[center][h1]Slateport City, late afternoon[/h1][/center]

It was absolutely Rai's kind of luck that he'd picked Hoenn's wettest season to arrive. By now, he really should have expected Arceus had some kind of a grudge to hold against him for crimes committed in a previous life, but one nice day to scope out the seaside town didn't seem like asking too much. It hadn't helped he'd spent the better part of the two day trip from Kanto, crammed elbow to elbow with a bunch of eager tourists. He was beginning to regret not sneaking aboard one of the larger shipping freighters, but experience had taught him it was easier to hide in a crowd.

Sure enough, the attendants waiting for them at the docks, scanning passports and doing their best to corral the eager crowd, were more interested in processing the mass of people than they were interested that the name and picture on the pass Rai presented them only bore a passing resemblance to him. So maybe the rain was just karma getting even for setting foot in the region and already lying to its populace. The plaintive sigh from down at his sigh couldn't have mirrored his own any more closely, as his charmeleon got his first good look at the weather outside. Rai looked down at his companion in time to catch the almost begging glance, plainly asking him: “Do we have to go outside?”.

[color=b3f7ad]“Trust me, bud,”[/color] Rai dropped his hand down to scratch the top of his pokemon's head,[color=b3f7ad] “I'm not thrilled about it either.”[/color]

He didn't expect anything less than the disappointed, but no less accepting huff in response. The fact was, they both knew this was likely only going to be the start of a very long couple of days that would make the boat trip feel like a luxury cruise. The ticket alone had eaten almost all of Rai's money, which meant they had next to nothing left for food or lodgings. He knew there were places trainers could stay, but places like that had far too many people for his liking and were certainly less than private. He had a small tent rolled into a tight bundle in his backpack, but he knew full well pitching it with an evening of rain to look forward to was only going to be an exercise in futility. 

Oh well. It wasn't anything they hadn't dealt with before.

[color=b3f7ad]“Come on Kye.”[/color] Rai gave his head a small jerk, holding out his jacket some for his pokemon as he stepped out into the rain,[color=b3f7ad] “We aren't going to get anything done standing here.”[/color]

[color=b3f7ad]“Char, char...”[/color] His pokemon grumbled, begrudgingly stepping out to follow him into the weather.

[color=b3f7ad]“Oh, don't be like that,”[/color] Rai grinned, trying not to laugh at his sulking pokemon, [color=b3f7ad]“Let's go check out the Marketplace. Popular as it's supposed to be, I'd bet you anything there's got to be some place nice and dry to wait out the rain.”[/color]

That certainly seemed to help Kye perk up. Not that Rai could blame him; both of them hated being wet. Fortunately, it was too easy to follow the obvious stream of tourists and sightseers straight to their destination. Umbrella hats, the near constant flash of pictures taken, and excitable chattering were better than neon-lit signposts to guide the way. Not that it was hard to spot the impressive gathering of stalls and sellers, all doing their best to persuade every visitor to part with their money in exchange for some odd trinket or exotic bauble. Of course, there were plenty of others there selling far more mundane items, herbs, food and the like. Some for humans, some for pokemon, and it all came together in quite an interesting amalgamation of products. Rai could certainly see why it was such a popular spot.

Despite the rain, Rai walked several meandering laps around and through the Marketplace. Though he wanted to find a place out of the rain, he had his other motives too. The whole place looked and ran like a gleaming beacon of law-abiding commerce. Maybe the worst offense was someone overcharging for a cheap souvenir. Even the Rangers themselves seemed to take a personal interest in keeping the peace, vigilantly looking out to the crowds to ensure everything ran smoothly. Which was why Rai was willing to bet there was plenty more going on below this wholesome surface everyone was putting on. Slateport was a huge center of commerce. If there wasn't anyone who didn't think they'd be able to get a slice of the proverbial pie without going through the proper, and costly, channels then he was a Trubbish that walked like a man.

Money attracted crime, plain and simple. 

It took a few rounds to finally find somewhere dry to sit, but Rai finally spotted a free bench tucked underneath an awning where he could watch the hustle and bustle without drawing attention to himself. Kye was quick to wiggle underneath it and hide from the rain, nudging Rai's feet apart so he could peak out between the gap. Rai leaned back and threw both arms out across the bench, hoping to dissuade any thoughts someone might have of joining him in his little refuge from the rain. He wasn't scraggly looking by any means, but the rough, worn state of his clothes usually put people off enough to be left alone. 

Rai shifted once more, getting as comfortable as he could manage as he settled in and let his eyes roam the crowds for him. It was a practiced method he was all too good at after far too many years of practice. Watch the stalls, watch the people. There was always a pattern. Someone would be out of place, or perhaps they would fit in too well. Sellers a little too excited to see “loyal customers”, or two strangers just “bumping into each other” one too many times. It was like a game of poker, every region's tell was different, but the game was still the same.

All he had to do now, was wait.