[attr="class","monty"]He was getting the hang of this. Maybe. So, Montgomery decided to continue the harder trick, perhaps landing it another time or two before moving to something more difficult.

"PRIMARINA TWIST!"

[attr="class","montytag"]attempting primarina twist

[attr="class","monty"]"Good idea."

With the help of her WOOPER, the SHARPEDO was finally able to break through the hinges of the door, opening the submerged area to the two leaguers. Montgomery waved his hand at her.

"Scout ahead. Make sure there's not danger before we get ourselves in there." The shark Pokemon swam forward, confirming the area was abandoned except for a few straggling Pokemon.

"We should be close to the stuff we need."

[attr="class","montytag"]Eris Halla | 14. ensure the area is safe from remaining threats

[attr="class","monty"]Anger consumed Howard like flames burning fuel. His words were meant to throw daggers of poisonous accusation and detriment his way. He was fucking angry, and in a normal person, it would frighten them.

However, Montgomery James was not a normal man.

Seeing Howard give a shit about something and light his fire made him laugh wildly, cackling like he'd lost his mind. He laughed so hard that he nearly lost his breath.

"There it is. That's the damn fire I wanna see! You keep that up, and yer gonna make it far, kid." Praise was most certainly not what the grad student would expect.

"This place will become another desolate tomb. It will fall back into ruins once we leave it. We do what we needta do to survive. Got it? Now help me with this coffin," he said, leaning down to examine the gold-plated container.

[attr="class","montytag"]howard slayte | past - unova

[attr="class","monty"]Montgomery was exhausted. With the oncoming war, the crisis in Sea Mauville, and keeping Dewford protected, the deputy hardly had a chance to breathe for himself. His muscles ached with strain of day to day work.

He was beginning to wonder if he'd only get a good night's sleep when he was dead.

It certainly wasn't now, since he had been called to check out a suspicious break in at some sort of computer cafe in Mauville City. With other officers in Sea Mauville, he took the case.

Parking his car, he approached the doors of the cafe before silently walking in. There, he spotted a masked individual and a CENTISKORTCH.

"Freeze! Stop what you're doin', now."

[attr="class","montytag"]Helena Hawthorne | data leak

[attr="class","monty"]That comment only earned Navy a side eye. He decided not to press the matter, since they had more important things to do. But he wondered... was that really what kept morale up?

Kinda dumb.

Navy's Pokemon joined BRELOOM in clearing up the debris. However, it was an odd color, painted over the previous metal coating. "That thing looks right out of space thriller," he pointed out before going in to get his hands dirty.

Once there was space, Montgomery was able to start pulling pieces of debris out of the way himself as well, exposing the trapped civilians. He offered a hand, pulling one up. "Thank you! But that woman, she's hurt! I don't know if she can move!"

"Navy, can ya signal for medical personnel?"

[attr="class","montytag"]Navy

[attr="class","monty"]Annoyance flared through Montgomery's body as Howard decided that now he could stop hiding. Once the big, scary ghost was gone, all thanks to his hard work and none of the archaeologist's.

Only after he claimed to almost forgive him did the Rocket snap.

"Oh, really? I'm so sorry, yer majesty. Maybe next time, I'll let the COFAGRIGUS swallow ya whole! It'd save me a whole lotta headachin'!" he snapped, grabbing Howard by the front of his shirt and pushing him back against the rocky wall of the tomb.

"Next time, I let ya die. I don't care how valuable you may be. You are a worthless piece of shit to just cower behind me. What'd I tell ya? Fight! Be a fuckin' man! You ain't gonna get no where in this world actin' like this."

He released his shirt, spitting on the sandy ground as he approached the coffin.

"Pathetic."

[attr="class","montytag"]howard slayte | past - unova

[attr="class","monty"]Montgomery released a hefty, barking laugh. It wasn't to dismiss his words, but he found it ironic that Navy made such a claim.

"Navy. You hired an ex-Rocket as your fuckin' deputy. You ain't the only bad man in the world," he pointed out, crossing his arms across his chest as he regarded him from the corner of his eye.

He sighed, though a twisting smirk still stayed on his lips. "We do stupid shit for the ones we care about. You won't be the first, and you won't be the last. How do ya think I ended up with the gangsters and Rocket back home?"

However, Navy did have a point. Montgomery hadn't considered how many other people may be doing crime for the same reason he had. "We're selfish creatures. We wanna see the world in black and white. In reality, there's all sorts of grays in between. I understand what you mean. That don't mean we're always the ones in the right either, though, does it?" he asked.

League individuals who wanted to see destruction just as much as Rocket did existed, hidden under the armor of patriotism and loyalty. "If you 'n me can save even one person, it'll be worth it. Ya kept the door open for this fool."

He turned his gaze back to the SKARMORIES, who seemed to have settled together in a sort of make-shift nest. "What are ya gonna do with them?"

[attr="class","montytag"]Navy | before the first wave

[attr="class","monty"]Now that he had successfully landed two LANTURN 360S, Montgomery decided perhaps he'd try a new move. His confidence was growing. Surely he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of all of Hoenn.

Right?

"PRIMARINA TWIST!"

[attr="class","montytag"]attempting primarina twist

[attr="class","monty"]Did... did Andrea Vaneau just put that TM in there? Montgomery had to make sure that he was seeing things correctly before shaking his head, going back under and finding himself another piece of treasure.

[attr="class","montytag"]clamperl diving

[attr="class","monty"]Montgomery took off from Mossdeep as soon as he'd laid ameena abadi to rest, ensuring that she was safe before he vanished.

"I wish this could have been different, sweetheart."

Deep inside his chest, his heart ached. Not only did he leave behind what could have been, but he had to leave the charred remains of SKARMORY behind as he set sights for SOOTOPOLIS. It appeared that the fighting was still ongoing, as he hopped from the back of his SHARPEDO.

Water splashed around him, crashing waves as he recalled his Pokemon and took off into the fray. The smell of sea salt and smoke filled his nostrils.

"The water's too high..." he noticed, spotting earth-structured bridges beginning to form across the water. What he and Navy feared was coming to pass. The citizens of the city were in danger. And not only that. There was...

"KYOGRE."

Through the pelting rain, Montgomery spotted an onslaught of attacks on the beast of legend, whereas other people were fending off the attacks. It was utter chaos. And in the middle of it, he spotted him. Navy unsheathed his sword, now wielding it as a bow, and attacking the Pokemon. However, someone raised their sword, threatening to bring it down.

"Navy!" the deputy shouted, his pistol drawn with the speed of lightning. Without hesitation, he fired, straight and true toward Aoki Hana in an attempt to disable her. Then he charged, running across wet rock.

He recalled the sheriff's plea: "if you can keep from killing the Rockets, do so."

"Get outta here! You and ZACIAN needta go!"

[attr="class","montytag"]Navy & Aoki Hana
- landed on D2 from Mossdeep
- noticing the water rising
- spots Navy attacking KYOGRE and Aoki Hana attacking Navy: shoots to disable Aoki from attacking him so Navy and ZACIAN can continue onward

[attr="class","monty"]"Stop tryin' to make me soft," Montgomery muttered, though he was even more tempted at the preface that there was a game that he could probably master as easily as he did his gunslinging.

SKARMORY returned in a matter of moments, cawing into the air. The fact that he circled and turned back toward the direction he'd flown in was a sign that he'd spotted something.

"Let's follow. He's seen somethin' distressing enough to come back and get us." Montgomery jogged under his Pokemon's shadow, the shadow from above giving the appearance that he had wings of his own.

SKARMORY led them to one of the collapsed buildings, where he heard pleas for help. "They're trapped." He released BRELOOM, indicating for her to chop away at the debris. She did so with a resounding BRICK BREAK.

[attr="class","montytag"]Navy | 02. locate and free any trapped individuals

[attr="class","monty"]Montgomery couldn't help but laugh loudly at Howard as he coward back in fear from the pistols in his hands. What, did he think he was gonna fucking shoot him? As tempting as it sounded, he needed the grad student, and he served better purpose breathing than laying on the dusty ground in a pool of blood.

"What? That thing? It wouldn't take any damage from my bullets. Surely ya know that, smart ass. I'm givin' us time to get around it."

It also gave his Pokmeon a chance to regroup. Since Howard's Pokemon took the privilege of setting up defenses, Montgomery and company would attack. "Kill that thing," he ordered.

KROOKODILE attacked first, snapping his jaws in another FOUL PLAY. Meanwhile, GOLETT stayed behind the defenses to attack with several of its own SHADOW BALLS.

[attr="class","montytag"]howard slayte | past - unova

[attr="class","monty"]"That's... strange. Yet it sounds cool. We didn't have all this sort of shit back in Unova. I'm still gettin' used to some of the things you Hoenn folk have figured out." Take the ILLUMINA phenomena, for example. He still didn't completely get that.

But, if it made his Pokemon stronger... why wouldn't he use it?

"I don't do much ranger things. I'm an officer at the Dewford Police Department. Navy's deputy."

[attr="class","montytag"]robin coello | capture attempt growlithe