Walter stared at the behemoth. It was a menacing beast for sure, a creature of legend even. He surveyed the rest of the treasures. The amount of wealth concentrated in that room was well more than Walter could make in his current position.

A better pirate than him would've taken the most expensive looking loot at made a run for the docks. But he's a new captain who still held on to ideas like trust and friendship.

The captain took one more look at the Rampardos skeleton. "I think this would make an excellent ship ram! Yo ho ho ho! Get me a few of these bad boys and no merchant ship would be safe. Ho ho ho!"


Walter was excited to learn what Howard had in store for him. A private meeting with the boss himself? His mind churned with endless possibilities. Maybe it was an even bigger smuggling job. Or maybe he'd finally go on a proper treasure hunt! Afterall, Howard was an archaeologist.

Walter let out a loud chuckle that rolled like thunder. "Anyways, enough of my jokes. You called me here for business. Talk to me, matey, what's this important job you have for me?"

---

howard slayte

"A Rampardos battering ram..." Howard contemplated the idea for a few moments. "Not bad, actually. You've been hitting the books."

Cranidos and Rampardos skulls had been used by ancient civilizations for years and years. Their skulls were durable, destructive, and perfectly sized to fit onto human heads. Whether it was a battering ram, a helmet, or the tip of a club, mankind had proven themselves perfectly willing to adapt the best assets of Pokémon for their own uses.

"Sit." Howard gestured at a comfy chair in front of his desk. The admin walked behind the desk and looked up. There, a map of Hoenn sat with several bright pins indicating safe houses, smuggling routes, and important docks. "This shouldn't take long."

He turned to Walter.

"I need you and your crew to clear your schedules a week from now, and ferry me and several colleagues to Dewford."

---

walter delmar

Walter had, in fact, not hit a book for a few weeks. The last book he read was a book about ancient Hoennian sailors Howard had lent to him. He did, however, know what would do damage to a ship. A big hefty Pokemon skull would do the trick.

"Nay, matey. I'm not as studious as you are. I just noticed he had a big dome on his ol' skull." The captain let out a hearty chuckle and took a seat.

This was the best seat he's sit on for weeks.

"Dewford, eh? " The last time he went to Dewford a tracker wound up on his ship. Ship security has been tight ever since. Yet even with new protocols, the captain was wary about visiting that dreaded harbor.

"Aye, matey, you remember the last time I went to Dewford? Cunning folk over there. Security will no doubt be top notch after my last haul."

Walter stroked his beard in contemplation "Why do you need to sail there? What are you and the rest of Rocket plotting?"

Walter met Howard with serious eyes. The once friendly grin on his face had dissolved. This could be big.

---

howard slayte

Dewford consisted of a few cunning people, namely the sheriff that ran the island. Unfortunately for Howard, that sheriff was vacant. In his place was a girl who would rather befriend Eternatus and its clutch of Nihilego than stamp them out.

"Security won't be a big deal. I have friends there. What happened with the tracker will not happen again, as long as you stay on top of everything." Howard coughed into his fist. As long as Walter actually checked his ship each time he set sail, he'd have no issues. Walter had erred, but mistakes were necessary for growth.

"And you will not be smuggling anything. There will be no need to follow the port's protocol in Dewford."

He let the words hang in the air for a spell as he gave Walter a look. It was a weary gaze, slumped with overwork and exhaustion. It clashed with the captain's infectious joy, even as it slid off Walter's face in anticipation for what was to come.

"Walter, be honest with me." Howard's voice was serious. "Do you want to know?"

---

walter delmar

Some things are best left alone. Ignorance is bliss, after all. But the captain was never one to let sleeping maschiffs lay. A mystery was an adventure after all. Besides, the more dangerous the mission the more fun it will be! Not to mention how much it'll pay!

"Howard, matey, you're always looking out for me. But you know who I am. I'm the pirate who sailed from Paldea to Hoenn in search of adventure and plunder. You've given me plunder. I'm ready for a real adventure now.

Walter slammed his fist on the table, his eyes darkened like storm clouds. The rookie captain never felt more anxious in his life. Working with Rocket was always going to lead him down a dark path. No matter what answer Howard could give, this job would cement Walter as a core operative for Rocket.

His mind kept racing like the ocean's currents. But he wouldn't show it. Walter, no, Captain Walter Delmar was the fiercest pirate in the ocean blue. No wind too strong. No storm to great. No Pokemon too monstrous. No treasure too hidden. He was going to be the greatest pirate in the world.

A wide grin dripped onto his face. "I want to know everything. Let's chart our course together, old friend."


He was sailing straight into the eye of the storm. And he relished it.

---

howard slayte

The eye of the storm was blissful and full of tranquility. It was a peaceful world surrounded by strife, and that was the world that Howard wanted to reach for.

"I'm not looking out for you, Walt. You're your own man." The map of Hoenn above Howard showed broad oceans with vague charts. An illustrated Kyogre was drawn near Lilycove, a fictionalized sea monster placed there for aesthetic. It was a symbol. A symbol of the ferocity of the sea. "I didn't give you your dream. You did that. The ocean is yours, captain."

Howard stood, his hat cloaking half of his face in shadow as he frowned, an umbral visage cloaking his face. He took the hat off with one deft motion.

He did not want to include Walter in this war, but his talents were needed. That didn't mean that Howard needed to feel good about it. He lamented the younger men they had been, leaning on a ship rail and discussing their dreams.

"We will raid Dewford." Howard clenched a fist. "To save the world."

To defeat Eternatus. To empower Regice. To save Hoenn from annihilation.

---

walter delmar

Those words rang through Walter's head. Raid Dewford? To save the world? A baffling statement produced by one of the most rational speakers in Walter's life.

Raiding Dewford. What did he mean by "raid?" What was Rocket after? What was Howard not telling him. Walter chuckled nervously but managed to give Howard a big sailor smile.

"Aye, matey. How exactly does raiding Dewford save the world? What are we plundering for? If I'm going to sail you, I'll need to know what we're up against and what we're after."

The captain was unsure how many questions he'd have to ask or even if Howard would tell him the truth. Regardless, he needed at least something to go off of in order to plan for the mission ahead. This wasn't going to be some simple smuggling job. This was real.

He looked at Howard with storming eyes. "Howard. You can be honest with me. What do you want from Dewford?"

---

howard slayte

Where did he begin? How did Howard even begin to explain the issues that were pressing down on his soul?

Rocket suspected him. Cillian Quinn and BARNABY FINCH were breathing down his neck, demanding to know why he was living in Dewford alongside Navy. No matter what he told them, they'd never believe any lie he'd feed them. Their hatred of the sheriff went too deep, and Howard's loyalty hardly skimmed the surface of the ocean of Rocket.

He was in a dangerous position, and untrustworthy. The prying eyes of the mighty were causing the admin to tremble.

"We are approaching Armageddon." Howard said simply. "There is something sleeping under Dewford, Walt. Something that, when it wakes, will destroy the region. It's been all but scrubbed from historical records, but it exists."

The archaeologist's eye met the captain's. How did Howard broach the subject of Regice?

"I need to make sure it stays put." The admin made a pained sound. "Its name is Eternatus."

---

walter delmar

Eternatus. A second leviathan in the oceans? The captain had narrowly survived an encounter with the one they called Kyogre. Yet the sea basin Pokemon was on a wild rampage. Walter couldn't fathom what another rampaging leviathan could do. The captain rose out of his chair and paced around the room. Questions blew around his mind in a flurry.

Walter stroked his beard, his eyes grey like storm clouds. What the heck was going on in this region? The waves hid so much from him. He turned back to his friend and finally released a hurricane of questions.

"Now this...thing. Why are we the ones who need to check on it? Is the League not doing anything about it? I am willing to sail over, raid the shores, and do whatever it takes to keep the beast at bay. I just want to know why. Why must Rocket be the ones to do it?"

The more questions he asked, the less it started to make sense. Raiding Dewford? Makes sense. Rocket is a criminal organization that sounds par for the course. Saving the world though? Hard to buy it. Isn't that the League's job?

Why was the League not doing anything about it? What is going on? What happened to that aspiring archaeologist he once knew all those years ago?

---

howard slayte

Why, indeed? Why was Rocket risking it all for the Pokémon League? They claimed authority over Hoenn, so it should've been their obligation to fulfill. To an extent, they were, but Eternatus was too distant a threat and Rocket was growing ever closer to disrupting the balance of power.

"Because it must be done." The archaeologist held a small Wishing Star between his thumb and forefinger. It was one of many that Walter had shipped into Sootopolis under the admin's orders. "Each generation must know their own suffering, Walt. This is ours."

Naomi Sato had been burned by the League's refusal to cooperate. Navy was being watched. Howard was being pressured by all sides to show his loyalty.

Cooperation was impossible, but Eternatus had to fall.

"Rocket. League. Eternatus won't care who fights it. We're all meat to it. Humans, crawling on its corpse." The Wishing Star fell to the desk, glittering with reddish purple hues. "So we will."

As if remembering something, Howard leaned under his desk and began to rummage.

"Ah, that reminds me." A Pokeball rolled across the table towards the captain's fingers. "A gift."

---

walter delmar

Walter took took the gift in his hand. A pokeball? The captain pressed the button and released the Pokemon. A massive shining cerulean bird stood almost shoulder height with the seafarer. The Pokemon was adorned with a glittering golden trident atop its head.

It was not a Pokemon Walter had ever seen before.

He examined the bird more closely. Its wings were sharp like steel blades, easily able to slice through flesh and water alike. With webbed feet and short thick feathers, how could this be anything but a swimmer?

Walter turned to his friend.

"You trying to bribe me, Howard?" The captain let out a mighty chuckle and turned back to the Pokemon "What a magnificent catch you are!"

"Howard wants you to accompany me on the raid, doesn't he? To protect me and my crew. Aye, you're a welcome part of my ship."

Walter looked back at his friend with a smile

"What do you call this Pokemon? And what's the plan for Dewford?"

---

howard slayte

The Empoleon waddled about in the office, and Howard beamed with pride, clearly pleased with his gift.

"Oh, right." Howard frowned and scratched his chin. Despite the captain's ferocious demeanor, Howard often forgot that the sailor wasn't familiar with every penguin under the sun. "You don't have Empoleon in Paldea, do you?"

Anthropology was the admin's forte, but he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about every single Pokémon's ecology and preferred environment. This one, though, he was knowledgeable on.

Spears made from the tridents of Empoleon were coveted, after all.

"Got it from a recent batch of Pokémon. Treat it better than its previous owner." Howard snapped his fingers to focus on the second part of Walter's question. "Sail in with a bunch of grunts, land, and keep the ship running."

The next part was important.

"With no casualties on either side."

---

walter delmar

What had happened to this Empoleon? Who could abuse such a majestic creature? Walter was sick to his core just thinking about it.The pirate always had a soft spot for Pokemon. His ship was equipped with stun cannons to ensure any wild Pokemon or human crew wouldn't be killed by a bombardment.

Yet that was a task for later, one where he would treat Empoleon to a nice dinner and games with the crew. Now, he had to think about the job. Sail in, land, let the grunts off, and keep the Indigo Wind running. It sounded almost simple when Howard said it.

On one hand, if Walter did this job, he would be an active war criminal. He could attempt to hide his identity but even so his ship was specific to him. Marcos was good with machines but not good enough to transform an entire ship.

But if he could pull this off, he'd be the most infamous sailor in all of Hoenn. It was in his grasp, the treasure he sought after all along. Greater than money, adventure, or even the sea basin Pokemon. Walter wanted to be a legend. A sailor both infamous and beloved who lived for generations through tales and shanties. Bottles clink and voices cheer in toast to him, his legend. Some may even fear him, don't dare speak his name in the hopes of not drawing his thunderous crew. It didn't matter how. Walter would become the legend of the seas.

This was his ticket. This was his in. One simple mission. Sail, land, leave.

"Alright, Howard. I'll do it. The Indigo Wind will sail in to Dewford. I'll land on shore with the crew and bombard anyone that gives us trouble with stun shot. Once the grunts are on shore, I'll stay close and continue my bombardment. We aim for the sand. No one gets hurt. Only panicked."

Walter gave Howard a toothy pirate's grin.

"But before we go, I'll need some help repainting the ship and remodeling her. Team Cove and I are still independent contractors after all. My crew and I will need disguises as to avoid conviction. If you can do that for me, then we have a perfect deal."

The captain put out his hand still smiling ear to ear. He was no longer Walter.

This was Captain Storm Grin.

---

howard slayte