Reports can be skewed, just as accounts can be fabricated. It was why, even during a battle of such biting intensity, there were many civilians the councilwoman simply glazed over.
[break][break]


Was it a shame they'd been dragged along into the conflict? Sure. But other than increasing security around the rifts, there wasn't much more to do or say. They'd been compensated, of course, but nothing more than a simple endorsement and check.
[break][break]


Except for one.
[break][break]


Michael Navidson .
[break][break]


The name was unfamiliar to her, but talks with Melody Miro had stirred enough interest to look beyond that.
[break][break]


It was why, upon his arrival, Penelope stood up from her desk chair and greeted the officer with a smile.
[break][break]


"Glad to see you could make it. Please,"
[break][break]


she gestured toward the cushioned chair set along the opposite side of her carved oak desk. Then she sat back down.
[break][break]


"Hope it wasn't too much asking you all the way over here. If you need accommodations back to your place, let me know and we'll be happy to help."
[break][break]


A pause.
[break][break]


"I wanted to ask about ULTRA DEEP SEA, if that's alright with you.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Leaning the crutches against the wall, he hobbles to the seat. Even in this state, he looks poised to strike. Gunmetal eyes scan the room, wondering what stories they will tell about this person. People have a habit of leaving little traces about themselves in every corner of spaces they inhabit, fragments of sentences of short stories about the greater whole of their lives.[break][break]

“I’ll be fine, don’t mind driving and taking the ferries. Helps me clear my head.” Truth be told, unless he flies on his Skarmory or Flygon, a trip to the League’s an all day affair. His truck’s a quiet place of meditation. It’s why he’s so annoyed Tsubaki decided to torch it in the opening salvos of the battle.[break][break]

When the subject turns to the Ultra Deep Sea, there’s tension at the edge of his lips, the corner of his eyes. It’s as if he expects a fight, if not from her than the forces of the universe itself. To him that place is all the evil of the world beaten into the shape of rocky caverns and crystalline aquamarine stone. People lost their lives and their humanity in the caves under Dewford.[break][break]

“Sure, I don’t mind.” He says with practiced ease. He’s used to being interviewed by authority figures. Cops, mostly. What’s a councilwoman if not an authority figure that climbed all the way to the top of the ladder?[break][break]

“Don’t know what I can tell you that your eggheads—er, scientists can’t. I just spent a day straight beating the tar out of Rockets. By all means though, Miss Livy. Pick my brain.”




[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The office of PENELOPE LIVY was more ordinary than one would expect. Following a more modern aesthetic, it looked no different than what one would find while flipping through a magazine, with the only difference found in the smallest little details. A trash can filled to the brim with crushes energy drinks; a photo of herself and a younger woman of striking resemblance; a small clutter of misused sticky notes piling beside her workplace.
[Break][break]
Each detail foretold a small story of the councilwoman.
[Break][break]
"No need for the modesty. From our reports, it looks like you spent quite some time helping our own. Melody Miro , Laurence Anderson , kyle lopez - just to name a few."
[Break][break]
A brilliant smile marked her expression. She looked back at the officer with bright eyes, nodding along as she continued.
[Break][break]
"You did some amazing work."
[Break][break]
She gave a second, allowing these words to sink in before continuing again.
[Break][break]
"Can you tell me a bit about your experience? How you ended up fighting within the realm, your experience fighting against rocket..."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Arceus, that smile. No wonder she’s put in front of cameras so often. That smile puts moonlight to shame.[break][break]
Navy catches himself before his jaw hits the floor, keeping up the appearance of a composed, calm – what? Detective? Fighter? Simply a man? That’s the question, isn’t it? People are funny things, always changing, slipping into new identities like changing clothes. It’s like how someone can be a reporter one day and a councilwoman of Hoenn the next. Of course, there’s connective tissue there, and finding it’s the fun part.[break][break]
Best to answer her question. Something tells him this is an important conversation.[break][break]
“I was just sitting in that roadblock set up right outside Dewford. Guess you guys were checking to make sure nobody was smuggling for Rocket or something. Anyway, I just closed my eyes for a second. Thought about how I had to go fetch this girl I’m looking after from Kanto up from a little hipster café I left her at. Next thing you know, I’m right outside granite cave. I throw out Roland – er, my Gallade.” His tone is suddenly punctuated by grief. Roland died. In his place is “Roland”, one of the creatures the League has dubbed Iron Valiant.[break][break]
“And he senses a guy behind a rock. Has a mask on. Rocket, obviously. Guess I could’ve just let him go but…” His knuckles go white. Against the arm of the chair, they tighten into a half fist. “…man, do I not like Rocket. Not after what they did to my brother.” Gabriel Navidson, dead before his time in Sootopolis. Killed by one of the many monsters of Rocket.[break][break]
“So, we end up fighting. In the confusion, my Garchomp slips out. I chase him down in the cave. Right as I get back in the ball…” He snaps his fingers.[break][break]
“Gone. I’m somewhere else. Lost in the caves, by myself. Running into people. Helping ‘em for a bit. Then,” another snap of his fingers, “gone, gone, gone. It’s like whatever’s there was messing with me. Same thing happened to Tsubaki, that’s my ward, too. Did that…happen to anyone else?” He asks the question with apprehension, hoping this woman can at least tell him they’re not special, that it’s just some side-effect of being so close to the Ultra Deep Sea with all its many wormholes. There’s safety in not being special.

[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

To his account, Penelope made small, tidied notes on the nearest work pad available among the torrent of office supplies. She mainly looked to highlight the mystery of his fluttering disappearance and reappearance. Most, from her records, just walked from one exchange to another. Thye didn't quite phase in and out of consciousness.
[break][break]
"A few have reported similar experiences, which only leaves really one thing for certain: the extent of the ULTRA DEEP SEA's powers is still to be determined," The fabricated admission was one spun to reassure the apparent worries of the young man. She knew, if the situation had been reversed, the same would've been wanted for herself.
[break][break]
In some ways, she still found herself seeking that reassurance.
[break][break]
"Well, first off, I'd like to officially offer the League's gratitude for your assistance. It's that type of courage and skill that we admire among trainers, especially in today's age."
[break][break]
Again, flattery is made with nothing less than buttery words and brightly lit eyes.
[break][break]
"Makes me wonder what you're doing as a...detective, was it?"
[break][break]
When the world could offer so much more.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] @navy [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Navy deflates at her first words. A weight is lifted off his shoulder. The implication that others have endured something akin to his ward’s own experience in the dark depths of that ocean gives him hope. That means the eggheads will be researching the phenomenon. That means they’ll have answers. There’s hope they’ll be able to figure something out…[break][break]
Or, if the implication he hears in her further statement is to be believed, that he might be able to seize that answer for himself. The question throws him off balance. For a man with such lofty ambitions, Navy has only recently begun to contemplate the possibility that there could be more to his existence than helping old ladies find their lost Skitties.[break][break]
“After my parents died, my brother and I didn’t have anybody.” He admits. Talking about Gabe her puts an uncomfortable edge in his voice, but it’s necessary to clarify. He has to lay out all the facts for her like a good detective. “Either I went to work or we’d get separated into foster care. I did anything and everything to keep him happy and fed. I’m not proud of some of it, and I won’t admit to some of the things I had to do, but it was all for him.”[break][break]
Everything for Gabe.[break][break]
Always for him. Let Dad beat you and break you so Gabe can keep smiling. Suffer in shitty dead-end jobs so Gabe can hit his teenage years cruising for girls on his Gyarados. Smuggle goods for crime syndicates to get the money to buy Gabe a Charmander for his very own Pokemon journey.[break][break]
Someone else might envy all the happiness their kid brother had, but Navy just smiled. Everything was worth it when that dumb kid called him Navy. When Gabe stripped him of the name that vile creature society deemed his father put on his birth certificate and dubbed him something better.[break][break]
“I just stumbled into the detective thing. Hit on it when I was twenty. Scrambled enough together to buy an office. The job’s kept the lights on.” He adds a dry, self-deprecating smile to his mien as he adds, “Mostly.”

[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

His story was neither sad nor new. It shared the same tune she'd heard a million times before, all in a million different ways. But her expression would never reveal those facts to be true.
[break][break]
In a career full of bringing extremities to the mundane, Penelope had already mastered what it meant to wield her expression against the world. How to make a placid smile into a look of tearing sympathy, or tuck fits of rage beneath a porcelain mask of tranquility. In some cases, this skill could become her deadliest blade.
[break][break]

Wide eyes and raised eyebrows met the young detective. She leaned forward, letting the lip of the desk cut into her chest, all the while her fingers kept themselves tethered and tightened together.
[break][break]

"I have a sister, too," her admission came with a bittersweet smile. "Phoebe."
[break][break]

An image of her brilliance flashed in her mind. How long has been since they'd last seen each other? A year? Maybe more?
[break][break]

"You have to do what you can to survive. "
[break][break]

A sentiment to be shared amongst the two eldest's.
[break][break]

"But, sometimes, there are ways to lighten the load."
[break][break]

Finally, she leaned back into her chair. It squealed beneath the sudden pressure.
[break][break]

"Have you ever considered joining the League?"
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

“Hope she’s doing alright. Times are tough for everybody’s family.” A human sentiment rears its head amidst this professional meeting. In a country racked with a new calamity every few months, loved ones are precious. At a moment’s notice, their life can be snuffed out like a candle’s flame between two fingers.[break][break]
Her next question makes him shift uncomfortably in the chair. Any seasoned people reader can see the wind that passed through her lips to ask the question formed into a hurricane in his heart.[break][break]
“Yeah, I have.” He admits, and it’s no lie. He’s considered it the same way he considered joining up with the gangs that ran around lower Slateport in his youth. Whether the gangs wear red/blue and fight over streets or yellow/purple and fight over nations, a gang is still a gang.[break][break]
They promised him safety. They pulled him into a friend’s embrace, hand over his shoulder. Always with a smile. Always with a suggestion of safety for Gabe and him if he only throws his lot in with them.[break][break]
Come on, Mikey. You’re a smart guy. Tough, too. We’ll do right by you if you do right by us.[break][break]
This woman is as far removed from that pond scum as Mew is removed from an ant. He knows the same story about her that the rest of the public knows – a woman who wants to do right by the region. Whatever the hidden truth may be, Navy knows this woman really, truly wishes to keep Hoenn safe. It’s the same thing he wants. It’s the same thing…[break][break]
…the same thing Gabe wanted, the day he threw his lot in with the Yellows and died at Sootopolis.[break][break]
“I had enough run-ins with bad Slateport cops to not wanna be one. I’m amazed a sewer like that place could pop out someone like Lopez.” Slateport PD isn’t as dirty as Navy thinks, nor is Kyle as clean, but try getting him to admit to either of those things.[break][break]
“Not really a military guy. I like being a guy, not a robot. Doesn’t leave me with many options to help out. That said…”[break][break]
If there’s a time to seize initiative, it's now. This woman wants to help Hoenn. So does he. Let him offer her his sword. Even if the League oozes with corruption in spots, he makes the decision to place his trust in her.[break][break]
“…who’ve you got running the investigation into the Ultra Deep Sea down in Dewford? I’ve been down there once with Baki already, finding some dead rangers that went in after the fight for the Seal Stone. The crap that’s in there. No way you haven’t read the reports. You need someone that can fight as well as they investigate. If nothing else, I can do that.”

[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Military, Slateport PD - for some reason, when it came to the public, their assumptions always drew to those two departments. The League's least reputable departments, in her opinion.
[break][break]
And yet, there was so much more.
[break][break]
"Dewford," she mused.
[break][break]
The councilwoman brought a finger to her chin and tapped at it, taking a moment to rake her mind of all mentions of the torn island, and discern what held its relevancy in wake of the recently lost battle.
[break][break]
"As far as I know, investigations have been given to the local rangers of the area."
[break][break]
But then she thought of Laurence Anderson, of what paxton concordas had mentioned. Her lips twitched with discomfort.
[break][break]
"But assistance is always welcomed, especially from a seasoned trainer."
[break][break]
She gave a pause, thought on it, then continued.
[break][break]
"...Actually!"
[break][break]
Her office chair gave out a large, echoing creak as she twisted herself back toward the file cabinet behind. It took a few second's worth of shuffling through old manilla folders and jutted out pieces of paper, but eventually, one is plucked from the sea of beige. She slid it across the table.
[break][break]
Inside was the application for Dewford's gym leader.
[break][break]
"Just take a look."
[break][break]
As he did so, she would continue, eyes still as bright as the morning sun.
[break][break]
"In my opinion? Open yourself to the idea. If everything I've heard and read is correct, you could do so much more than just investigate the Ultra Deep Sea. So much more."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Some might call this a deal with the devil. Were it any of the others on the council making the offer, he might even voice that.[break][break]
But not with her.[break][break]
Navy doesn’t know this woman from Mew. He has no special insight into her. All he has is the court of public opinion. And what that tells him…[break][break]
…is that she once harbored the same feelings as him. A critic turned internal savior. Someone who saw the bile within the government. Someone who resolves to make a difference despite what the cynics would tell you about such a proposition. She’s more like Gabe than him, to do more than shrug at the corruption. She’s a fellow warrior, fighting on her own battlefield for the good of this region they all love.[break][break]
“…gym leader, huh?” He raises an eyebrow, looks over the application. The region has trouble keeping them. “Wanna throw me into the revolving door, Councilwoman?” Wry words, but he’s giving the offer due consideration.[break][break]
“So much more? Like what?” He plays coy, if only for a second. If she’s done the research any reporter would, she probably knows his ambitions. He’s gunning for the top, Lopez’s spot, like he’s one of the young leads in Red and Blue. That movie ruined an entire generation of trainers.[break][break]
“Being on the line with everyone instead of getting caught in the crossfire sounds nice.” He pre-empts her, doing just a little of her work for her.

[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Given everything, I'm afraid a lot of positions are revolving doors. Not many can handle the stress that comes from the responsibility."
[break][break]

Whether their intentions were pure or not remained irrelevant to the extent of their tenure. She'd seen both the good and corrupt push around those doors, while as a reporter and a councilwoman.
[break][break]

"But some people," like you, "can. They have that sort of resilience to them. Holding onto not just a want for change, but a need for it."
[break][break]

Because they understood what it felt like to need more from those above them. To be critical of not only those above them, but those who choose to play into cynicism than contribute to any form of actual change.
[break][break]

"I think you can create some real waves."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Creating waves, huh? That’s the deal. He stakes his lot in with them, he gains a taste of power. Power, more than any other force known to man, corrupts. It eats at you, whispers in your ear. Ironic, he only considers this when something is directly placed in front of him. He boasts to many about how he’s going to take Kyle’s spot, but he’s never considered the ramifications of what taking the post of Top Champion would entail. [break][break]

Faced with smaller, but much more direct power, he has to chew on that. Mull it over in his mind. Turn it over, consider every angle. A thousand paths stand before him. To choose one is to close off all the others.[break][break]

“What did you think about,” Navy finally says, “when you were on the other side of this table? When someone made some offer like this to you?” Detectives and reporters have something in common: they both like getting to the bottom of things.



[break][break]

+ PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"I would've called it bullshit."

[break][break]

Vulgar language was commonplace with Penelope. Only, she normally kept it contained to those working alongside her. Not random detectives were found roaming around in the Ultra Deep Sea.
[break][break]


But this was a different sort of meeting. One brimming with potential.
[break][break]


"I would've thought to myself: whose to say I can't create waves on my own? Without the shitty red tape and hierarchy of the league."
[break][break]


She allowed her words to hang in the air for the moment, collecting his thoughts like a sponge. They were real, like pieces of genuine memories being shared among truthseekers.
[break][break]


Only after another second of pause does she continue, her voice heavier than before.
[break][break]


"Then I realized, yeah, I could make a change. I didn't need the league for that - no one does. But then I realized something. Journalism is like a slow antidote to Hoenn's problems; you can bring the truth on a platter, but it'll take years for anyone to do anything with it."
[break][break]


Another pause, another memory, another sigh.
[break][break]


"And I grew tired of waiting for that day. I wanted to do something, and I wanted to do it now. The League gave me that opportunity, and I'd like to offer the same to you."


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Michael Navidson[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]