The Officer's pencil hovered over the open notebook, his gaze on the door. One knock, two knocks, three knocks... Soldiers only knocked once.

Placing the pencil within the notebook and closing it, the youth moved it into a drawer, organizing the rest of his desk top before bringing his hands together.

"Enter." He said.

His excess sympathy and practiced stoicism did him well in the next few moments. The person who walked inside was not easy on the eyes- not anymore, at any rate.

Still, the youth recognized deliberate scarring when he saw it. His digits squeezed his palms together tightly.

"I must apologize." He said, diction proper for once, but unable to mask its Viridian inflection. "I had not been informed of any meetings today."

His hands spreading over the length of the desk, he stood up, moving them behind his back.

"I am Captain Douglas; I welcome you to my installations, Ma'am." He said, before tilting his slightly in askance. "Do you have any business with me?"

---

TAG: Calliope Marks

Stepping inside, Calliope kept her gaze unwavering on John Sullivan. When he stood and introduced himself, her hand was offered to shake; her right hand, mostly untouched, as she had found that people didn't like the oddly smooth skin of the scarring on her left. Her face was stoic but not unkind as she took the other in.

"I apologize for disturbing you. I heard rumors you were from Kanto." Her own voice was smooth and warm, kept soft and low, with a surprisingly gentle cadence. There was no fear or shyness there, just a quiet grace in spite of her appearance. The hint of her own Celadon twang was present, something she didn't bother to hide or try and smooth over.

"Calliope. Lovely to meet you, Captain Douglas."

"Word travels fast." He said, clicking his tongue.

Had the public dug out that much already? There would be no point in hiding away in his office soon.

She was Kantonian as well; he could hear in her own dulcet tones, a wave of pleasant nostalgia washing over him.

But why did she care? Ironic as it sounded, kantonians were a dime a dozen in Hoenn. Was there a reason-?

"Pardon?" The youth said, moments after she spoke her name. His thoughts had tripped over one another as soon as long unused memories were pulled out of and dusted from the archives.

His gaze grew more alert- and more invasive.

She was unrecognizable to him. Trying to focus on what little of her skin was unmarred was a meaningless effort; his gaze was drawn to the burns like the proverbial moth was to the flames.

Was he jumping to conclusions...?

"... Not that Calliope, surely." He said, bringing his black gaze to hers. "That woman is dead."

---

TAG: Calliope Marks

Her lips twitched, once, as if her face couldn't decide to pull into a smile or a grimace before smoothing back out. If John Sullivan thought it out, pulled from his memories of TV appearances he might be able to see where her old self could overlap with who she was now. It wasn't so far fetched to imagine.

Stepping forward, Calliope pulled out one of the spare seats and sat down before she spoke again.

"Many people think that, yes."

More a confirmation than a denial but not a direct one. Crossing her hands delicately in her lap, Calliope would keep her eyes on him, calm if not a bit empty.

"You're so young. You must be very skilled to have already become a Gym Leader." For a moment, her chest would puff up with something like pride. Kantonian excellence. Then it would be gone, muted again, only something soft and wistful left in her eye.

"They made sure we all knew." He said darkly in response as he turned his gaze down, eyes obscured by his cap.

They had already lost the war when the execution of the Kantonian people's beloved champion was declared. With that single declaration, a devastating blow had been delivered to the morale of the few forces yet to surrender.

He had heard the news through a radio; he, a group of refugees and some freedom fighters had been in the back of several trucks making their way down route 26 by then.

It had been a bloody path to freedom. The Rockets had known it to be the only way out of Kanto for those who couldn't afford better means.

"But... I must admit nothing about the way they handled it was normal for Rocket." He said, slowly lifting his gaze back to the woman before him, appraising her once more.

The monstrous team rocket, known for making examples out of its own members, let alone its enemies, had chosen not to publicly execute the Champion of the people. They had refused to televise, narrate or even deliver photos of the event.

They had not even showcased a mutilated corpse to the public in the aftermath; no body, no photos. Nothing.

With that in mind, he could not simply dismiss her words. Specially not when the longer he stared at her, the more did he began to see the woman she claimed to be.

"I still don't understand why you are here." He said after a moment.

Why come seeking him out? Sure, he was a Kantonian Gym Leader- but so was FERNANDO SILPH.

He tried not to let it get to his head when her praise came; he still couldn't be sure she was who she claimed.

A deep satisfaction managed to bloom in his chest all the same; when an idol praised you, you could be either proud or bashful.

He had not been shy a single day of his life.

"I like to think so." He admitted with a tentative smile. He didn't want to be the kind of fool whom one could control through praise, but the longer he was in her presence, the more certain he became of her identity.

Hopefully it was not mere wishfulness.

He shook away his inflating ego with a firm shake of his head, moving to take his seat across from her now that she had as well.

"Might I inquire on how you made it here?" He said, bringing his hands together atop the desk.

How was the supposedly dead Champion here, in Hoenn, thousands of miles away from Kanto?

His expression grew softer, more sad next, his hands squeezing tightly.

"And... May I ask why you decided to come to a land infested with Rockets, too?"

TAG: Calliope Marks

"Curiosity." For the immediate, for why she was here in this office, right now, with John Sullivan. Unlike FERNANDO SILPH who was public knowledge, other than fleeting rumors, which might not have even been true, she was curious what the supposed Kanto Gym Leader is Mauville was like. Deeper down, squirming and ugly, if she had recognized him from Kanto's takeover.... it would not have ended well for anyone. Thankfully, neither of them had to worry about that.

The next series of questions was harder to explain so she took her time, tried to parse together what she could.

"I was kept as a trophy." It was the simplest way to describe it, exactly where she had been and what she had been up to. She wasn't the only high-profile Kantonian to be kept like a prize just perhaps the one that Rocket had made sure everyone thought was a goner. "There are spies inside of Rocket, from what I could gather- they got me out. Took me to Johto to recover." She wondered if they were okay, the men and women who risked their lives for her.

"After I was mostly recovered, I took a plane." Her lips quirked up a bit, for a moment, a crumb dry humor leaking into her. It was quickly snuffed out.

"Rocket will pay for what they did to us." As for her reasoning. Even if Calliope was more broken than before and not as she was, the pure rage and steel from her war efforts, the brave war hero that backed her people, it had never been taken from her in her captivity. If anything, Rocket had only forged her into something deadlier. Something they would learn the regret.

Sometimes curiosity alone was enough.

"Hope you were not too disappointed." The youth said with a smile, leaning back onto his chair. He doubted he cut too impressive a sight for the former champion, an actual war veteran.

Her next few answers could sadly not be taken as lightly.

The young man's head tilted forward slightly to further obscure his sight, his hands squeezing one another tightly.

Kanto's Champion, a trophy. How very Rocket of them, to kick the people while they were down and practically dead in the dirt, in a way most of them would never even know.

Her next words, however... they made his gaze snap back up to her, wide and sharp.

He had suspected it- all the Kantonians outside of Kanto had, at one point, even if they knew better than to truly embrace the idea.

Resistance. Something, anything that proved the people of Kanto hadn't completely surrendered to their overlords.

The youth managed a quirk of the lips at her attempt at humor, though not much more. Her circumstances were much too grave to attempt to lighten the mood.

Her story came to an end with a promise of vengeance. He would have echoed it eagerly a few months ago. Now, he simply sighed, reaching over to rub his temples, the subject merely bringing him frustration.

"I wonder when, sometimes." The young man said after a moment, sighing softly. "The world at large seems content to allow Rocket to continue to do as it pleases."

He didn't comprehend it. A sovereign nation had been taken over by terrorists, whom had launched not one, not two, but three public attempts at further take overs of other nations in less than 10 years.

And yet the rest of the nations of the world had done nothing. It was almost like they wanted to wait until the problem got big enough it could threaten everything around it.

Commissioner dahlia goode's see nothing, hear nothing, do nothing policy during the Rocket's time underground pretending to be dead on Hoenn's waters demonstrated exactly the kind of thing that allowed them to thrive. A borderline nonsensical, self-destructive unwillingness to do anything.

Sighing at the thought, the youth shook his head. He didn't want to get onto the subject of Rockets just yet. He corrected his posture, asking.

"How are you handling yourself now?" He asked tentatively. Her throne was broken; whatever assets she might have had were likely still in Kanto, unless she had been storing them offshore from the beginning. "Are you well off?"

He paused.

"Do you need any help at all settling in?" He said. She was a former champion, and the League was looking for capable trainers now more than ever. With whatever influence he could pull on, he was certain he could assist her, should she seek a job in their state.

Even if not, he still had more connections on Hoenn, presumably. He would do whatever it took to help her settle in properly.

"Ah... Where's my manners? Would you like something to drink?" He asked the woman, slipping a pokeball from his sleeve and letting it roll to the floor, a Blissey appearing in a flash of light.

A military nurse and maid pokemon, by her cute little uniform.

TAG: Calliope Marks

"Most people lack true ambition." Was said, quiet, at the remark on how no one seemed to be actively fighting. She offered no further explanation than that. While John Sullivan had seen the brutality of it, as a civilian at the time, Calliope had seen the disheartening side of the government. The cowards who held up plans and wrung their hands, too scared to take action but also blocking the actions of people like her, those who were willing.

People were self centered, at the end of the day. It took a special breed to be willing to claw your way out of that mindset and those limitations. She hoped, dearly, that this young man hadn't already had that will crushed out of him thanks to incompetence or selfishness from his superiors.

But, that was something she wasn't too keen on talking about right now.

"Just a water, if you would be so kind." She nodded to the Blissey, gave the pokemon a fond look before turning back to Doug to answer his questions.

"I've been provided a.... 'Hero's Stipend' from the Johto League. I'll be fine for now." A small pause, as if thinking. "I am, however, looking for a small home." Somewhere quiet. She was one woman and didn't need much. Having only been in Hoenn for a short time, most of her traveling around had seen her spending the nights in hotels and the like. Maybe, when she was feeling more able, she could try and camp. In all technicalities, she was homeless.

"Most people lack guts." Grumbled the youth in agreement.

The Blissey smiled at Calliope kindly and bowed before moving to fetch her water, her stubby steps carrying her out of the office momentarily.

For his part, Doug tipped his head in understanding. He wouldn't have thought Johto's government to be so giving to a Kantonian hero, but thankfully it seemed whoever was at the helm had a good head in their shoulders.

"A home..." He muttered as he leaned back, rubbing his chin. "I was given a few apartments within Mauville City for my'self and the family, but my grandpa is the only one using 'em."

Doug slept at the base, like all soldiers, and his Grandpa was only one man. Any other family was comfy in a casket.

"If you wish, we could go take a look at 'em." He offered. "They are not 'small' per say, but they've quite a few fancy commodities- and despite being in a metropolis, quite silent."

A needed feature precisely because they were within a closed off metropolis.

"I can lend it, rent it, sell it- whichever's convenient." He said, scratching at his chin.

TAG: Calliope Marks

Callie was, for the moment, a little unsure how to proceed.

What John Sullivan was offering her was a great kindness. To have access to a place to settle down, without having to go through most troubles, would be wonderful. In her passing through it, she found she liked Mauville. Having grown up in Celadon the city had a similar atmosphere. It wasn't exactly the same, didn't have the small side streets and hole-in-the-wall places to grab food, but it would have to be good enough.

At the same time, she didn't want to infringe on Doug. There were a lot of very positive things she could already see about him and what kind of man he would be. Was he so generous with others? Would someone, eventually, take advantage of him? Would she be doing so if she accepted his offer.

"You're very kind."

Is what she finally answered. Another small pause and now a slightly wider smile spreads on her face, delicate like spun sugar.

"I'll... I'd be happy to look at them, if you're willing. I wouldn't feel right just... taking it, though."

"You can pay, then. Rent or buy; I'll speak to the real state agent who handles them and get back to you. Would that be fine?" He said simply.

He didn't consider himself particularly kind; not for this. He was offering a woman he greatly admired something given to him for free that he didn't truly need- at a price. If anything, he felt filthy at the thought of taking Calliope's money.

But he could also understand where she was coming from- he wouldn't fight her on it.

A moment later, the door opened and in walked the blissey, the sound of squealing wheels informing of the beverage trolley she was pushing.

She brought it be besides the Captain's desk, before grasping a cup and filling it up with water with a measure of grace despite her stubby, thumbless hands, before handing it to Calliope, bowing politely.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. The All-nighter for me." He said simply, to which the nurse gave him a soft, disapproving look, before moodily reaching into the tray and popping up a mini-fridge.

Several cans of Dr. Pika filled half the fridge, and several cans of Charja-Cola filled the other. Sighing, the poor nurse grasped the one shaped like a little bug, before slinging gently at the youth, who caught it in one hand, popped it open, and then downed it in one swig, in a maneuver that looked straight out of Zac Ramsay's commercials.

If Calliope looked carefully- she would notice that it was just his cap casting a shadow on his face- the eye-bags were running deep.

'The All-nighter', huh?

"That's better!" He said with a measure of cheerfulness as he felt the poison- er, secret ingredient kick in, goosebumps spreading all over his skin before he chucked the can over his shoulder with practiced precision, landing it directly outside of the trash can alongside the rest of them, prompting them the Blissey to rush and put it inside.

And just like that, the youth was back in business.

"Do you have any plans for what you'll be doing from here on out?" The youth asked, tilting his head.

TAG: Calliope Marks

The cup is taken with gentle fingers, a small sip kicked back as Callie watches the show. The housing can be talked about later.

A brow raised at the Charja-Cola cans. Hadn't her dad used that stuff to get rust off of his equipment?

The whole display did quirk another small grin on her lips if only for a few moments. John Sullivan was... endearing. There wasn't too many people that Callie was familiar with in Hoenn. If it wouldn't have been presumptuous of her, she wondered if the young man would allow her to impose a bit of her presence on him.

He clearly needed it a bit, judging by the lack of sleep and that he was rust-removing his insides.

"I would like to catch a few pokemon to raise. Maybe explore the region."

It was an old pain. At least she knew what happened to her old pokemon. They weren't suffering. She missed Rattle every day, the Marowak had been her first pokemon when she started her journey and the strongest one she had. Her 'signature' pokemon, who appeared on TV and in commercials with her the rare times she took advertising deals.

It wouldn't be the same without him.

Yet, she was sure that she could raise strong pokemon in his memory.

He simply smiles at her tilted brow. Perhaps one day she would see him at work and understand why borderline acid had become a regular part of his diet.

"Understandable." He said while nodding, producing his PokeNav and beginning to sort through its contents. Slow and clumsy, his unfamiliarity with the technology was clear.

"As luck would have it, Hoenn is an inexplicably varied ecosystem. You can find just about every species you can think of- invasive species find their footholds pretty easily." He said, pressing a couple of buttons once more before finally rotating the PokeNav towards her.

He leaned forward and brought a hand over the other, gesturing towards his Blissey with his head.

"These are a few areas where pokemon commonly found in Kanto are known to reside in relatively large numbers." He said, cupping his chin. "I figured you might want to start your search there."

Given the state of Hoenn, it was best to quickly build up her strength. With a flick of his finger, the map zoomed into the local Safari Zone, displaying an image of a Dratini as it did.

"Recently, large numbers of Dratini have been sighted within the Safari zone." He said. A Dragonite was a pretty strong, iconic pokemon to Kantonians. "I was thinking of going there soon to get one of my own."

His earlier obsession with utilizing insects only had no place when the situation of Hoenn was as dire as it was these days, even if his preference remained. A dragonite was a powerful pokemon, and if there was anything he needed, it was power.

"Perhaps we could go together?" He offered after a moment. "I've been gathering pokemon myself recently. Company makes things easier, I've found."

TAG: Calliope Marks