She’s picking up the basics of training, at least – the positive spin on the term. She’s part of a team with them. Of course she named her Froakie Blue. Next, she’ll say that the Rowlett is a girl named Green.[break][break]
It all comes back to that damn movie, even with an amnesiac.[break][break]
“Red’s a Charmander.” Navy lectures. It’s his job to educate young trainers. May as well do it here. “Don’t let the fire on his tail go out. He’ll die if it does. He grows up to be a big, cool thing called a Charizard. There was a movie made ‘bout thirty years ago. Red and Blue. One of the lead Pokemon in it, coincidentally owned by a trainer named Red, was a Charizard. Caused a craze for ‘em that’s lasted to this day.” It crosses over into another area of expertise for him, movie lore. Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki would be giving him crap, were she here right now to do so.[break][break]
“Blue’s a Froakie. I can show you what he grows up to be.” Taking out another pokeball, he lets Hattori out, shining a light so that she can see the Greninja in the dark. The shinobi Pokemon gives her a refined bow, allowing a spurt of water to rise from his hands.[break][break]
“It’s kind of funny, actually. Our tastes in Pokemon are pretty similar. Well, a blend of mine and Gabe’s, I guess.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He recalls being on a sunny beach. Gyarados are swimming under him. His brother asks him if they really saw a red Gyarados. Navy is haunted by the answer he gave, a sweet little lie. Gabe stayed on the Gyarados, but he never had the chance to grow. Maybe nothing would have come of him jumping into the water, maybe everything would have been different. Who can say?[break][break]
All he knows is that he’s looking at the girl through darkness with sympathy in his gunmetal eyes. She’s been handed a rough lot, to think like that.[break][break]
“Things change.” He finally says, having chewed the words over in his mind’s mouth. “People grow up, and you can’t stop that. All you can do is love them while they grow. Let ‘em make a few mistakes. Trust that the love you put out there will get returned back to you.” Even in the dark, he offers her a smile.[break][break]
“Trust me, even if you can’t carry them, they’ll still love you. You’ve got a good heart, Kara. You can still love them and hold them.” Words he wished someone had told him when he was fretting over a brother now gone.

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Oh, trust me. I’m a jerk.” His smile takes on a self-deprecating quality, followed by the tone. Hard not to consider himself a jerk considering how vicious he can be.[break][break]
“Rowlett. Cute as a button. Grows up to be one good archer. Got one of my own. Name’s Ralsei. Riolu, little blue fighter. Grows up to be somethin’ called Lucario. Psychic warrior per excellence. Ralts. That one can go two ways. Either they evolve into what’s called a Gardevoir, a master of psychic force, or a Gallade. Gallade’s a physical fighter who fights with their mind. I used to have a Gallade.” Another casualty of this long war.[break][break]
That just leaves…[break][break]
“The little dragon is a Gible. They evolve into a dragon called Garchomp. That’ll be the strongest Pokemon on your team – by far.” His eyes fall down to his own ball housing Vortigern – the strongest Pokemon on his team. The black dragon is slumbering now. This conversation holds no interest. This beast is the reason he cannot call himself kindhearted. He has seen the rage of this dragon and felt it resound in his own heart.[break][break]
“It’s my job to talk about this stuff, too. Didn’t expect to do this today. Hmm…guess it’s not too much farther now.” He can start to see the light pollution. When they get to Petalburg, there will be choices to make. Another question dawns in his mind.[break][break]
“Do you have any money?’ She won’t even be able to afford a place to stay without that.

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

This is a memory he will take with him to his deathbed, a girl so adamant about living in the woods that she rushes straight into it from the confines of civilization. Her strange smoke show masks her well enough. No human will be able to find her in the darkness now, covered in soot as she is. Shaking his head, running a hand through his hair, he whispers a single amused word.[break][break]
“Kids.” He laughs at the absurdity of it all. Still, it behooves him to do his duty as an officer of the peace. He let the League hire him, may as well do the job he was hired to do. Pulling out a ball, he sends out Hattori again. His shinobi sighs in exasperation, far less patient about this than the Lord he serves.[break][break]
“Alright. You can probably guess what’s up. Just shadow her, make sure nothing in the woods gets her or her Pokemon. I’ll be waiting here in the morning.” Yawning, thinking she’s out of earshot, he starts walking towards the nearest motel and curses.[break][break]
“Screw me, I don’t wanna have to go back for my truck.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]