“Bunni, Petunia, DeDe.” The detective notes, happy to be fussed over. Hattori backs away, happy to let them tend to his Lord. They’re in friendly territory. Nothing’s going to harm his Lord. Surrounded by such space and splendor, he could relax…[break][break]
Which is exactly why he remains alert, jumping onto the roof and maintaining constant vigil. Only in death does duty end.[break][break]
The detective knows well the heart of his shinobi, but now is not the occasion to chide him. Instead, he sits down and lets the ‘gals’ as he dubs them in his mind tend to his injuries. It helps. Only time will cure some of these wounds, but the near-magical healing properties of some Pokemon certainly help.[break][break]
“Good to see you again, man. Been a while.” Navy went off the grid after Meteno. Drinking, losing his way, one day bleeding into another. After so long in that dark world, it feels good to bask in the sun.[break][break]
“So, I got pulled into that shitshow ‘cause I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” He manages a sharp, knowing smile. Looking to the man who still, by all rights, is one of Hoenn’s greatest trainers, he knows this man knows a thing or two.[break][break]
“Who leaked it to you? Bet you’ve still got a helluva lot of friends up in the Ever Grande ivory tower.”

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“’Baki’s fine.” It’s not quite a lie, but it’s on the border. Physically, she’s fit as a fiddle. Mentally…well, that’s where the lie resides. Drifting on the edge of the sea, longing to go down there again. She lost some part of herself down there. Something that she won’t get back, no matter how many times she dives through those depths.[break][break]

“But lots of other people aren’t.” Navy’s finally ready to face that grim reality. “Lots of people dead and missing. Bodies in the Ultra Deep Sea that the League can’t or won’t recover yet.” The next words, he speaks like a vow. “…I’ll get ‘em out. But their Pokemon have probably gone insane down there.”[break][break]

“Whole situation was a disaster. Frankly, it’s a miracle more important people didn’t get snatched or killed. Crazy part is, whole time I was down there, I didn’t even know what I was fighting for. Just scrambling to survive.” But there’s more going on. He knows the man sitting next to him well enough to know he’s got a plan. Leaning back in his chair while the girls tend to him with their medicinal tools, he speaks about what they both know is on his mind.[break][break]

“So, who are you putting together for the rescue op?”




[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Turns out I worked with Lars for about an hour down there.” A dry laugh accompanies the notion. “Didn’t know who he was, just that we were marching in the same direction. Beat down some goons. Good times.” His tone’s bone-dry too.[break][break]

“He seems like a good guy. Well, most rangers do. Not like the precincts around Hoenn.” There’s a reason he’s dipped and dodged around any actual responsibility within Hoenn for years. Rooting out corruption’s a hard thing. He’s never had time, nor the inclination.[break][break]

“If him or Young approach you, keep me updated – if Lars doesn’t approach me first. Don’t know how much I’ll be able to contribute. League’s been asking for my help a bunch down in Dewford. It’s in my interests to keep helping ‘em for now.” His shoulders slack.[break][break]

“Arceus, man…” His voice drips with frustration. “What a mess, letting Rocket run around like that.”


[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“The multiverse?” Fighting down an eyebrow, and failing, Navy’s expression spills over with unrepentant curiosity. He feels vastly out of his depths.[break][break]
“Shit like that’s above my paygrade.” He laughs, as if the laughter can dismiss the notion. Humans are creatures that hardly fit into one universe, much less an infinite number of them.[break][break]
“Sounds like something out of those comics Gabe liked to read. You really believe that stuff, man?” Thomas and Navy go back a way. Not as far back as Kyle and Navy, but close. He’s heard about the many battles fought by the man in the name of Hoenn. Hard-fought defeats, hard-won victories. This region’s been a battlefield and Thomas Benoit has been there for most of them.[break][break]
“…all I know is, you’re right. Can’t let Rocket win. Whether they win one world or a thousand worlds.”

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Man…I’m just a detective.” He laughs. “When Lopez and me talk, I usually don’t ask. Not unless he wants a second opinion about something.” That said, he takes all of these revelations at face value. There are pros and cons to being a nobody. Blissful ignorance is a double-edged sword. Dark secrets concerning the truth of the universe are not in his purview.[break][break]
It seems Thomas Benoit is to play the part of the Mad Hatter today, chucking the good detective down the rabbit hole. Deep down into Wonderland, where DRK Triads, Avatars, and the fate of the multiverse are matters of casual discussion.[break][break]
“That’s all…so much. Shit. If you need a hand, let me know. Dunno how much I can help, but I will.” He looks up at the sky. He’s already feeling better thanks to the help of the girls. “It’s all so…crazy. I remember reading about Avatars in history books. People wrote about them like they were mythology, not fact.” He favors Thomas with a smile.[break][break]
“Crazy to think if we all survive this, you and some of the other Leaguers will be remembered as legends yourself. Even if you don’t have Yveltel anymore, you still had it for a time. That’s more than most people can say.”

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Not for the first time, or the last, he wonders who Gabe fought at Sootopolis. He wonders who did his brother in, if they had the power of a god backing them up. Does that make the pill easier or harder to swallow if it was, in fact, an avatar?[break][break]

Navy can’t say. All he knows is that he’s dealing with a man who tasted power. True power. Power is a vexing, intoxicating thing. More addicting than any opiate. Merely by bathing in the power of a legendary, doors are opened. Dahlia Goode and Declan Walsh are both probably more willing to hear out an avatar than someone else.[break][break]

But is it worth it? Losing part of yourself to a god?[break][break]

“Y’know, Tom, you don’t have to be an avatar. Some might say you got off light. Got to have that power, for a time, and then you got to move on. It’s a pretty good deal.” A pause. What’s he trying to say here?[break][break]

“You don’t have to have a legendary to change things, or fight Rocket.” He questions the validity of his own words. He remembers a battle with two wanted criminals beneath Dewford. They harnessed powers he couldn’t begin to imagine. The shadows danced around them. It was a miracle Navy and the young ranger, Julia, survived.[break][break]

“I’ve got your back, even if I don’t have some Pokemon out of a legend powering me up.”


[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]