"Friendly" Holly groans softly, shaking his head in exhaustion. Was that what they called it? He hadn't had such physical contact in... well, since he lived with his very loving parents. A pat on the head was one thing, but a hand on his shoulder from a total stranger was another. He didn't particularly like being touched, but what did he even like?

"Says you" he also didn't need a crybaby on his team but ah well.

Angelo went on with a huff that he was supposed to be the 'Pokemon Whisperer'. Holland balked at him openly, scowling. Since when did he have such a stupid title? Sounded like one of those idiotic tv shows. "I think you have a misconstrued opinion of me" the young man replied stiffly, forcing the fishing rod back into Angelo's hands. Noting he was running low on Pokeballs, he would leave soon.

So he didn't have to look at Angelo's smugly bright face anymore. Laurel snickered from her side of Holland, clearly amused by the turn of events. Her trainer was never very social but this human was making him talk more and more. "Quiet, Laurel" he hisses lowly, rising to his feet. There is a distinctive lack of venom in that remark as he addresses his Serperior though.

/skip
angelo vestri

Sigh. "You're annoying" he finally says, having enough of the other young man. But he doubted that would shake Angelo. No, he was like gum stuck to your shoe or in your hair. Annoying and irritating. But persistent with thick skin. Laurel leaves his side to do battle with a Comfey drifting over the water. She quickly slaps it with her long tail, hissing.

"Who said I wanted company?" he adds, beginning to pack up as well. If Angelo was doing this to annoy him, he succeeded. But Holly wouldn't be so open to being friendly. He gave women a pass but not men, and he didn't even know why he did that anyway. Probably cause women annoyed him less. Could appreciate flowers too. Men just stomped all over everything in their path.

The Comfey fell easily, speaking of flowers. It was weaker than Holland expected, and he threw a Pokeball at it. "I live away from people for a reason" but there was no deep dark secret to it. He just didn't like people. "if you turn my cabin into a fishing spot, then tourists will stomp all over the place." So far they left him alone, thanks to his grumpy attitude and his menacing Serperior. Well, when Laurel wanted to be protective.

She already returned to Holly's side, slithering around the man briefly before approaching Angelo. Her face leaned in, flickering the young man briefly with her tongue before sliding back. That was her way of letting others know she liked them.

angelo vestri
/capture attempt on comfey

"I know I'm not." It wasn't a grim admission but more of general acceptance. Holland could live with himself just fine, with all his little pricks and thorns. It was other people he couldn't stand nor trust himself with. If Angelo thought he was keeping an ego the size of Hoenn, he'd be sorely mistaken.

Maybe Holland didn't much care for himself either, and so stupidly decided nobody else could either. "Laurel" he says to the Serperior, giving a nod to the Seadra floating in the water to his left. The snake slithers away from Angelo and enters it, floating due to her typing and lighter mass. She approaches the Seadra and unleashes her tail once more on the Pokemon.

The Leaf Blade cut the water dragon true, and felled it easily. She glanced adoringly at her trainer, all smiles and happy looks as he pulled out a Pokeball. A stark difference than what a fierce fighter she had been previously. Holly threw it at the Seadra as Angelo finished with the Buizel. He caught the off-hand remark of not being able to feed it until town was trod.

Speaking of town, he should get back to the route cabin he had. His other Pokemon were probably hungry and he needed to tend to a garden before the night frost killed some of it. Counting the critters he had managed to capture so far, he turns away from Angelo and begins to stalk off. Laurel gives the other human a pained but amused huff, as if sharing her exhaustion of Holly and letting him know how to give up.

Not just yet, anyway. She trills to Angelo one last time before slithering after her long time partner.

angelo vestri
/capture attempt on seadra, an exit on holly's behalf (running low on pokeballs)