduce m'self to Thomas Benoit."

And that... Was quite the meeting.

"I was... kinda excited, ya know?" He said with a laugh. "Mr. Benoit was really kind to us Kanto refugees; if it weren't for his foundation, m'pops, a crops farmer without land, and m'mom, a music teacher without 'er piano, wouldn't have ever managed to find their footing in Hoenn."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Sorry, gettin' off track. So, uh-" He said, gripping at his chin. "Noah trained me for advanced Self-defense- ya know, grapple with the best of 'em, proper form, incapacitate and run, such things. Mr. Benoit... trained me to snap an arm and a leg at the same time."

Among other things.

"He taught me many things... very ugly, but necessary things." He said, his jaw tightening. "These days... I can handle blood."

And much worse as well, as his young friends could attest.

"I'm back on top o' m'game at shootin', too." He said, before biting onto the corner of his lip. "Though... I've yet to kill anyone."

Shooting most pokemon was easy; you didn't expect them to be too hurt by it, compared to the crap they went through on a league sanctioned match.

People, though? They were extremely fragile. Doug preferred incapacitating with his pokemon or fists, and so far, it had worked.

But who knew for how long.

---

TAG: cait alfric

"Me too." The youth said somberly, brow sinking low as his jaw muscles grew taut.

It was too late for him to protect his family, but he would fight his hardest against Rocket nonetheless. Cold fury could be a motivator on its own.

He snorted along with Cait herself at her words.

"Just gonna have to deal with 'em bastards quickly, huh?" He said with a toothy, grit smirk, his finger joints popping audibly as he squeezed tightly at his knees once again.

His expression melted away as Cait as she stood up, bagging her weapons and delaying the training in favour of inviting him into her home. Curiosity appearing over his face, the youth slapped his hands atop his thighs before leaping to his feet, doing a few experimental stretches with his hips and arms before deciding that he was good to walk.

"Oh, sure! Huh. Sure is lucky I stumbled 'fore I wandered into your home, huh?" He said while scratching his chin, grinning at his... good luck? Yeah, good luck. Any further and he might've been mauled. That would been mortifying for both of them, he would bet.

"Let's not delay yer trainin' much for me though, eh? I wanna help out, not hold ya back." He said with a laugh, scratching at the back of his head. "I definitely could use somethin' to eat though... forgot to breakfast this morning."

Well, that wasn't quite right. He went with the Zac Ramsay Special. His stomach was doing surprisingly well, considering he had essentially fueled it by dumping battery acid on it.

As they began making their way through the forest towards her homestead, the youth recalled something the woman had said once before, when they saw each other at an Arceus Church- rather, her tone and expression when she had said.

"Say, Ms. Cait. Sorry 'bout the random question but... Why were you against the AQUA Initiative?" He asked innocently, scratching at his chin. He didn't care for AQUA much- he would have made use of the resources it granted if he became an avatar without a second thought, but he didn't have anything for or against it on a personal level.

He was already a dog of the state, after all. His contract with the army still had 5 years on it, and there was no cancelling it.

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TAG: cait alfric