[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Drake was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had been approached. That is, until whoever it was spoke, causing him to startle and fumble with the clipboard he had brought with him to write on. He cleared his throat and turned to face whoever it was- ah, a Trainer, maybe? "Ah, no."

Which would have been the end of it, because Drake had the social skills of a peeled grape, but Stripes nipped at his hip. Maybe he should... continue? "I'm here to make sure the tunnel is stable." Another pause, another nip, this time sharp enough to make him wince. "Would you... like to.... join me?" Stripes cawed softly and started to peck at his side. She would beat some sense into her Trainer eventually. "I, uh.... I'm Drake Cohen. Nice to meet you." And he held out his hand, which seemed to appease the demon bird for now, at least. There was the chance that Senri recognized him as someone important. Or not, since he was only just made Head Scientist. If Senri was the type to keep up with the news he might know, but for the most part his step into the limelight had been overshadowed by the Slateport Incident.

But it was only then a thought occurred to Drake. Maybe this meeting could be more than just him awkwardly introducing himself. "Are you a Trainer? My pokemon are not battle trained. Would you be able to assist me if you're heading into the cave anyway? It would be a big help." Seems he could speak plenty well when he needed something.

---

@senri

a lovestruck man and a bird walk into a cave

"Ah, I'm sorry." Drake paused, holding up the clipboard a little as if to hide his face. He... still wasn't very good at this. "I mostly need, ah... protecting. I can assist in a battle but I might need some direction. My pokemon have mostly been trained for work in lab environments."

Patting Stripes on the head, the flying type puffed up her chest proudly at the next part Drake said. "Stripes here is really my only battler right now.... my other three have never been in any sort of battle before." Which, Stripes had really only beaten up a few of the weaker wild pokemon that tried to bully his baby Bellsprout, but that was still better than nothing. Sprocket and Twirls had been hatched from eggs and raised by him since then. Stripes had been a wild pokemon but only for a short time when she was a chick.

"Farther in the cavern we should find some open holes in the walls. These used to be debris tunnels that the miners dumped rock in to fill up as they dug their way through. I've been told an Onix and a few other pokemon who knew Dig had dug into them before some local Trainers stopped it. We just need to check the stability of those offshoots." Most of this head read to Senri from his notes on his clipboard. It the other man was going to assist him, he only felt it was right for him to know what he was getting into. "I'll let you lead the way."

---

@senri

I'M SORRY THIS TOOK ME SOBS

Drake gives a nod. "Minum are very reliable pokemon. Many of the scientists I work with have them, or Plusle, since they're intelligent. I'm sure that Hikaru would do an excellent job protecting us." Shame that inside the cavern was mostly ground types. He had only seem Minum in a lab environment and he would have enjoyed seeing a properly raised one in battle.

He follows after Senri and takes care to glance around. The other is right that this cavern is very straightforward. There aren't many twists and turns since it was man-made, only a few offshoots that had been dug into or were pokemon made. Spotting the holes not supposed to be there would be easy as they wouldn't have the same refined edge as the rest of the cavern. An excess of debris would also be a big sign.

"Ah, there." Speaking of, not too deep into the cave is large hole. It's just a few heads taller than the two men and wide enough that three or four people could edge in side by side and sit. It's not as large as the rest of the paths here, either, and a lot of rubble is spilling out of it. At the 'entrance' to this offshoot, a small ground type that Drake doesn't know is busy digging in the ground, no doubt making this problem worse. He imagines these areas have been infested with wild pokemon even more so than the normal cavern. Shame that they might have be moved if these caves are unstable and need to be filled in.

"Do you know that pokemon?" Drake is a scientist, yes, and most people assume that means like Oak. He isn't an expert on pokemon but instead in electronics and robotics. If a pokemon is one that's not he often sees in the lab he doesn't know anything about them. It's something he wants to change. "It doesn't seem aggressive... do we approach it?"

---

@senri
he can b talking about either of them >

he forgets that minun and his counterpart are actually native to hoenn, so it makes sense that there's a number of them around in the labs and whatnot. he echoes the other man's thoughts when he gives his partner pokemon a small rub, "i'm expecting ground and rock types here though. perhaps you can see hikaru do something exciting when we fight a zubat." he says with a small chuckle. the minun lets out a cry in protest, pushing on his trainer's cheek with his stubby appendage. he could totally take on a ground type no problem! but it's in jest and he stops not long after, returning his attention to the life inside the cave.

for the most part, the cavern is quiet save for a rumbling in the distance. when he was doing a bit of research senri recalls that a pokemon called whismur make this tunnel their home, and while the name suggests that they are soft creatures, he knows their evolutions aren't. but the groans of the cave are, as drake has already noted, probably caused by a ground type.

it doesn't take long for them to find one. senri notes the largeness of the whole before he sees a pokemon near its entrance, and his breath catches in his throat. hikaru immediately notices the change in his trainer's demeanour, but he isn't sure why he reacted this way. he is trembling, but not out of fear. he tries his best to keep calm, but his hands are shaking and he is almost too ready to bolt at it. the small land shark notices them first with his mouth agape before running towards them, seemingly very carefree. he lets out a number of cries too before he stops in front of the duo. the pokemon seems very young, and senri cannot resist picking it up and cooing. "a gible, it's a gible!! oh arceus has blessed me today!" he snuggles the dragon type and does not care if his teeth decides to sink into his arm. thankfully it doesn't–the pokemon is actually enjoying the attention and just keeps repeating his cries, trying to copy senri's chipper mood.

he momentarily forgets that there is someone with him, so when he sees drake again, he freezes for a moment and tries to regain his composure, letting out a sheepish laugh. "oh, uh...sorry." he snuggles the pokemon and is happy that this one doesn't have such a rough skin. he doesn't mind that it had just been eating the ground moments before. "been looking for one of these kiddos since forever. they're native to sinnoh and known to be excellent fighters. ahh, i can't believe i managed to find one here!" even better that this one seems to have a pleasant personality. he is not sure if that'll stick when he evolves, but at the very least he could train him. hikaru lets out a cry as he greets the dragon type. gible just seems excited about everything.

"i can keep him, right? please? he's so cute..." at the moment he's forgets he's acting like a child showing a stuffed toy to his mother. he already has the poke ball ready and everything.

---

tags: @drake
notes: extreme fanboying mode: on

Drake can't help the small laugh that leaves him at the display. He at least has the decency to cover his mouth with his hand as he watched. The grin would break his face still, sure, but Senri didn't seem to be bad hearted. The whole thing was honestly adorable.

"Don't apologize. Your excitement is infectious." Which, even if he doesn't appear as outwardly excited, Drake feels almost giddy inside now. This was coming along nicely so far. He had been worried that asking Senri to assist him might have gotten in the way of the Trainer's plans, but it looked like it had helped him find a pokemon he was very excited about. "I've never seen a Gible before. It's very cute."

He glances over in time to spot another pokemon, another ground type he's assuming, scamper away from the commotion that they're causing. It's sad they frightened it but if it keeps it away from the side cavern it's a price that has to be paid.

"Of course you can. I'm just here to check over the cave. If you find any pokemon you like, feel free to catch them. From reports I've seen, you might be doing the local population of Whismur a favor."

---

@senri
sandshrew ran away/passed c:

with a sheepish smile and tinged cheeks, senri finds himself embarrassed at his own excitement, but at least drake does not seem to mind very much. "aw man, you should see when they evolve, they look amazing." though he does realise that if this gible is just wandering around by its lonesome, the mother might be somewhere in this cave too. facing a garchomp is a lot less exciting and more of terrifying, but at least he has hana to back him up in case something happens. "i can imagine gible tormenting the poor whismur. they like to bite things." he says with a small laugh. still carrying the dragon type, he pulls out a poke ball and asks if he wants to come along with them, to which the land shark simply replied with a loud cry. he then presses the poke ball on the pokemon, shaking a bit before it lets out a satisfying ding.

he then sends him out again just so that he can spend more time with him. he should really think of a name later. well, it seems like they have to go deeper into the cave to figure out this mess, so he walks a little ahead, feeling very chipper about his new pokemon. he wonders what they would find next, as honestly they are perhaps very lucky that they did not encounter something bigger just yet.

---

tags: @drake
notes: attempt to catch gible!

Senri shouldn't have counted his blessing just yet as 'something bigger' was certainly making his way for them. As the other played with his new pokemon, Drake wandered over to the now clear open cave mouth. He touched the wall pulled out a flashlight; the rest of the cavern was well lit given the small size, but this off-shoot was dark. He shone the light inside, mostly around the ceiling, but he passed by the general interior as well. Only to do a double take, go back, as he thought he had seen a blur of blue and yellow in his beam. Well, whatever it was, it wasn't there now, and this part of the cave seemed stable if in need of a clean up.

"This one is fine. Want to move on to one of the others?" Drake stepped away to go back to Senri when a terrible rumbling started from deep inside the off-shoot he had just been examining. A Liaron charged towards them, enraged over something and intent to take it out on the two of them.

"Uh..." Drake started to move to dodge out of the way but wasn't fast enough. But, a blue hand shoved him, forcing him out of the way in time as a Heavy Slam was used on where he had just been- on the Golett who had protected him. The clay pokemon was sent flying and hit the nearby wall, glowing yellow eyes fading as it was knocked out. "What..." He started, concerned, but he didn't have the time. The Liaron was still out for blood and he was still too close.

---

@senri
whipped us up a lil excitement

gible lets out a shriek when he sees the larion charge at them, and it's so sudden that senri is too late to react. arceus blesses them with a pokemon he does not recognise protecting them for the moment. unfortunately it gets knocked out in the process, but it gives the trainer time to react and formulate a plan. shit though, a lairon? steel types aren't too hot against fairies, and florges is arguably his strongest right now. well, at least larions are not ground types..!

"hikaru, thunder wave!" he commands as he pulls out one poke ball first and sends out his chespin. "kuri, leech seed!" the electric mouse springs into action first, so while senri pulls drake out of the way, hikaru lets out an immobilising jolt that makes the steel type cry out. as electric currents course through its body, kuri steps into the fray and launches a seed at the pokemon, sprouting almost immediately at contact and sapping the energy out of the wild creature. too enraged to even think of protecting itself, lairon charges in, fully intent on using HEAVY SLAM even if its movements are greatly impeded by the double status moves on it. the three of them jump out of the way without too much of a problem––"catch its legs!" senri shouts to kuri. the chespin uses VINE WHIP in response, able to grab one of its stubby limbs and making it trip. a loud thud resonates in the cave as it lets out a cry; the leech seed still taking effect and making it weaker.

senri then throws a poke ball at it in hopes of keeping it contained.

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tags: @drake
notes: screm