[center][u][h2]Mauville City[/h2][/u][/center]

Rai wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see upon arriving to the outskirts of Mauville City. The irrational part of him was somewhat hoping for some massive sign in bight neon lights that would point the way to his objective so he could get this errand of Dicky’s done and over with. The less time he had to deal with the Pit Boss, the better, and the sooner he could be back on the trail of his own quarry.

Well, even if he had stumbled upon the sign he needed, the lights would have been just as dark as a good section of the city. The sun was still in the sky, but certainly wouldn’t be for much longer, and there were a number of people trying to start generators, or coaxing a wide array of electric types to give backup batteries enough of a charge to last through the night. To him, it seemed like a rather ramshackle setup, all thrown together at the last minute in order to cobble together some working power gird to make up for the obvious lack of a working one. Outages were common enough in the more rural areas of Johto, though it seemed odd for such a large city like this. Didn’t they have some better backup plan than the same, chugging generators back home? He thought Hoenn was supposed to be some hotbed for technological advancement.

Oh well. Not his problem. The Rangers would fumble around long enough to maintain some semblance of order until the power came back on. Besides, he wasn’t here to worry about their problems anyway. His stomach rumbled and growled at him, almost in tandem with Kye’s, reminding him that they’d had nothing to eat but a few berries the pidgeys hadn’t gotten to yet along the side of the route. The only problem was, Rai had enough loose change in his pockets for maybe a pack of gum.  Hardly enough to get a meal for either of them. Rai frowned, looking down at his pokemon who was doing his damndest to not look every bit as hungry as Rai knew he had to be. Battles were always quick cash, but Rai didn’t have any to even stake on one. And begging was a quick way to get the attention of the Rangers. Street performers were one thing, but his experience had taught him that people preferred to think anyone desperate enough to ask for money didn’t deserve it in the first place.

It wasn’t until Rai spotted someone hauling out a sack of trash to a nearby disposal, grumbling all the while about the lack of power and spoiling food that the idea even hit him. The whole section of the city was without power. Surely there had to be a restaurant or two nearby forced to throw out food thanks to the outage? Not everyone had an electric type or a generator after all, right? Dumpster diving wasn’t exactly the most glamorous way to get a meal, but with no money and no other options, it was far better than going hungry. Besides, people threw out perfectly good stuff all the time, he reasoned as he turned down one darkened street, this couldn’t be any different.

It might have helped some if he’d known where he was, however. The first two blocks were nothing but little shops and boutiques, all with little handwritten signs in the windows politely asking for cash-only purchases or apologizing for being closed. Specialty pokeballs, contest items and outfits and a plethora of other shops Rai wouldn’t have set foot in even if he did have the money. Even so, more than once he did find himself standing in front of one of those plate glass windows wishing for the sleek new backpack proudly draped across a mannequin’s back, or for a pair of running shoes that didn’t have more holes than stitches. His mother would have been appalled to see the state of his clothes. Every hair on her head used to stand on end those days he came home covered in dirt and sand, screaming after him to get in the tub-

[color=b3f7ad]“Young man!”[/color]

Rai nearly jumped out of his skin and fell back through the window he’d been staring into, as he turned and came face to face with a stern-looking Ranger he’d utterly failed to notice. The Manectric at her side sat obediently at her heels, looking every bit as formal as his trainer, while Kye snorted a puff of smoke in irritation at the electric-type’s proximity.

[color=b3f7ad]“Behave.”[/color] Rai hissed quietly to his pokemon, giving Kye a light nudge.

[color=b3f7ad]“You are aware this sector of the city is without power, are you not?”[/color] The Ranger eyed Rai head to toe with a dubious look written all over her face.

[color=b3f7ad]“I actually just got into town a little while ago.”[/color] Rai admitted, trying to look as sheepish as he could, [color=b3f7ad]“A friend of mine told me there was a restaurant around here I needed to try while I was in town and I guess I just got turned around.”[/color] Well, it wasn’t entirely untrue. She seemed to buy it though, and her firm scowl lessened a bit, but didn’t vanish entirely.

[color=b3f7ad]“Most businesses are closing early due to the outage.”[/color] She said, [color=b3f7ad]“You may not have heard if you’re just getting in, the Rangers will be enforcing a curfew after dark. If you don’t have specific business in this part of the city, I’d highly suggest you keep moving on.”[/color]

[color=b3f7ad]“I understand.”[/color] Rai nodded, trying to keep his tone polite, [color=b3f7ad]“Sorry to have caused you any trouble, ma’am. I’ll find my way out of your hair right away.”[/color]

He expected her to dismiss him or direct him out of the area with a warning and move along, but her eyes stayed fixed on him for several long seconds, until Rai wanted to look anywhere but right at her. Her scowl became a confused frown, as her brows knit together for a moment as she continued to stare at him.

[color=b3f7ad]“You seem familiar, young man.”[/color] She finally said, making Rai’s empty stomach drop into his shoes, [color=b3f7ad]“That accent doesn’t sound like you’re from Hoenn. Do you have your trainer card with you?”[/color]

[color=b3f7ad]“Actually ma’am, I’m waiting for a new one.”[/color] Rai lied, his heart feeling like it was swelling to occupy the space left behind by his stomach. This Ranger wasn’t some fresh faced newbie, and he wasn’t about to run the risk this woman was well informed enough to keep track of the goings on of Rangers beyond her jurisdiction. He gestured over his shoulder at his ratty and torn backpack and a few semi visible bruises from the night before. [color=b3f7ad]“I was a bit careless last night and set up camp near a Deerling trail. Most of my gear is in pieces at the moment, so I came here to reregister. I just thought I’d kill some time while I waited.”[/color]

[color=b3f7ad]“Hm.”[/color]  She folded her arms in front of her, scrutinizing him for a moment more, before she gestured out behind her, [color=b3f7ad]“The Bouffalant Buffet is down that way, and I think they’re the only ones still open. Just make sure you clear out before the curfew takes effect.”[/color]

[color=b3f7ad]“Right, thank you.”[/color] Rai nodded, heading in the direction she pointed doing everything he could to not take off at a dead run just in case she had any more questions. He expected her to follow him or to turn a corner and run into another Arceus-be-damned Ranger at any moment and have to start the whole heart-pounding process all over again.

He inwardly cursed at himself as he hurried along. This was the second time in two days. Why the hell would ANYONE in Hoenn have a solitary clue who he was?! The instant he had enough money, he was going to dye his hair or something, because at this rate, someone was bound to recognize him as more than a familiar face or name. Rai was so intent on putting more distance between him and the Ranger, he nearly missed the gaudy looking restaurant sign that should have been bright enough to light the entire street. Everything looked locked up and quiet, scuttling his hopes at maybe scavenging a bit to eat, when several muffled voices pulled his attention to a small door propped open just enough for him to peer down the access corridor.

Sure enough, two sour-faced workers were lobbing sack after sack out into a rolling bin waiting just outside the side door, to the point where the cart was nearly ready to overflow. Kye’s nose was twitching next to him, as his pokemon whined softly at being so very close to the best meal they had in days. Rai quietly eased the door open a little more, doing his best to stay on the other side of it where he wouldn’t be seen, but could still keep an eye on the two loading up everything to take to the disposal. It only took another minute before the two both turned back inside to fetch another load to pitch, when Rai rushed to the cart and split open one of the bags without hesitation. A slop of a half dozen different casseroles, simmered veggies and unidentifiable slop spilled out onto the floor at Rai’s feet. He grimaced at the mess but ripped into another bag to find several stacks of prepackaged meals and sandwiches that had sat for who knew how long before finding their way into the trash. Rai couldn’t care less though, and swung his bag off his shoulder and shoveled as many as he could into it, before darting back out the way he came, pulling Kye with him as he heard the alley behind him erupt with a colorful plethora of expletives he decided he’d need to have for later.