The Fortree Gym had been a bust as well. The waiting list just to challenge the leader was so long he frankly couldn't be assed- the train ride had been long enough already, and he needed to be home in at least 2 days so his grandpa wouldn't worry too much.

He had signed up for the waiting list, but who knew when that would go down?

He had time to waste while he waited. And the route going to Fortree was one of the places he knew for a fact had bug type pokemon aplenty, so...

"Man... Already?" He grumbled as he slung his net over his shoulder, looking into the horizon where the sun slowly sank.

Adjusting his straw hat for the fading glare of the sun, he decided it was about time to return to the city.

It was while pushing his way through tall grass and shrubbery that he stumbled into another trainer's camp- face first into the soil.

He coughed, spatting out bits of dirt. "Tastes like vitamin D." He said in a grumble as he pushed up into a kneeling position, readjusting his straw hat as his gaze fell onto the camp's owner.

"... Yo."

---

TAG: angelo vestri

Angelo is just tapping the last of his tent pins into place when a sudden chorus of noise erupts into his camp, leaves rustling followed by a crunch of a body hitting the dirt, rounded off with a trio of yips from Orion as she charges off to inspect the source. He turns and, although he probably shouldn’t since the teenager had just face planted, Angelo lets out a snicker.

“Hey,” he responds to the greeting, pulling himself up to his feet while his Rockruff decides to put her front paws on the boy’s knees, pink tongue attempting to lap at his chin. “You know there’s probably a tastier way to get your daily dose of vitamin D, right? You good?”

Walking over to the kid, he scoops Orion up by her middle to pull her away from her licking assault, cradling her under his arm like a father would with a troublesome child, her tail wagging a million miles an hour. He then extends his other hand out to the teenager to help him off his ass, if he wants the pull up. “You from Fortree?” He asks, leaning towards that considering the woodland town was close by.

At the corner of the camp a Dartrix swoops towards a Grubbin, but before it can reach the vulnerable bug Dorado the meowth lunges into the air with a swipe of his paw, dragging the bird out of the sky with an excited yowl and a mischievous glint in its toothy expression. Angelo throws a pokeball.

catching dartrix // John Sullivan

"Nah man, nothing better than directly from the source, I say." He said, smooth as sand paper as he reached for the other's hand, muttering his thanks as he was pulled to his feet.

The other man's question prompted a shake of the head, the straw hat bobbing up and down as he did.

"Nah. Do have some business there, though." He said, leaning his net against his shoulder. "Heck of a waiting list for it, though. Thought I would catch some buggers while I waited... Got dark before I knew it."

He had lost track of time. Fortree's county was a veritable jungle- which meant one could expect to find bug types here that they wouldn't see in Slateport. It was a treasure trove, and he had been eager to hit gold.

"... Didn't have much luck, though." He said, snorting.

And then the whole thing with the Meowth and the Dartrix occurred. Doug's gaze was on the Grubbin the entire time.

His net slammed soundly atop it, swooping it with a squeal into the webbing.

"Until now, that is!" He said with a wide grin, turning to face the other man and his pokemon. "You guys are a lucky charm!"

---

TAG: angelo vestri

“Don’t forget that it’s free,” he adds as the young man responds to his daily vitamin intake, Angelo laughing a little as he helps haul him to his feet, amused by the bizarre nature of the introduction and all too happy to play along. Normality was never fun, anyway. “And you can’t go wrong with an all you can eat.”

As Orion squirms in his arms, Angelo leans down to drop her back on the ground although his gaze remains on the stranger, listening to the sound of his woes. A waiting list, huh? It didn’t take much for Angelo to figure out what he meant, he had been interested in taking part in the gym challenges just for the experience, to say that he had competed and ticked something else off his bucket list, but fitting it in had proven difficult so far.

Then the bug catcher finally swings his net, bagging himself a Grubbin with an exuberant response. Angelo gives the teenager two encouraging claps.

“I try to use my powers sparingly but I thought you deserved a break, all things considering,” grinning, he moves close to the pile of sticks that they had collected and begins to start up the campfire, missing the two other wild pokemon that linger near the site. “Feel free to stick around. If it’s bug pokemon you’re after, there’s no greater temptation than a camp at night.” He knew that from experience… Leaning down, he breathes on the small fire to make the embers grow, before stepping back as it begins to take on a life within the kindling.

“At least, I'm guessing you're a bug catcher with that net, right? It's pretty cool. Old school. I can get behind that.”

skip // John Sullivan

Doug bowed gravely.

"Your intervention on my behalf shant be forgotten." He said dramatically, before taking the invitation to settle down with gusto, plopping by the campfire with practiced ease. "Don't mind if I do, then! Hopefully they come in swarms!"

He had been looking for an excuse to not have to walk all the way back to Fortree in the dark.

At the other's words, he nodded, readjusting his straw hat before grinning.

"Right ya are, m'dude. Name's Doug, and the Kantonian Bugcatching Association salutes your good taste." He said, tipping his straw hat at the youth. "I can teach ya to make yer own straw hat if yer inter-"

He stopped himself short as his ear twitched, his expression freezing.

He had heard a rumbling, rolling sound. A familiar sound; one that prompted him to reach into his pocket carefully, still hearing for what went on in the background. He produced a pokeball, attaching it... to the end of his net?


AHA!

He suddenly swung his arm and net towards the tall grass, a pokeball flying off it into the darkness and making the familiar bonk sound.

A few seconds later, he swung back his arm and net... and the pokeball came flying back, attached to a string to the net.

"... So anyway, I can totally teach ya how to make a straw hat- w'all learn to make our own."

Though his had been made by his mother.

---

TAG: angelo vestri

And come in swarms they did.

Sitting down on the ground before the campfire, Angelo watches as Doug the Bug catching extraordinaire nets himself another insect to his collection, making use of his net and a pokeball in a way that Angelo figured was probably very uniquely Doug. He decided that he quite liked this strange teenager, it wasn’t often that you had someone with a character and a social flare stumble into his camp, his company was shaping up to be an amusing one.

“Angelo,” he gives him a mirror tip of his hat in a return greeting, baseball to straw. “Not involved in any association. But I used to be a member of the Unofficial Alto Mare Astronomy Club and the library – until they revoked my card.” There was a grin on his lips as he spoke, clearly meant to not be taken entirely seriously. Although the former may have been a little true, although the members pretty much consisted of him and whoever he could convince to listen to him for an evening.

He laughs a little at the offer, although not unkindly, sitting up straighter as Orion comes to nestle herself in the between his crossed legs. Dorado, meanwhile, was skulking after a Skiploom with hunger in his eyes. “Sure, I'm down. Though does that mean I become an honorary Bug Catcher member?” He liked Hoenn. Where else was someone going to come up to him and ask if he wanted to learn how to make a hat? “Not like I'm opposed to the idea.”

skip // John Sullivan

"Pleasure, Angelo! Reckon' you must know a lot 'bout space!" He said, before tipping his hat regretfully. "'pologies 'bout the library- promise ya though, you missed nothing. Just look at me! Never stepped a foot inside one and I'm only second to last o' my class."

He was kidding, of course- He was dead last. He hadn't submitted a single assignment this semester.

The youth grinned at Angelo's response, plopping onto his side lazily to reach over towards the tall grass, yanking a few of the long grasses.

"'fraid it does, my brethren." He said dramatically while stretched across the floor, pulling weeds. "Gonna have to get Fido and Milo some ant feelers."

He finally managed to get back to his sitting position, crossing his legs back under him before holding out a handful of long, thick grasses to the other youth.

"Gonna need these, m'dude."

It wasn't straw, but for learning, it'll do.

---

TAG: TL;DR:
Hard pass. angelo vestri

“Should I be afraid?” Angelo smirks as he absentmindedly scratches behind Orion’s ear as she dozes, quirking a brow as the teenager starts ripping weeds out of the ground, clearly having every intention on teaching him the knowhows of the Bug Catcher ways. “You haven’t got some kind of weird and wonderful initiation that you should warn me about, right? Or are you keeping it hush hush until I commit?”

Angelo reaches out and takes the handful of stalks from Doug and the motion instantly catches Dorado’s attention, the Meowth slinking over with his wild grin, eyes wide as he hovers near the two trainers and fixates on the waving plants. “Just shove him out the way if he starts going for it,” he cautions as he catches sight of Dorado eyeing up the weeds that wiggle in their hands. “He’s tougher than he looks. A little monster, really. Don’t let him push you around.” Ah yes, that resemblance was uncanny…

Dorado, as if understanding, looks between both of them and snickers mischievously.

“Okay. What’s step one, boss?”

skip // John Sullivan

"Only if ya forget to pay for the monthly membership." He said casually as he fetched a pokeball, spinning it atop his index fingertip. "Nets are good at both catching bugs and busting kneecaps."

He glanced at the cat, squinting at it while grinning.

"Never made a hat out of steel fur." He said, before winking at the cat.

With that said, he tossed the pokeball up, releasing a little spider with a bubble of shimmering water around her head. She looked around her surroundings with palpable curiosity before her gaze settled onto Angelo. She titled her head, bubble leaning heavily towards the floor as gravity pushed down, before she turned back to look at Doug.

He held out his grass towards her in response.

"Ya know the drill, gorgeous." He said, grinning. She tilted her head once again, before nodding and reeling back, splatting her bubble onto the young man's hand and taking all of the leaves.

She then turned around to face Angelo, approaching him before gesturing at him with one of her legs to pop in the grass.

Behind her, Doug nodded.

"First step is soakin' it in water. Right now they are too dry and firm to be pliable. Usually takes a long while... But Kumon 'ere knows Soak, so it'll take 'bout 5 seconds if you give it to her."

---

SKIP.
TAG: angelo vestri