Locke shifted from side to side with anticipation. In the almost five years he’d been in Hoenn, he’d never once set foot in its Safari.

And why would he? He wasn’t really a collector, and even if he was, the cost of entry was too high when he could just go out and try his luck in the wilds for free.

Still, a small shiver of excitement ran up their spine as they handed over the raffle-won ticket to the attendant; the thrill of doing something new following them into the Safari proper.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

”’T’. Though I’m guessing it looks different to you, like how mine still says ‘I’ for me.”

Locke thought for a bit, trying to put together an explanation that sounded less crazy than it actually was, then realized he would probably look like les of an insane person if he actually introduced himself.

”I’m Locke, by the way.” Not that the other man was likely to remember that once this conversation was over.

”Have you seen any other charms? Like yours or mine?”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke raised a hand to his mouth, choking back the bile that rose with the memory. ”Martin,” he breathed, as though the other man needed reminding.

Belatedly, Locke remembered their previous meeting with Hideo Kino, and the unique way the charms presented themselves to him. They quickly glanced between the Mysterious Charms among the group, reading aloud for the younger boy’s benefit. ”Ah, I think they’re all the same letter. Though, I only see ‘T’…”

They frowned. Scanned the charms again. ”Wait. What about these?” They held up their phone, Unusual Charm swaying with the motion. ”And where’s the other one? With the, uh-The yellow…” Locke waved their free hand over their head, trying to mimic the helmet-like shape of Uxie’s crest.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

”The whole league, huh? That’s gonna be a lot of work. The gym leaders here are used to some pretty crazy stuff, so they’re a bit tougher than most.” John Sullivan and Alexei Ivanov quickly came to mind. Locke thought of them as good friends, but thinking of their positions within the league reminded him of the vast difference in their skill levels.

They took a moment to really take in the other man’s build again. He seemed well-toned, if a bit on the thinner side, though their experiences with paxton concordas told them one could hide a lot of muscle underneath a pretty face.

”Pokéathlon…Pro or not, though, that’s...”

Don’t say hot don’t say hot don’t say hot.

”Neat.”

Dammit.

Locke clung to the change of subject like a life line. ”Yeah! The water routes between Pacifidlog and Ever Grande have a lot of great spots if you can get to them. I could even give you a ride!”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

The group was starting to move again, and Eris Halla still seemed out of sorts. Gently, Locke took the young girl’s hand and led her behind the others until, finally, they found themselves free of the mists and entering what could only be described as a world beneath the world.

Locke stood in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to take in the impossibly-lush landscape before him. His attention was pulled away again as Hideo Kino spoke up, reminding him that the boy was without his usual Beheeyem companion.

”Um, I think so? There’s some kind of forest down here, and something on the ceiling’s making a lot of light, but it’s too bright for me to see. And there’s fossil Pokémon everywhere. Like, living ones.” It reminded him a lot of his brief time inside the Tree of Life in Sootopolis, and he immediately pulled out his phone to take pictures for priam conrad once he had a solid signal again.

They put their phone away again a few minutes into the much-needed break, just as paxton concordas approached their little party with treats of his own. ”Thank you,” they said, putting as much appreciation behind the words as they could before digging in.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke’s smile faltered for a split second, before he smoothed his expression back into something casual. ”Ah, no, unfortunately not,” he said without further elaboration. Too much of a downer, that one.

Toshiaki was quick to change the subject at least. ”Once, but I traded it away the first chance I got,” they admitted sheepishly. ”I’m not a very experienced trainer, so naturally aggressive Pokémon like that are a real hassle for me.”

Locke floundered a bit for a follow-up question to keep the conversation going, until they finally landed back on the out of region comment. ”So I take it you’re not a native, either?”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

This was probably a bad idea.

Locke wasn’t exactly in a good place for romance, what with the homelessness and impending apocalypse and all. His mother had bullied him into signing up for this ages ago though, and he needed to at least keep up the appearance of functioning alright on his own for her sake.

But the athletic-looking man at the table was definitely going to make that difficult.

”It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Locke, and this is Koro-Koro.” They extended their hand out to Toshiaki, while their Woobat flitted up to the other Pokémon and greeted it with a wide grin.

The other man didn’t waste any time at least, and Locke was thankful for the easy icebreaker. ”It’s not very interesting, but I run a small delivery service in the region. I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies these days cause of it, but I like to go fishing every now and again,” they answered nervously, painfully aware of how boring it made them sound and eager to pass the ball back to their partner.

”Do you have a favorite Pokémon?”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz