Team Rocket. A bunch of wanton criminals, much like the mustache twirling villains in the films Navy had watched when he was young. They were evil and vindictive, but it hardly mattered.

When he met them on the field, Rex would win. No better practice than to wage war on the battlefield.

Littleroot had been a battlefield where war had been waged and time had turned lucid. Rex recalled the rusty screech of iron hinges from the locker he was hidden in, the faceless rangers that had pulled him from the rubble when the battle was won. When he had looked around for survivors, there had been fewer friends that he had started with.

It was a small town. A podunk. Hideo Kino did the best he could, but everyone knew each other and that made every death hurt slightly more.

"I won't die." His voice was firm, ambitious, arrogant. He shook his head once as he shuffled backwards, allowing the sheriff room to shuffle back the way he came. "I'll win."

How many trainers had told Navy those same words before coming home in shrouds?

---

Navy

Strength is a mantra. It is the only mantra that matters. It is the only prowess the world accepts.

People could be spoken down with soft words and firm ideals. Pokémon could be tamed with kindness and might. But you could not talk to a mountain, convince a wave to stop raging, appeal to the emotions of a blaze. Strength made them all bend and fold to the will of the one who held power. People and Pokémon were the same.

I will be strong.

There was no need to justify it.

Still, he tries to. Navy is one of the strongest trainers in the region, likely the world. He is mighty, but his might has been tempered by age and experience. So instead, he utters a word.

"Littleroot." He pauses thoughtfully. "Gotta be strong for them."

---

Navy

He seriously considered nudging the wobbly head to determine its consistency. As close and tempting as Charles's head was, Rex suspected that Elise would issue a royal decree and lop off his hand if he dared touch the thing dreams were made of.

Thus, he stayed his hand.

"It's fine, don't worry. I wouldn't dare make Calyrex sully his little hands. He's too cute to put to work." Besides, impressing a princess came with numerous benefits. Maybe he could become a duke or something in Galar and rule over all the poor people. Once he became champion, of course. "Aha!"

A locked door barred their path. Rather than let Elise handle it with her numerous Pokemon, Rex simply kicked the door down.

"HYAH!" He hit it once, twice, and it finally fell off its hinges on the third strike.

---

Elise Calcifet
43. Force open a locked or barricaded door to access a critical area.

Being forced into a women's restroom by some five foot nothing Gym Leader wasn't on Rex's checklist, but he had never felt more violated in this precise moment. A Gym Leader was breaking the rules, and not only that, she was making him an accomplice.

"WAIT WAIT WAI-" His protests are cut off as the door slams behind him and Tsubaki. The restroom is, put simply, filled with snakes. They dangle from the stalls, from the lights, from the holes in the ceiling and walls. Despite this, it's still somehow cleaner than half of the gas station bathrooms Rex had seen on his journey.

The ones he had seen in Slateport? Abhorrent.

"I'm not supposed to be in here!" Rex hissed down at her, his eyes flicking around the room. The snakes were secondary to defiling social norms, even if those social norms hadn't been enforced in this room for the past sixty years, give or take. "Do you want me to get arrested? Idiot!"

The Ekans began to sway as Rex fumed.

---

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki
03. Address environmental hazards.

"Most people shouldn't give up just because they grow up." Rex said defensively as he slowly drowns in a vent filling with paper files. There's a lot here, like employment lists, budgets, accounting tables. Loads of stuff that doesn't matter to Rex. "And the best way to get stronger is to take the Gym Challenge and make it to the champ."

He wasn't Kyle. He wasn't Matias. He wasn't Melody. But they hadn't been the people they were now when they started their journey. They had simply been the ones who had committed.

If he kept going, he'd make it too.

That was what it meant to be a champ.

"I've got a purpose. A reason to do what I do. Didya think you'd end up as Elite Four when you started out?" Kyle had a purpose when he started, but when you climbed all the steps to the top, all you could do was look down. Rex would keep looking up. Keep climbing. Push the boundaries. "I'm gonna be the strongest."

He repeats it again. A mantra uttered in the films of old.

---

Navy
28. Recover essential resources or items.

Oh, she was a she? Damn. Hopefully the big dog didn't get upset at him for misgendering her. That sword looked surprisingly sharp.

"It's a one of a kind fight. Where else am I gonna find a big dog that wields a sword? I'm fresh out of Lycanrocs and Honedges. You're telling me that fighting her isn't something incredible to remember?" Rex peered through the cracked vent as he spoke, his eyes spotting the broken microwave sparking in the corner. "Besides, if I'm gonna be a champion one day, gotta practice. Gotta be the best."

Gotta be like kyle lopez.

Most of the Elite Four's Pokémon were iconic. Rex had once seen a Hattori mug for sale in a gas station in Oldale. The frog wasn't as dear to Rex's heart as Hideo Kino's Beheeyem, but someone had to rep Littleroot.

"Means that when I get up to Ever Grande, I'll beat you too. Don't you forget it!" Ignoring the fact that his badge case was empty, a war was going on, and the challenge had been temporarily suspended. "I told my neighbors we'd be champs, one day."

---

Navy
03. Address environmental hazards.

How many great trainers ended up as mail couriers?

A small number, Rex suspected. It didn't really offer many opportunities to practice or train for Pokémon battling. Yeah, Team Rocket occasionally tried their hardest to intercept supply lines and post in an attempt to swipe valuables, but that was a rare occurrence.

If he was gonna be the best, he needed a lot of practice.

"See, knew you wouldn't turn me down. You recognize my potential! Real recognizes real and all that." He gave a winning smile as he patted his pockets down for a piece of paper in his pocket. Eventually, he found a receipt from that time he had crashed in a crummy Slateport hotel. "Here ya go..."

His penwork was remarkably clean and flowery. He signed the receipt with 'Althus Rex' and a phone number.

"If you need help, call me!" Rex ran over to the Togekiss and Togepi. "If it's you who calls, I might even pick up!"

He grabbed his Togepi with both hands and kissed its spiky forehead.

"For now, I gotta keep helping people out. Stay safe. Now c'mon Togepi..." His expression held all the love in the world for the small egg Pokémon. "Gimme a good Metronome!"

With a waggle of a finger, the Togepi Teleported him and Rex away.

---

keiko mori

She had laughed. He had won.

Even if it had been a pity laugh, he still had it. Even if the whole unemployment thing wasn't a joke, it had been delivered as one. He was a master of humor, knowledgeable in a thousand different ways. Everyone from Littleroot to Lilycove swooned when Althus Rex passed them by.

"Why wouldn't I? You guys were in trouble, right? What kind of loser doesn't help when a cute chick calls for aid?" He put his hands on his hips. Behind him, the Togepi was now atop the Togekiss, having somehow used Metronome to Teleport onto its back. "I'm unemployed, not a scoundrel."

His face darkened for a moment, before his scowl lifted.

"Call me Althus, and I'm gonna be Hoenn's next champion!" He pointed at himself again, beaming. "I also do autographs. Want one? It'll be worth a lot when I'm famous."

---

keiko mori

Keiko, her Pelipper, and Rex's Togepi had saved the day today, yet she was thanking the Amighty Sinnoh? What even was that? Some sort of baseball team?

Rex couldn't help but feel a little bit miffed.

"Ranger?" The young trainer laughed and poked his thumb towards his chest, beaming as he did so. As the fire smoldered around them, he struck a brave figure, full of light and power. "No, no. I'm..."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled. In the background, the Togepi danced alongside the Togekiss in some abhorrent waltz.

"Unemployed."

---

keiko mori

Oh, she wanted to put the fire out? Damn. He hadn't brought any Water-type Pokémon. He had a Trapinch, but what the hell was he gonna do? Throw sand at the fire and pray? Could Trapinch pray? All Rex's tended to do was burrow and hide.

Still, defeating this Blaziken would likely work. The boulders thrown by the Rock Tomb had already shifted due to the Blaziken's immense strength, and it looked mighty pissed. Combined with the blaze, this was looking like remarkably dire straits. Still, that wouldn't stop him.

He'd need to find a way if he was gonna impress this chick.

"Not to worry! Check this out!" Rex grinned as he pointed at Togepi as it begun to waggle its fingers. "Togepi will save us!"

'toge toge!'

They were fucked. Still, Togepi continued to waggle, eventually producing a Metronome at its fingertips. As the Blaziken ran forward, all Rex could do was pray for a Water-type attack to stifle the wildfire.

'pi!'

The Metronome resolved as Togepi clapped its small arms together. With a flash of light, a Hyper Beam sent the Blaziken flying into the stratosphere.

---

keiko mori
27. Handle encounters with hostile individuals or pokemon.

In the short time that Rex had been assigned to the Top Champion, he had said about nine whole words before muttering to himself in a mixture of delirium and bashfulness. The pop idol looked as at home at Sea Mauville as Rex did at a M.M rave party. Still, that didn't stop the young trainer from looking at Melody and looking away when she looked back.

"Eheheh... Top Champ..." Rex giggled to himself as they descended deeper into the preserve. There were supposed to be a handful of people stuck in a men's restroom somewhere. With the entrance blockaded by rubble, assistance was desperately needed. "Eheheh..."

A simple task made difficult by Rex's unprofessionalism. He gave her another look, before turning away and shaking in excitement.

Sparking wires dangled overhead as they descended. Rex made a point to bob and weave around them.

---

Melody Miro
03. Address environmental hazards.

Sea Mauville was sinking. A nature preserve was sinking and they had dedicated two trainers to sweeping up an office space that had allegedly been turned into a preserve for Litwick. Why were Fire-type Pokemon taking refuge into a once-boat, Rex didn't know. He was a trainer, not a professor.

To make matters worse, the key to the room had been eaten by Rex's Munchlax as he had descended into the depths. It had been super embarrassing, but it wasn't about how you fell, but about how you picked yourself up and kept going.

"Alright, it's fine. I've got this." Rex eyed the locked door beadily, before turning to regard Tsuru. There was no way in hell he was going to look bad in front of some middle-aged mystic, lest she cast some voodoo curse on him or something. "I've done this before."

With a shout, he lunged forward, throwing himself against the door and sending it crashing to the floor. The office space behind it was filled with white candles, old books, and other various knickknacks. In the corner, one stood out.

---

Mitsuru Kagami
43. Force open a locked or barricaded door to access a critical area.

"Dammit, Munchlax! Why'd you have to eat the key? You oaf!"

The argument between Rex and his Munchlax would've been infinitely funnier if he and Roy weren't in a room slowly filling with water. Sea Mauville groaned slightly as it tipped slightly in the water, sending Sea Mauville branded mugs and cupholders crashing against the floor as the preserve continued to shift.

A Charizard pen fell into the water before Roy's eyes, lost to the ocean forevermore.

"You stupid! All we managed to get was this hard drive!" Rex bonked his Munchlax on the head with it in annoyance. The key was needed for a padlocked fire escape that had been designated a safe habitat for Binacle. Whoever had locked a fire escape of all things deserved to be shot.

"Spit it out! C'mon, spit it out!" Rex throttled the Munchlax. "You tub of lard!"

---

Roy Aker
45. Retrieve important hard drives from Sea Mauville computers.