Binacles were, unfortunately, assholes. As soon as they started to shift that safe, they'd start throwing hands with the duo. Silverio's frog would be an important ally in this, given Rex's lack of aquatic Pokémon to balance the tide.

Still, if they could avoid conflict for as long as possible, it'd be nice. Rex was fine with a fight, but there wasn't anything he could fight with. Training, then, would be redundant. It was best to focus on the task at hand, get his precious sandwich, and then move on with his life.

As they dove deeper, the safe shined in the darkness. Barnacles crusted over steel and iron, covering the metal life a gentle blanket. Rust spotted the safe like patches of mold, threatening to, with time, punch through the safe's thick walls and destroy the contents within.

Nearby, a hook connected to a thick cord descended alongside Rex and Silverio. A gift from above. Attack the hook to the safe and be done. Easy! As he reached for the hook, his hand brushed against a Binacle, which batted at him.

An explosion of bubbles emerged as Rex grunted in pain.

---

silverio delfino
48. Access supply drops to help assist your operation.

He shuffled back further, cringing at the sheriff's wrath as the Elite Four member clenches at him, a desperate ghoul of yesterday.

This man represents today. A past that shapes him even now. His loss is what makes him strong. It's what drives him to the pinnacle of power in this region of gods and men. That might is what will shape tomorrow, even if that tomorrow is for the next generation, not for him.

There are words that Rex could say. Yet he knows that if they fall from his lips, his chances of becoming champion go up in smoke.

He thinks them instead, his face still cringing as he does so.

Gabriel Navidson was weak.

Yet those words can never be spoken into existence. Gabe had died. Rex would not. He was like Navy, a warrior. He would be the strongest because the people of Littleroot demanded it of him.

"It's fine. I get it. I've lost people too." Littleroot wasn't a big town, but they had their own small graveyard for those lost when time bent two years ago. People that Rex would never see again lay buried there. "Can I... go?"

The sheriff unnerves him.

---

Navy

"Eheh..." Rex giggled again as Melody's Hatterene pushed the cables out of the way with a firm psychic push. As the cables fell link, the young trainer continued to cackle. "Eheheh... eh?"

He stopped suddenly, regarding Melody with the bright eyed idealization of a loving fan. She could practically see the sparkles reflected in his eyes. He was one fan out of millions, an aspiring trainer out of thousands. One that would likely be buried in the annals of history and Team Rocket's heel.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that..." He paused, thoughtful, as if attempting to organize his thoughts. "It's really hard to believe..."

His shouts echoed through Sea Mauville as he opened his mouth again.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M IN THE SAME ROOM AS THE TOP CHAMP! I CAN'T WAIT TO BEAT YOU WHEN I MAKE IT TO EVER GRANDE!"

---

Melody Miro
17. Create distractions to draw threats away from vulnerable areas.

"Don't worry, Hideo. I won't forget. I'll make sure both me and my Pokémon find a place in the world where we're satisfied. Yours, too. We're gonna put Littleroot on the map, and when that blue dragon comes back, we'll be ready. When Team Rocket comes back, we'll be ready."

Togepi looked happy with Hideo. The Gym Leader understood Pokémon. He understood the struggle of protecting something. That was why he was a Gym Leader. When had his journey started, Rex wondered.

Protect Pokémon. Love Pokémon.

"That's why we're here, isn't it? Making sure that everything here is a-okay, yeah? It's good practice, too." He scooped up Togepi. "You're a good person for helping out, Hideo. Our battle is gonna rock."

Rex's eyes were fervent as he stared at Hideo, an expression lost in the gaze of the blind.

"You mind if I get going? There's a safe I gotta salvage soon, I think. Blobbert and Beheeyem did much of the work."

---

Hideo Kino

He would return home to Littleroot, one day. Yet...

"I can't. Not yet, Hideo." Rex's voice was soft and distant as he looked at the horizon. He stuffed his hands into his pocket, his voice contemplative as he spoke. In his mind, he saw Littleroot burning. "It's not time yet."

He caressed Togepi's spiky head and smiled. Togepi waggled his fingers and reached up for Rex's hand, though the young trainer pulled his hand away before Togepi could touch his hand.

"You'll be last. The final Gym Leader I fight before I walk up to Ever Grande and become the strongest trainer in the world. My first and last, my alpha and my omega."

The only way to be strong was to battle. Rex needed it. He craved it. That was why Hideo had to be last.

All roads cycled back to the beginning.

---

Hideo Kino

"Yeah, and I need this key. Come on, you fat little—" Rex throttled his Munchlax again until it Spat Up the key, which hit the trainer in the eye. He fell backwards, groaning, before shaking his head in annoyance and running towards the door. "We're gonna live!"

He forced the key into the lock and twisted, rust grinding against ancient steel as Rex struggled with the door. Of course Sea Mauville hadn't updated its infrastructure in decades. Stupid nature preserve.

"C'mon... I ain't drowning here. I've got so much to live for!" He looked at Roy. "And you, I guess."

He slammed his body against the door. It groaned slightly, rust falling from the hinges. He did it again, and it continued to groan. Meanwhile, Munchlax waddled up to the door and waggled his finger, causing a Metronome to trigger.

The door exploded off its hinges.

Rex blinked once, that worked.

"Nice." He started running through the hall as more water rushed in. "C'mon, Roy! Let's hustle!"

---

Roy Aker
43. Force open a locked or barricaded door to access a critical area.

"Hm." Rex shuffled from foot to foot, awkward next to the younger Gym Leader. He was so well put together. So mature. So... in control. Had sight deprived him of his chance to be a kid, or had Hoenn done that to him? It had certainly done it to Rex. "And if that big blue dragon shows up again?"

In Hideo's arms, the Togepi's wagging grew in frequency and intensity, and a Metronome began to brew. In the oil slick, a bright light glowed.

'Toge!'

Metronome. Nearby, a large pile of oil-slicked Spheals were teleported to safety. Black oil fluttered from their bodies as they shook the toxic spill off, before chattering at Hideo and Rex in appreciation.

"I'm gonna beat you, y'know." Rex looked at Hideo and his Togepi. "I'm gonna get your badge and challenge the Pokémon League and prove that I'm the strongest. That way, nobody in Littleroot will have to rely exclusively on you."

The inhuman need to battle.

---

Hideo Kino
06. Use non-lethal methods to calm or capture rogue pokemon.

Ah, Roze was a fellow gambler as well. She too tried to sup from the greatness known as Metronome, but she had failed to gamble in a way that was productive. As an experienced trainer, Rex clapped his colleague on the shoulder and clucked his tongue, shaking his head as he did so.

"Oh, silly Roze. This is what separates the great Metronomers from the poor ones. You gotta seize the moment. You gotta want it. You gotta feel the opportunity, and you gotta be willing to reach out and take it." Rex smiled as he looked from his protégé to his foot, where a Togepi waddled around. "This is the greatest Metronomer in the world!"

'toge toge!'

Togepi waggled its fingers fervently as it began to Metronome. Its Metronome turned into an Ice Beam that struck the pipe, freezing it solid.

"Eh? Eh?" Rex waggled his eyebrows. "Isn't Togepi the greatest?"

---

Roze Falkner

"I dunno." Rex shrugged. "Maybe there are women in there."

The door creaked open. There were not.

For a moment, Rex didn't reply. His gaze wandered the restroom like a demon infringing upon Eden. This was a world that no man had or would ever see again. He was here temporarily and with a purpose, but that did not mean that he belonged here. His eyes landed on pipes dripping water from the ceiling, resulting in clear liquid pooling at their feet.

Mighty inconvenient. The Sea Mauville folks could've at least left a decades-old wet floor sign in here as a contingency. It was rude of them not to. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, he supposed.

"I'm good. Just preparing to live out my life in prison when we make it back up to the surface." He was far too honest. A verified boy scout and battle junkie. "It feels wrong being here. It's exactly as I imagined it."

Like the men's restroom, but with no urinals.

"Let's see..." By Rex's feet, a Togepi followed him, demanding uppies. He eventually complied and scooped the egg up and held him close. "I'm not a kid, y'know. I can drink! I can adult."

With the pouty expression and the Togepi waggling nubby arms, that claim continued to crumble. He was more of a teen pretending at adulthood. The classic 'Pokémon Trainer' complex.

---

AIRI WATANABE
03. Address environmental hazards.

She deserved it. She had messed with Togepi.

Such a crime was paramount to treason against the Pokémon League. Calliope refusing to apologize to the little fellow meant that she probably kicked Growlithes for fun or something equally heinous.

"Wrong! I'm gonna be the champion! The strongest trainer of all time!" She was too close, and not in a good way. Each line of scarring, each tortured wound reflected in Rex's eye.

All he felt was repulsion.

"That's why..." Togepi's fingers kept wagging. "I'm gonna reach the top!"

The Metronome triggered, and Calliope was Teleported to the top deck of Sea Mauville where rangers ran around, evacuating staff and Pokémon.

---

Calliope Marks
01. Escort a group of workers or non-combatants to safety.

"I'll have you know that I gave a total hottie my number recently." It had been an autograph for keiko mori, but there had been a number scrawled on it. "And the people in Littleroot disagree! I'm super popular! More than you, anyway!"

He squirmed against her wrist, surprised by Calliope's raw strength. For someone who looked like they had lost a fight with a pot of hot oil, she had a remarkable grip. If she used it to give hugs instead of assaulting people, she'd be far cooler in Rex's book.

"You're scared I'll win! You're just a bully. All talk, no fight!"

The Metronome continued to build.

"Lemme go!"

---

Calliope Marks
41. Secure corners and blind spots to ensure the area is safe to act in.

He stared at the vindictive witch masquerading in human skin.

"That's. It. You're the worst!" Rex pointed a finger at the scarred woman with a mixture of wrath and contempt. His finger trembled as he pointed at Kanto's fallen star. "No wonder you look like shit, you're rotten from the inside out!"

'Toge toge!'

From the vent above, Togepi waggled its finger in agreement. The trained eye would notice a Metronome building, but unfortunately Rex only had eyes for the woman in front of him.

"Battle me! Right now! I'll kick your ass!"

---

Calliope Marks
27. Handle encounters with hostile individuals or pokemon.

"He's not a thing! He's a little guy!" Rex protested as Togepi waggled his fingers at Calliope. The younger trainer, meanwhile, rushed to Togepi's aid as Calliope proclaimed the innocent creature as little more than a nuisance. "Don't be mean to him!"

Togepi's eyes widened as the egg used Baby Doll Eyes to prove Rex's point. The duo looked pleadingly into the ex-champ's gaze, as if a few stares could warm her frozen heart.

"You gotta apologize! Apologize to Togepi!" Rex insisted, shaking his head earnestly. "Apologize!"

---

Calliope Marks
24. Offer emotional support to those affected.