Eddie hadn't felt this nervous in years. [break][break]

He'd spent much longer than he probably should have agonizing over his selection of Pokemon. Some of the choices were obvious; Beau was certainly the best of the bunch, and Eddie wasn't ashamed to admit that he trusted the bull with his life. The others, though, he was less certain of. [break][break]

It reminded him of the pen and paper tests he had struggled with back in school, where he was stuck meticulously considering each option while fighting the sinking feeling that he was going to choose wrong no matter what he picked. Maybe he had too many of the same type? There were some glaring weaknesses in his roster for sure. Maybe he should have raised up some of his other Pokemon instead? Too little, too late for that sort of thinking now. Maybe he should just go with his gut; it had rarely steered him wrong in the past. That ended up being the course of action that Eddie went with as he selected each of the scuffed Poke Balls to bring to Dewford. Eddie silently prayed that he had chosen correctly as he jogged up to meet Navy, [break][break]

“Mornin'!” he called with a wave, announcing his presence as he drew near the man in the lawn chair. [break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

The tips of Eddie's ears burned bright with a flush of embarrassment. It wasn't a harsh admonishment, but it still felt a little shameful to start off the day by making a rookie mistake, [break][break]

“Yes, sir,” he acknowledged a little sheepishly. [break][break]

Eddie was probably a little too stiff, skewing almost dangerously close to boot-licking in his eagerness to show deference for the man that was now essentially his commanding officer. The awkwardness subsided a little upon his introduction to the gregarious little cat; it was hard not to be charmed by Tormund's friendly cry and scruffy, viking sort of appearance. Maybe he'd slip the cat a shiny coin or trinket from his keychain before the day was done.[break][break]

But now was not the time to get distracted; it was time for Navy to meet some of Eddie's finest. In quick succession, Eddie unclipped each Poke Ball from his waist and summoned his companions in flashes of red light. Each landed side by side, the formation mostly just to make the introductions easier. With a sweep of the arm, Eddie began, [break][break]

“On the far left is Batou; he's quick, kinda squirrelly, and he's got healin' moves for runnin' support.” [break][break]

The Lucario barked sharply in greeting and offered a short bow. [break][break]

“Next is Caligula. Guy hits like a god damn freight train, and he's got moves that hit real hard both up close and far away.” [break][break]

Caligula, armored plates gleaming in the sun, only acknowledged such praise with a prideful snort. [break][break]

“Then there's Stella; had her since she was a calf.” Eddie paused, briefly distracted by some far off memory before snapping back to attention, “And, uh, she's a real wall; more defensively inclined than the rest, but to be honest, she ain't seen a lot of fightin'. Mostly just worked with her on construction sites haulin' materials, but she's tough as nails.” [break][break]

Coal-black eyes regarded Navy with dispassionate appraisal. She seemed to size him up, perhaps judging the man that convinced her boy to go run off and play soldier. But none of that mattered now; Eddie was more distracted with trying to keep the favoritism at bay as he addressed the final Pokemon, [break][break]

“And on the far right is Beau.” Eddie's efforts had apparently been wasted judging from the way his voice swelled with pride, “Fast as hell, got all kinds'a different moves, even got a hold of a few Tera shards for 'em. Been with me for over a decade now; he's as dependable as it gets.” [break][break]

Beau lowed, inclining his head towards the cowboy and stamping a hoof. His way of saying 'hello', though maybe some might mistake the gesture as a sign of agitation. Eddie knew better, though; the bull was as excited to be here as he was, judging from the way his spiraling tails flicked back and forth.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

While the praise and talk of action made Eddie's heart surge with excitement, something in the introductions of Navy's own roster quashed it somewhat. War was hell, that much Eddie had heard time and time again, but the reality of it really sank in as he watched each Pokemon be introduced in turn. Warped metal, scars and missing limbs; Eddie didn't give a damn about how badly he was battered by the time his clock finally ran out, but what of his friends? What had he signed them up for? [break][break]

It was too late for such considerations now, especially as Beau snorted with bellicose fervor as he sized the Kommo-o up. A fighter recognized a fighter, and the bull was eager to test the dragon's mettle. There was also no escape when Navy clapped him on the shoulder with a wide smile that was equal parts gregarious and concerning, [break][break]

“Yes, sir!” Eddie replied, the words coming out a little more nervously than he had intended. [break][break]

Maybe he should be a little less nervous about the rigors to come, though. If there was one thing he was confident in, it was his strength, though maybe the whole 'working his brain' bit would prove to be it's own sort of challenging. Either way, he steeled himself as the Pokemon paired off with their respective partners; it was time to show Navy what he was made of.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

A life of manual labor and hours spent at the gym had actually gone a long way to prepare Eddie for this. Maybe less in the physicality of it all as they jogged over the sand and trained their bodies, but more in the psychological aspect of it. Eddie relished the tight pain of muscles stretched and torn to their limits, of pushing through the fatigue when his legs threatened to give out beneath him, and not because of the way all of these sensations felt. No, he drank deeply of the pain and exhaustion because his thundering pulse and sore muscles reminded him that he was alive. Each ragged pant as his lungs greedily drank in the salt on the air was a testament that he was here, and that he was going to be a better man after this endeavor than he was before it. Eddie almost felt a pang of disappointment when they stopped to check in on their Pokemon, but no, that was all part of the process, too. [break][break]

Batou was fast, but Roland was faster, effortlessly parrying a QUICK ATTACK as the jackal tried to capitalize on what he thought was a blind spot. A lesson in not underestimating an opponent, Eddie thought, as the Iron Valiant batted away an AURA SPHERE with that dual-sided blade like the two were playing a game of baseball. [break][break]

Now, Caligula was just getting outright pissed at the little Greninja, bellowing furiously as a wide-arcing SOLAR BEAM missed the frog by a mile. Eddie winced a little, thankful that there was no one nearby to get caught in the crossfire. The kaiju was impatient, at times just flailing furiously as the Greninja leapt from the Aggron's tail to his shoulder until landing on the tip of his horn. If he would just slow down and get a handle on the situation, Eddie had no doubt that he could win the fight, but that deep well of fury was hard to dredge himself back up from. [break][break]

At least Stella seemed to be faring a little better, though Eddie noted some reluctance she seemed to have in actually fighting back against the Urshifu. There was a grim concern in her eyes, he could tell, but there was something softer there, too. She swiped her trunk to the side, missing Shuwen in a gesture that almost looked intentional. Eddie wondered if she was reluctant to hurt a creature that had obviously already seen so much pain. [break][break]

And last, but certainly not least, Beau looked like he was having the time of his god damn life. The bull slid to the side with an AQUA JET, skidding across the sand to avoid an AURA SPHERE that whizzed past his left horn. He tried to capitalize on his momentum with a furious WAVE CRASH, only to be met by a quickly jabbed THUNDER PUNCH in reply, [break][break]

“Hah, you're tellin' me!” Eddie chuckled, taking the bottle and drinking deeply. He stopped long enough to get a lungful of air, “Ya think it's a Fightin'-type thing or it's just a them thing?”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

He found himself a little awestruck as he watched Navy's suit change, shimmering into an expanse of draconic scales that caught the late afternoon sun and glinted like hammered bronze. It reminded Eddie of the ancient myrmidons of a bygone past, when the name was still a title attributed to the valorous and hadn't yet degraded to a mere descriptor of servitude. Like many of the oddities he had encountered since arriving in Hoenn, Eddie accepted the phenomenon without much consideration. It just made sense, he supposed, that Dewford's gym leader had access to whatever proprietary tech the League had cooked up. It also made sense that, in it's execution, Navy looked all the part of the old Achaean soldiers ready to march upon the distant Troy. Anything less just wouldn't suit him. [break][break]

His eyes drifted from the mysterious suit up to its owner's face, studying the other man's expression with curiosity until Navy opened his eyes. Eddie smiled at his assessment of the nature of their combatants, wiping the sweat from his brow as he turned back to them,[break][break]

“Go figure.” [break][break]

But he found himself pulled back to Navy when the discussion of their next course of action commenced. He felt some trepidation at the thought of returning to the Chasm where he'd nearly met his maker, but Eddie couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement at the prospect as well. He was finally going to get the chance to prove himself, to show Navy what he could do. But that was a selfish thought, wasn't it? Eddie grimaced a little to himself; the most important thing was making sure that that monster couldn't take any more innocent lives, [break][break]

“Yes, sir,” Eddie replied with resolve, “You and me, we'll send 'em packin'.” [break][break]

Easy enough to say, Eddie realized, but another thing entirely to follow through on. Only time would tell if he'd be up to the task.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

In much the way that the coming spring was a herald of Eddie's new course in life, so too had it signaled the coming of something looming large just beyond the boundary. Funny, despite not having been there himself, that overgrown lizard and it's Djinn co-conspirator had played some part in Eddie's current track even now. Were it not for the devastation they had wrought, broadcast on news outlets for the world to see, Eddie would probably still be pouring concrete or installing drywall instead of standing here, steeling himself for what was to come, [break][break]

“I get ya,” he nodded in affirmation. [break][break]

Eddie didn't have enough of an ego to think that maybe this too was somehow part of a prophecy spoken in the tongue of dragons, but it was a little thrilling to entertain the thought. But he didn't need to have fate assign him the role of some hero, or to have the gods predestine some great and wondrous future for him. Eddie was thankful that, if nothing else came out of whatever plans the universe had in store for him, he at least had gained a generous new friend at the end of the day, [break][break]

“Yer too good to me, Navy!” Eddie barked a sharp, teasing laugh. And he meant it, too; a little shack by the sea sounded wonderful, “Might take ya up on that, dependin' on where I end up. Promise I'll keep the liquor cabinet stocked with the good stuff, and that I won't bring any girls over.” [break][break]

A little humor went a long way to ease his tremulous heart. As the day came to a close and the two men went their separate ways, Eddie was more confident than ever that he could face whatever trials awaited him.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Navy [break]
mission | the fit, sans hat [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]