“Could be. People start toting around Pokemon young. It varies region to region, but most places let you pick up a license to have pokeballs when you turn 10. Chances are, you’ve at least had some experience with them that you’ve forgotten.” He tries to make sense of her predicament, carving a path through the wilderness of the unknown. Ever the catcher in the rye, he can’t just let this person fall and make their own mistakes.[break][break]
“…for what it’s worth, it’s fun when it’s treated like a sport. Problem is, Hoenn’s the kind of place where the battles spill off the pitch. I wasn’t lying when I said we’re at war, here. You’re probably gonna end up getting caught in the conflict if you stick around. Not saying it’s 100% certain, but I’d put the odds around…70%. Especially since you seem like the kind of person who doesn’t run away from problems.” He punctuates the words with a sip.[break][break]
“So…what next? After we get you registered, I mean.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

She wants to get stronger to protect her friends. That prompts another of the gym leader’s many smiles. They really are birds of a feather. He may as well take the leap, offer her somewhere to rest her head.[break][break]
“Well, judging by your stunt last night, you’re not the sort of person to stay in one place for very long.” He wonders how she’ll drum up money for her travels. A Vagabond’s life isn’t cheap.[break][break]
“But if you wanna get stronger, I’d recommend joining up with the League’s ranger corp or officially enlisting with the League as an officer. They’ll help train you.” Really, Navy? All those years spent being on the sidelines and you’re already throwing impressionable kids into the meat grinder? There has to be another way out.[break][break]
“Or you could take the gym challenge. It’s supposed to help trainers develop their skills. I run one down in Dewford Town.” Recognizing she might not know where that is, he pulls out his phone, navigates to a GPS app, and points to Hoenn. First to where they are now, Petalburg. His finger traces down past the forest, past the coast, to an island nestled down in the corner. ‘Dewford Town’ the GPS reads.[break][break]
“If you want a steady supply of trainers to fight, you’re welcome to sign on as a gym trainer at my gym. They’re the…warm-up act, I guess you could call them. Otherwise, my door’s always open if you need a place to stay.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Good luck getting on the waiting list, though. S’why it might be best for you to help out around the gyms if that’s what you wanna do.” Opening his jacket, he reveals four badges. “You get one for every gym leader you beat. If you wanna go for the title of Champion, you’ve gotta grab eight and challenge the Elite 4. With all the excitement in the region, gym leaders are busy. Some don’t have a lot of time for challengers, others are overwhelmed by how many people wanna kick their a—butts.”[break][break]
Crossing his arm, he closes his eyes and sighs. There needs to be a little bit of tough love given here. Not much, but a dollop.[break][break]
“You probably should find somethin’ to fund your trip. Fun as it sounds, wandering the roads from town to town, there ain’t much money to be made doing that. You need money to survive.” Something he knows all too well. Navy remembers nights where he starved, going without food so that Gabe wouldn’t have to. Hard living, but fulfilling when you’re doing it for someone else. Navy has a hard time imagining doing that willingly unless you have to do so.[break][break]
“Rolling stones gather no moss, and even less cheddar.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“I guess, and there’s never a shortage of stuff you can do – especially if you have a diverse team of mons.” Switching to get comfortable, Navy puts down his soda and kicks one leg up, resting it on his other knee. His arms meet behind his back and he leans down in the chair.[break][break]
For a serious guy, he sure knows how to look laid-back.[break][break]
“I’d recommend startin’ with Josh Devlin up in Mauville. Master of Faster’s pretty good about takin’ all challengers quick. Hideo Kino is new to the whole gym leader thing but he’s a fun guy to fight.” Something about this is so nostalgic, like something out of the movies. Maybe that’s why he’s playing along. It’s fun to help out a young person go on their journey, helping their spread their wings and see the world.[break][break]
“You’ll figure it out, plus, like it or not, I’ll at least set you up with a Rotom phone. You don’t have a mom or dad to call if you need some help, I don’t mind being a stand-in ‘til you can find your folks.” He says, perhaps not fully grasping what he’s offering.

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Yeah, it’s just a phone. …you remember what a phone is, right?” Having never dealt with an amnesiac before, he doesn’t know where the holes in the memory begin and end. “It’s this thing.” He points at his phone, modeled after the Pokemon Rotom. “Some people get fancy and capture an actual Rotom to use as their phone. They’re pretty rare, though.”[break][break]
Somewhere around this point, Erin and Kizashi are released from the nurses. Despite how hard both of them fought earlier in the day, they’re back in fighting shape. Kizashi trots right past Navy and jumps into Kara’s lap, waving up at her for a proper introduction. Rolling his eyes, realizing the kid has his dad’s propensity for falling in love at the drop of a hat, he lets Kizashi do his thing. Erin jumps up into his own lap, hiding in his jacket.[break][break]
Maybe today was a bit much for her, but it was good for her. That’s what Navy tells himself.[break][break]
“Looks like mine’re ready. Gotta love modern medicine. Shouldn’t be too much longer now and we’ll be good to go.”

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Well, he looks pleased as punch.” Navy muses, looking down at Kizashi. The little Totodile sticks out his tongue, turning and laying down in Kara’s lap. He looks like he’s on the verge of falling asleep. Yawning, he does just that.[break][break]
Erin giggles. It’s probably the first time Navy’s heard a positive sound out of her. Hearing that sound warms his heart. Wherever she came from, she’s had a hard life. Navy resolved when he adopted her from H.O.M.E. that he’d give her a better life. That’s the promise he made to Melody, Cobalion, and Jirachi the day he adopted her.[break][break]
“Shouldn’t take too long for yours. Whaddya say we handle the paperwork now? Won’t take too long.” And with that, he stands up, tosses his empty soda can in the trash, and starts heading out. It’s been a nice break from responsibility.

[break][break]

+ Kara Li

[attr="class","pokeclass"]