[attr="class","evantalk"]

"Please, I'm always willing to help if I can." the implication is clear, he doesn't need to be thanked. He comes when he can and this time around here happened to have enough time to spare for the venture into Petalburg woods.

Evan notices the contrast in their demeanor on the subject almost instantly, while Orion seems greatly affected by the situation Evan seems unbothered. It's not that he doesn't worry at all, simply that he's quite certain they will have it taken care of in short order. "Don't worry so much Orion." he had written down the name and doodled the face when he got home- enough times for his name to come to mind. Though an odd behavior to most it allows Evan to remember what he wishes to better.

Red-black eyes wonder out into the foliage of the woods, he knows what lurks out there and what they can and should seek. "You'd be surprised how effective these kinds of remedies can be, pair it with proper treatment and sometimes it's exactly what a person needs."

The man doesn't look it but he's far better versed in such means than most, a large part of why he agreed to come and help the other with this. Not only have his own travels taught him much from every tribe and tradition he could find but his own people had several of their own they used and though he does not remember them directly from his childhood he knows of them well.

"I like to think I'm good with grass types, and this is a pretty simple remedy compared to what it could be calling for." he sounds sure of himself, there's a gentle certainty to his words that one might even find soothing given the circumstances. He could be stressing and fretting over the matter but instead the man is taking it in stride.

He turns to the man, "My own can supply some of the things we'll need but I haven't got a budew to rely on, I think that's the most important part that we'll have to hunt for out here."

Orion Lykos

[attr="class","orion"]


His laughter is strained.

"I'd say 'when Hoenn freezes over', but it's already done that."

Truth is, worry is Orion's natural state of being. He's always stressing about something, no matter how large or small his problems. If things are going well with the rangers, he stresses about his fractured social life. If he feels like he's making good interpersonal connections, he stresses about messing things up.

He pushes such thoughts aside, forcefully. Focus on the job, Lykos.

"Well, I'm glad one of us knows what they're doing." He'd did what little 'research' he could before coming out on the job, but in truth Evan had been Orion's trump card. No amount of research beat bringing along someone with actual experience. "I don't know all that much about grass types. The basics, sure, but not the shit that matters here."

His Vileplume was incredibly easy to care for: he left her in the garden and she all but took care of herself. And Celeste... well, she was a ghost possessing an anchor, so it's not like he could easily translate his knowledge of her onto your standard grass Pokemon.

"Are Budew common here?" he asks as they walk, dead leaves crunching underfoot. "I was told this was where I should look, but..."

---

notes:
evan is a wonderful influence

[attr="class","evantalk"]

His laugh is full of amusement because he's not exactly wrong even if he's not entirely right either. "Oh a little bit of fluff on the ground isn't quite frozen over, at least not yet." it's a reassuring grin that follows. The temperature only feels so harsh because it is entirely out of the norm got the area. It could be worse, they've only had snow and while it's been a lot of it it's not been something like Freezing rain. Such a weather condition could cripple a region like this, unprepared for it entirely.

It had yet to happen though so there was no real point in worrying about the matter. The region had enough on is plate and the people in it had enough to worry about without thinking about even worse weather than some snow.

"Regardless, to answer your question we shouldn't have any trouble finding budew here. The weather may have driven them into deeper shelters than normal but they'll be here. It's one of the best places to find them in this region."

Evan rolls his shoulders, stretching the muscles and preparing for what may be a long search. Many of the grass types in the area had difficulty dealing with what the sky had to say about the time of year this time around. A tap at his wrist produces his long standing companions, a whimsicott and a lilligant that should be able to navigate the area with ease. "We're looking for a budew shelter, or their leaves. Whichever you can locate first." the liligant pats at her own as if she worries they are not good enough and he leans down to speak to her quietly.

"They're not for me." he and the pokemon have known each other long enough the sentiment gets across, she understands that it is not a problem with her and nods up at him before taking off into the foliage ahead of them. The whimsicott follows behind her at a leisurely pace. He seems far less worried about the task at hand than she is.

Evan straightens and address Orion again, confidant that if they do not stumble upon something first his pokemon will.

"Grass types are worth taking the time to look into, there's a lot that can come from them beyond just battling. Many people have used them as part of remedies like this for generations and with modern technology and techniques the things that can be derived from their leaves grains or even abilities is constantly changing." he had spent many nights learning some of these himself, for that exact reason.

"For example, my liligant got upset about that because I often use the powders from her aromatherapy as an ingredient in herbal remedies at home. They can be just as soothing for humans as they are pokemon and if used in things like oils can be applied in much the same way as a perfume or cologne might be, smell pleasant and make for a discreet way to sooth various things such as spikes in anxiety."

Evan would know, a small vial sits in his pants pocket, the roller ball on the end makes it look like a perfume of some kind when in reality it soothes his own anxieties. Crowds often bump into each other, the touching gets the better of him and the cities make him uneasy when he's stuck within their walls too long. The oil it contains helps to relax him when it gets to be too much. Not that most ever realize he even has anxiety, it's not something that he allows to be obvious often.

Orion Lykos
>>;w; he tries, he just want orion not to stress too much

[attr="class","orion"]


"I'm just glad it's mostly over with." He'd grown up in Hoenn and such harsh winters didn't happen often. It was a tropical region, not meant to deal with cold and ice. "It was hard to see the more tropical Pokemon suffering when there's only so much we can do for them."

Evan could sympathize more than most, he's sure; the two of them had teamed up to escort a group of Tropius to one of the shelters that had been set up. They were being held there still, the meteorologists at the Weather Institute waiting to ensure that the climate would remain suitable for the Pokemon to return to their wild homes.

Though he doesn't hear what Evan says to his Lilligant when he bends down close, Orion sees the Pokemon's concern and also the way that she responds to her trainer's apparent soothing. It's touching.

"I've got a Vileplume," he says, on the subject of grass-types. "She's not usually with me; she prefers to hang out in the garden I tend outside of Fortree. Whatever she does for the berry trees works wonders. I'll have to look into what else she might be able to provide."

It would be useful to have natural remedies on-hand for his job, after all.

---

notes:
he's a very sweet man

[attr="class","evantalk"]

The man nods gently, he understand the sentiment well. Not just from what he saw helping the other but from what the reports all across the news were saying, the weather conditions had set the region back several steps. A place known for its tropical temperature was never ready for the kind of snow they received. "I wish I could say something else could have been done but without knowing far enough ahead of time to prepare-" he cuts himself off, shaking his head.

"The ranger did what could be done and that's better than the nothing that would have happened otherwise." ever the realistic optimist, Evan won't deny that the month was a shit show behind the scenes but at the end of the day those with the power to do so did what they could to weather the storms.

His eyebrows scrunch for a moment, because something dawns on him. "I wonder if that's why...." his thoughts trail off into nothing because he's too busy thinking to speak out loud. He can't help but wonder if the reason the illness the child came down with perhaps came about because one of the storms kicked something up. The snow managed to do a range of things while it was around, it wouldn't be out of bounds for it to be the right condition for an old illness to take root somewhere it normally would not have.

"Never mind." he says, realizing he was thinking out loud and instead directs attention to Orion's comment about the vileplume.

"Careful with that one, it might be good for berries but there is a reason they call it vile." he comments, eyes moving towards the treetops. They rustle with the remnants of pokemon, returning or coming out of hiding after the storms. Though most think little of bug types there's no denying what they can do from their own element and Evan is sure to keep an eye for those that might seek an opportunity after the storms.

"Allergenic pollen, toxic to most pokemon, I'm sure that it could be utilized for something but that particular line tends to live up to its name more than not." he has nothing against them, but he figures the warning ahead of time might be a good thing. "I imagine quite the poison or other agitating agent could be made from the pollen though, could be useful under certain circumstances."

He's rattling off information really, he can't even say it's anything terribly compelling and he's half distracted anyway, watching the colorful flower of his lilligant in the distance.

Orion Lykos
>>you are too kind, he gives orion an a for effort btw

[attr="class","orion"]


Much as he knew the rangers had done their best, it's still nice to hear that sentiment echoed by another. Evan's positive influence brings a smile to his lips: though brief, it's as genuine as they come.

On the subject of Vileplume, he becomes more animated. "Now poisons I'm good with." He realises how ominous that might sound, laughs it off with a shake of his head. "Knowledgeable about, I mean. It's pretty common for me to have to give out antidotes and the like, so I've done a lot of looking into them."

Seviper were particularly notorious for causing issues along the routes they inhabited. They were well known for hiding in tall grass and being stepped on by unwary trainers and Pokemon alike. Orion didn't own one personally, but he'd worked with several of them in the past.

"Plus, I just like poison-types."

A lot of people are scared of them, reasonably so, and like dark and ghost types they had a reputation for being misunderstood. He can't help but to take as many of them in as will let him.

Orion's Absol brushes past, silent as a phantom, and the ranger watches as it catches up to Lilligant.

"You think they found something?"

---

notes:
two men just trying their best (tm)

[attr="class","evantalk"]

"That makes sense." He chuckles because Evan can see how that happens often, he was lucky and whatever his upbringing had ingrained into him stuck well enough for him to never have that problem but he had witnesses plenty of people fail to remember that while the pokemon at home were docile and nothing to worry about the ones out in the wild? Those were a different story and far more likely to attack. "I don't mind the type either to be honest, they have their merits."

While the trainers chat the pokemon convene, Suzy Q motions to the absol, directing its attention to the budew leaves on the ground because perhaps a pokemon like it can track the smell of them. The pair of grass types know what to look for when finding their kind but the leaves aren't as fresh as they could be. Suzy Q takes them in her leaf arms all the same, storing several from the ground into the cotton fluff of her counterpart. One of witch she save for the absol, presenting it to the pokemon before carefully placing it on his snout.

Evan watches her flower bob around, but so far she's made no motions to get his attention. "She'll let us know when she finds what she's looking for, she takes this part seriously." she won't let them take back anything that's not the best they can find. "Besides, you might want to watch the trees a bit more closely, this place isn't always friendly." His eyes shift at a familiar rustling, he snaps his finger and the small joltik that sits in his shirts peeks from his collar.

Before the attack can make contact with either of them, a protective barrier wards it off, force the ariados above them in the trees to recede, thinking twice about attacking the trainers that seemed like easy targets.

Orion Lykos
>>it's never as good the second time I'm sorry ;w;

[attr="class","orion"]


Lilligant places a petal upon the snout of the Absol, and the dark-type wrinkles his nose before letting out a sneeze that startles a quiet laugh out of his trainer.

Recovering from the sudden tickling sensation, the Absol locates the leaf where it had fluttered to the ground and sniffs careful at at, a soft growl of affirmation rising in his throat when he thinks he's got the scent. The dark-type is silent as a shadow as he stalks in a new direction, not looking back to see if the trainers or their Pokemon were following.

"Katas does, too." Orion's tone remains edged with humour. He'd needed that laugh to counteract the serious nature of their quest. There's an evident fondness as he continues. "He works best in the mountains, but we've tracked things all over Hoenn. He was my first partner, back before I even joined the rangers."

In truth, Katas had contributed to the confidence required for Orion to strike out on his own. He doesn't think he'd have left home without him.

"I'm watching," he assures Evan, and smiles up at the Ariados that had thought to make them its meal. Beautiful creatures, they were. "Nowhere in Hoenn is really safe. I never let my guard down, except when I'm asleep."

Even then, Katas sleeps at the foot of his bed, loyal as a dog.

---

notes:
i FEEL that, no worries!

[attr="class","evantalk"]

There's amusement in his grin on both accounts, he has a feeling his Liligant was behind that sneeze if only because she's never been told to behave a certain way and his pair of grass types are amongst the most whimsical of his pokemon. He doesn't know what she did but he doesn't doubt for a moment it was her.

"You should be watching while you sleep too." evan half jokes, but perhaps that comes from the fact he has never truly had a home before the last year. To him the woods are as much home as everywhere else and it's not the kind you should feel safe in, not in that way.

"An absol is quite a choice for that early, not that I can speak." he chuckles to himself. "Maybe one of these day you guys will have to track me through the mountains and I'll get to see him at his best."

The jest is half lost as Evan picks up the pace, his liligant choosing to follow the absol as best she can through the foliage and he's unwilling to lose sight of her flower. The pokemon can hold her own but she's been with him too long to let her out of sight for no reason. Not to mention they faster they finish this excursion the better.

Evan is surprisingly nimble as he passes through the growth left over from the storms, and for a moment he thinks these woods have begun to look too familiar to him.

Orion Lykos
;w;

[attr="class","orion"]


"Ah, that's what I've got him for."

He gestures into the trees to where the Absol's stark-white fur stands out against the muted browns-and-greens of the forest. He picks up the pace subconsciously, attuned to his partner after years of working together.

"He chose me, really." His tone turns wistful as thoughts migrate back to the most difficult times in his life. "Came down from the mountains to warn people of a storm but everyone's afraid of them so they chased him off. I followed to make sure he was OK."

Most people were simply scared, shooing the Absol with words and gestures, but the more vicious folk had taken to throwing rocks and attacking with their Pokemon. Orion had followed the Absol to its mountain home and found it shaken, but unharmed; he'd expected that to be the end of their interactions, and yet...

"He always seemed to know where to find me after that. I only used a Pokeball when Rocket started stealing from people."

Now the Absol inhabited his home the way some citizens kept Skitty or Lillipup for company.

"You said you couldn't speak, huh? What was your first partner, then? Was it her?"

He nods to the bobbing flower of the Lilligant, tilting his head.

---

notes:
~

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Evan only grins, because at this point it is a difference of lifestyles or perhaps even something deeper. The life Evan has led does never allowed for such heavy reliance on a pokemon for such a thing. Evan can't remember the last time he really slept soundly- well on his own at least. He understand that the rest of the world finds it common place though so he lets it go.

He nods along as Orion speaks. "The disaster pokemon was it? I believe that's what they call it, easier to see it as a danger rather than a boon. People get scared too easily by such things. It's too bad, they have their merits like any other pokemon." he's never owned them but has encountered them. He treated most he found no different than any other wild pokemon and found temporary companions in them until he left their territory.

The implication that his first pokemon was the lilligant earns the other a laugh. "Not in the slightest, and if Meg heard you say that she'd lose her shit." a quick tap at his wrist releases the mimikyu in question. She lags behind a moment, gathering her bearings before registering that Evan hasn't stopped for her and she jumps with a start. The small pokemon scurries after him and once close her shadow begins to grow and stretch across the grassy terrain, with a fluid motion the shadow pushes her up to catch his arm and scurry up to his shoulder.

The mimikyu claims her perch and watches orion through the rag disguise she hides beneath, there's something uncanny in the empty and steady gaze. "Meet Megra, she's been with me since I was a kid. I owe her my life and then some."

Most found the mimikyu just as odd a choice but he couldn't say he ever really chose her, there was just o question of where she belonged.

Orion Lykos

[attr="class","orion"]


Orion's eyes shine with delight and recognition as the disguised dual-type is released from its Pokeball; Evan continues on a few paces, but Orion finds himself pausing to watch as 'Meg' scurries up to Evan and launches herself onto his shoulder.

Mimikyu could be unsettling at best, but there's nothing but fondness in Orion's gaze as he watches her.

"It's nice to meet you, Meg."

He wonders under which circumstances Evan owes the Pokemon his life, but thinks it would be rude to ask. They're only just getting better acquainted after all, and Orion finds that he likes Evan's company. It wouldn't do to sabotage a budding friendship with nosy questions.

"People seem to be coming around to them in recent years, at least a little." He resumes the topic of the so-called disaster Pokemon, instead, resuming the pursuit of Katas and Evan's Lilligant. "I do what I can to answer questions and debunk myths. He's got a real calm disposition about him, and I think that helps."

Katas also didn't enjoy fighting like some of Orion's more aggressive Pokemon (namely, his Hydreigon) but he was more than willing to engage in combat in the line of duty, or to protect Orion.

"I'm sure the two of you understand what it's like. Lots of people are scared of ghost Pokemon, but most of them are all right." He glances over at Megra and offers her a smile. "Mimikyu are definitely all right."

---

notes:
~

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Her rag tilts in a mock curiosity as she watches the other one. A small trill rings in Evan's ear and he chuckles at her. "Go on." her shadow reaches out along his arm, it many ways the shadow sneak is like an extra appendage to the pokemon, having learned to use it instead of the self she hides below her disguise.

It reaches out, forming a make shift hand that reaches across the gap between the two of them until she ruffle Orion's hair. A playful gesture she has watched Evan do many times in greeting to others. The shadow retracts almost instantly, fading back onto Evan's shoulder below her.

"I'm glad to hear you're making progress. It can be hard to change the misconceptions the public gets wrapped up in over the years." and some areas were harder to do that with than others. Evan knew that well from his travels. "We get that a bit too, especially since mimikyu have a bit of a reputation. Thankfully Meg's more of a scaredy cat that anything else." the pokemon pulls at his shoulder with her claws and her chuckles at her.

The grump growl he's rewarded with heavily implies that she resents that remark, no matter how true it is.

Orion Lykos