Howard let her conversation float in the air for a moment.

Rather than speak, he waited as a man in a flowery shirt cut between them, holding a Corsola. Then, a woman in sandals and a tank top passed them by. Each passerby was more casual and dressed for the temperate Pacifidlog than the last, especially when compared to the archaeologist's suit and tie.

In a tropical paradise, people who wore formalities were a rarity, unless they were there on business. Pacifidlog's rich culture went back thousands of years, when people first began to build on top of the Corsola reefs in the area. It held an exotic air that the average suit and tie could not hope to imitate.

"No." He chuckled as a man in a swimsuit passed them by, and jumped into the sea. "I'm not. Rustboro, actually. I'm here for a funeral, actually."

He put his finger to his chin, thoughtful for a moment as he regarded the woman. His eye flicked to the Ampharos, eye softening slightly. Shirley coiled off of Howard, and sniffed after the Electric-type lightkeeper. It was better to focus on Alina and her Pokémon rather than focus on the fact that Tempest Quinn had died.

Besides, one-eyed wonders had to stick together.

"They're not gonna open early, I'm sorry to say. Kyogre messed up the nearby routes well and good. Realistically, there's nothing stopping ships from sailing to Slateport, but a lot of traffic has been suspended due to the war."

He pursed his lips, thinking as the admin adjusted his hat.

"You picked a bad time to visit, tourist." Howard put a hand on his hip, suddenly grinning. "Where you from? Johto? Sinnoh? Paldea?"

---

Alina Hamako

When Alina apologized, Howard put up a hand, waving off her concerns.

"Not your fault. It was a moment of misfortune, and he wasn't the nicest person anyways. He was the Gym Leader here, way back when. One of the strongest trainers I've ever known." Temp's smile could brighten up a whole room, and Howard knew from experience that it was one of the reasons that Cillian kept moving forward. "Big fan of Corsola."

He left out the fact that he had been too cowardly to actually enter Temp's procession. He had simply watched from the sidelines as his people had mourned for one of the strongest trainers their town had ever known. He had even seen clover matamata in the distance, but had not made contact.

Seeing children cry was rough, especially when Temp had died because Howard had turned away and left him to die.

"I have, actually. There's this Krabby special at the Olivine Café that tastes delicious, and they coat it in butter and Salac berries and-" He cut himself off and coughed into his fist, lest this woman realize he had a tendency to ramble. "Your Ampharos gave it away. Sunnyshore has a similar lighthouse, as well."

He inclined his head with a weary smile. Every second that passed, he regretted wearing this suit.

"Howard." He pointed at himself, then jerked his head towards his Aerodactyl, who continued to sniff after Nova. "Shirley."

After a moment of deliberation, he turned to look off in the direction that held Slateport.

"I can get you to Slateport, if you'd be willing to do me a favor. No name needed."

---

Alina Hamako

Deeply respected and deeply hated, Howard thought to himself. Yet he'd keep that secret from Alina. There was no reason to explain the tale of a dead man, lost to Yveltal's clutches as he slowly became something more.

"A few ships got wrecked when Kyogre threatened to flood the region a few months ago. One crashed near a Corsola colony, and they're not particularly fond of it. I'm worried they might leave the reef behind to die." He leaned against a nearby railing, pointing out towards the mainland. "Corsola are his favorite Pokemon, so I figured this would be a good way to send him off with a smile."

And he does smile, though it's a sad thing. He peered at Dynergy-marred fingernails as his cowboy hat fluttered in the wind. A streak of white hair from a fictional Galar was tucked behind his ear as he turned to face the former lighthouse keeper.

"Diving alone is dangerous, and I'd appreciate a buddy. I've heard that people from Olivine are good swimmers. The tides there are pretty rough due to the Whirl Islands, right?" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. Deeming Alina as the perfect fit based on a stereotype was a foolish thing to do, but Howard Slayte was often as foolish as he was clever.

Besides, this seemed like a good opportunity to get this poor woman to turn around and head back to Johto. Hoenn was not a place to confront a crisis of identity and purpose.

Or maybe it was.

"What say you, Alina?" He gave her a grin as he whistled, causing Shirley to return to his side for head scratches. Those, he gave plenty of. "Fancy a bit of diving?"

---

Alina Hamako

A reasonable one, most likely. In a region full of fiends, those touched by divinity, and those who've slowly lost their way after years of war, it's a fairly reasonable guess to assume that any stranger in any town is likely broken in some way. Yet that perspective is a lonely one.

A little faith in humanity can go a long way.

"I rented one out in Slateport. Don't tell my boss, though. I used the company card." Mostly because his own card was maxed out and his personal bank account was currently in the triple digits, counting decimals. "It's not some yacht or anything, but it makes the trip easy enough, and I'm no sailor."

As Howard spoke, he leaned off of his post and gestured for the lighthouse keeper to follow him across bridges of floating logs towards the docks. Shirley, meanwhile, floated on an updraft as she attempted to snap as Wingulls. Each time she missed, she let out a yap of frustration.

Howard's lips twitched upward. Meanwhile, a small ship bobbed at the end of the dock's pier, painted remarkably well, save for the Mantine ornament placed squarely on the top of the ship's cabin. It looked ridiculous, but it gave the boat a bit of charm.

"Ah, right. Attire." Alina raised a good point, and the archaeologist snapped his fingers. "It's not super deep, so I was just going to use a Dewspider bubble as a helmet. It's ridiculous, I know, but it actually works."

It was a trick that one of Rocket's Head Scientists had taught him, and he remembered looking at Lulu as if she had discovered fire for the first time. It even worked in space, somehow? Science was hard.

"If you don't have any clothes you don't mind getting wet, I can rent out a scuba suit for you. My company card hasn't been cancelled yet."

Worst case, Gideon would yell at him and Howard would have to catch him a Vivillon or something. The museum curator was not a hard man to appease.

---

Alina Hamako

Alina was an unbeliever. Frankly, Howard didn't blame her. It was a ridiculous solution, born from a stark refusal to invest money into professional attire. In a region that prided itself on some of the strongest trainers in the world, Howard preferred practicality to effectiveness on the battlefield. All of his Pokémon followed that modus operandi.

Except for Shirley, who was his heart and soul. Her, and two Pokémon at his belt that were more comparable to walking disasters than living beings. Yet even those two cudgels had a purpose.

"Sure. I'll wait here." He nodded once at her, before giving a cheery wave. "Have fun!"

He took a deep breath, relieved that she wasn't forcing him to shell out any money. After giving Nova a look, Howard turned to Shirley, and the two had a silent conversation over the span of three seconds. Quick as a whip, the archaeologist threw off his suit and tossed it to the Aerodactyl, who quickly flew to the ship to find the admin proper attire.

It would be really funny if he was already ready before Alina emerged.

Several seconds later, she flew back with a small bag from the cabin. Howard looked around to confirm that nobody was around before swapping his suit for a pair of loose shorts and an Alolan shirt complete with Lileeps instead of flowers.

"Huh." Howard checked his broken watch for the time, before looking up, pleased with himself. "That was pretty fast!"

Whenever Alina would emerge, Howard would be in an intense conversation with a Dewpider, his back to the Johtoian whenever she emerged. His hands were splayed out slightly, describing the dimensions of the air bubble to the small insect. The spider nodded as Howard continued to speak.

"...and the air has to filter out as we breath, so we don't suffocate. You got it?"

---

Alina Hamako

This Dewpider was truly the star of the show. The lighthouse keeper was correct on that front. Like many stars, there was a chance of this star crashing down to earth.

"Yeah, we're just running through some last minute numbers. The risk is calculated, but I'm pretty good at math. We should be fine." Howard stood, refusing to acknowledge his own changing act. He gave Alina a once-over, before nodding in approval. "Looking good. It'll be a breeze. I'm worried about Corsola edges, so we'll probably thicken the bubbles a bit."

Pointy things, Corsola were. Luckily, the ones around Pacifidlog were fairly docile from Howard's experience, barring the time one had stolen his hat when he had went fishing with Temp. It was fortunate that he didn't actually miss the Rocket Beast, which he didn't. Not at all. Not even a little bit.

Oscar or Lulu would've been able to do the bubble math in their minds, but unfortunately the archaeologist's specialty was scraping enough money together for rent. He typically left the rocket science to the actual Rocket scientists.

After another moment of deliberation, the Dewpider nodded twice, before wandering towards the ship to practice the bubble technique to Howard's specifications. Howard followed the small insect, leading Alina and Nova to the ship. After fiddling with the console, rigging, and sails, he nodded again, pleased with himself.

"Wind's good." Howard put a scarred hand on his hip. "Ready to go? Got everything?"

---

Alina Hamako