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POSTED ON Feb 23, 2021 15:49:30 GMT

The little Ribombee had the cutest, smuggest look on her face when the red-haired human took the offered Pollen Puff before turning around to face Alexei and stuck her tongue out at him.

Wow.

“Really, Carina,” he sassed back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at how—how absolutely petty she was behaving at the moment.

“Long story short, they’re small, they’re tiny, and this one practically landed on my nose before passing out. Due to her really minuscule size it was—a challenge treating her injuries—but after that she wouldn’t leave me alone after that. She didn’t want to go back to the wild, so here she is. Always trying to kill me with diabetes because her Pollen Puffs are way too sweet,” he explained with a chuckle.

Hearing the huffiest little noise the Ribombee could throw out, several more yellow-colored Pollen Puffs made their appearance, before he pointed where she was currently perched.

“She wants you to take them all.”

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D-Bug

The Robust

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Twenty-Eight

October 30th

Bevaridge Town

Biomesexual

Pokemon Educator/Vlogger/Biome Enthusiast

Avatar/Gym Leader/Elite Ranger

All these little buggers have a little magic in 'em

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TAG WITH @zac

POSTED ON Mar 1, 2021 10:12:08 GMT

ZAC

t42 - Alexei Ivanov
Fortree City | Social

MUSIC

"All of them?" Zac asked, grinning as he held out a hand for Carina to fill with pollen puffs. "How could I decline such a generous offer?" He winked at the little Ribombee. He popped one of the puffs into his mouth, eyes going wide as the saccharine sweet burst on his tongue.
"Whoa! That's one hell of a sugar rush!" Zac choked. He took a sip from his water bottle, trying to quell the coughing. Zac slipped the rest of the puffs into one of his pockets. "I'll hold onto these for later. Thanks Carina!"
Zac turned to Alexei. "So what's up next? I hope that's it for the sweets. I'm not sure my hips can take any more!"

NOTES:
TAG: Alexei Ivanov

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

1423 height

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POSTED ON Mar 9, 2021 19:52:33 GMT

“I tried to warn you,” he chuckled before giving a Carina a tsking gesture, to which he was immediately sassed back with a tongue sticking out before flying back to ride on his shoulder.

“…and yeah, she likes sitting there. When she was younger she liked riding on top of my nose because hell, if you’re not careful you might end up accidentally squishing a Cutiefly!” he added a few moments later.

Now that they were out in the forested section of the Sanctuary, he looked around.

“Okay—is there like, anything else you would want to know about the place in general? About how open-air it is, or about how many Flying-types stop by on their migration routes to rest for a while before they continue on their journey?” he volunteered.

Gods, there were just so many things he wanted to talk about and he wanted to focus on as many things as possible!

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The Robust

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Twenty-Eight

October 30th

Bevaridge Town

Biomesexual

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Avatar/Gym Leader/Elite Ranger

All these little buggers have a little magic in 'em

685 height

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TAG WITH @zac

POSTED ON Mar 19, 2021 3:52:14 GMT

ZAC

t42 - Alexei Ivanov
Fortree City | Social

MUSIC

"Everything!" Zac said, throwing his arms wide, as if to catch the oncoming answers. "What's the strangest Pokemon you've had here? What's the capacity? What do you do if there's a storm? How many permanent residents?" He gestured broadly at the trees overhead. "Are these all native trees? Did you have to plant anything special for migratory or non-native residents?"
Zac is here for the info on the best nature reserve in Hoenn. He wants to know everything.

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TAG: Alexei Ivanov

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

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POSTED ON Mar 20, 2021 1:23:49 GMT

Now the questions were coming in earnest—finally, he could maybe flex a little?

“With the weather, well, you know how tropical Fortree is—mostly balmy, calm, clear skies year-round. However the occasional storm does come in. Most of my own Pokémon can, to some extent, pick up on the weather and ‘read’ it, if you could call it that. It’s something I’ve noticed about their behavior. Keeping them out in the open as opposed to inside their Pokéballs allows their instincts to never stop being sharp.”

His thoughts dwelled on the one year that Hoenn suddenly got winter weather, and boy that was a time for the Sanctuary.

“There was this one year Hoenn’s weather systems went bananas, and there was snow falling in Fortree. Out here! In the tropical forest!” he exclaimed, raising a hand and gesturing to the area in general.

“It—it really helps to have more than just Flying-types running around the place. I actually have…” he trailed off as he checked his PokéGear just to make sure he wasn’t shitting with the numbers.

“…I have more or less a hundred and seventy-something Pokémon running around here. Thirty to thirty-five percent of them are the gym ‘mons, the rest are… well, they’re just around here, somewhere.”

The Sanctuary wasn’t just a place for the fliers of Hoenn to call home—his own Pokémon armada (if one could call it that) also called the place home sweet home.

“Permanent avian residents? Well, there was one time people started abandoning Delibird for no reason—and my staff members ended bringing them here. So there’s like a flock of five Delibird being bossed around by my own Delibird, hilariously named Moroz.”

If Zac picked up the Easter egg in the name of his Delibird, then he definitely had a sharp eye for detail.

“They give out gifts to the kids every holiday season because… I can’t stop them. They want to give gifts, I let them!” he chuckled.

For the forestry around the area—

“Most of everything you see here is home-grown. I didn’t need to plant too many non-native trees because apparently, a lot of Pokémon can easily acclimate to whatever environs are available. It’s adaptation, part of their genetic makeup to constantly change in favor of nature around them.”

Okay, what else had he not answered—oh, that.

“The strangest avians that have come by so far? Well, prior to the Galarian embargo being lifted, there were a whole host of Toucannon that come by here a few times every few years. They mostly roost in Alola, though—they come here to Hoenn on vacation.”

What else, what else…

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The Robust

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Twenty-Eight

October 30th

Bevaridge Town

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Avatar/Gym Leader/Elite Ranger

All these little buggers have a little magic in 'em

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TAG WITH @zac

POSTED ON Mar 21, 2021 3:20:54 GMT

ZAC

t42 - Alexei Ivanov
Fortree City | Social

MUSIC

"To keep their instincts sharp, ay? Yeah I can see that," Zac said, watching the avians play in the trees. His Archen was starting to get the hang of arboreal movement now. That might be worth looking into. Is there a level of dulling or disorientation when they're in their Pokeball for a while?
"What do you do to keep your own instincts sharp?"
Zac nodded, taking notes as Alexei answered. That last question was more than just professional curiosity. Next he steered the talk towards another personal interest: exotic Pokemon.
"Toucannon! I don't suppose you have any here now, do ya? I've only ever seen them in Alola." Zac could feel the interview drawing to a close. He was already picturing the documentary itself. Lots of long, scenic footage of the reserve, with the interview as a voiceover.
"Oh! We haven't talked about your Gym yet!" Zac said, realizing that he had almost left a huge chunk of Alexei's identity unexplored. "What do you think is the most important trait for a Gym Leader?"

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

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POSTED ON Apr 6, 2021 9:13:46 GMT

Zac Ramsay likes this

His own instincts?

He chuckled for a few moments.

“Call me crazy, but I fly with them. Even if it’s just me on the back of my Braviary or my Salamence, just being up there with the rest of the fliers and the not-so-fliers who also find comfort in the air, it’s something else entirely. Just being with my Pokémon makes them happy, joining them in what they love doing strengthens that bond, keeps us sharp.”

Was he rambling? He didn’t care at this point anymore.

“I make time for everyone. Every single one of them. I don’t leave the others in the lurch, because what kind of a person would I be if I played favorites?”

As for running the Gym? Well…

“Call me weird, but I would say losing gracefully. Because we’re not here to win all the time and lord it over all the Trainers and challengers who come by who want to test their mettle, we’re here to teach them about their own shortcomings, and impart our own lessons. Mine are more on courage and bravery… I highly suggest trying the non-traditional challenges because that’s where those two lessons of mine shine the most. Well, it’s those two and being creative with handling unusual situations.”

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The Robust

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Twenty-Eight

October 30th

Bevaridge Town

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All these little buggers have a little magic in 'em

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TAG WITH @zac

POSTED ON Apr 11, 2021 1:12:37 GMT

ZAC

t42 - Alexei Ivanov
Fortree City | Social

MUSIC

"I'm with ya there, mate," Zac said, "I can see that your bond with these friendly little flyers is unbreakable. It's a delight to see someone with a big heart in a position of power."
Zac nodded as Alexei talked about the virtues required to be a gym leader. "People put too much stake in winning and losing." He said bluntly. "It's not even in the guidelines for awarding a badge! I think too many people get worried about their rep. About looking uncool, you know?"
"If I was a gym leader I'd want to see people have fun and show that they are trying to learn and improve." Zac let out a sharp whistle that carried through the trees. The red blur of Ledian appeared at his side, hovering restlessly. His Archen slid down a nearby tree, leaving twin gouge marks in the bark. His Minior circled above, catching some last minute scenic shots.
"I'd like to see your unconventional gym challenge in person some day, but, uh, flying isn't one of my great strengths. Here's one last question for ya. What advice would you give to people who are afraid of heights?"

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

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POSTED ON Apr 11, 2021 14:08:32 GMT

Zac Ramsay likes this

“I’ve since accepted the fact that for some, sadly winning only seems to be what’s on their mind. Most of those who walk away from here though, learn something more about themselves—about what courage they didn’t know they had. Or how they themselves change and adapt to whatever situation gets thrown at them,” he agreed, nodding sagely at the reply.

“Look, I don’t know why some consider ‘winning’ to be the only thing out there! I don’t give a shit if I’m the gym leader that’s too easy to defeat because I suck at traditional-style battling, but it’s only because I’m better at non-traditional!” he added with a chuckle.

With the last question, though, he turned pensive. For a few moments, there was silence.

“Normally, people would say to face it head-on, but then again you don’t know if you’re only going to make it even worse than it already is. I have this to say, though—bond with a Flying-type. Or if it’s not a Flying-type but it’s got wings and it can fly, learn to understand them. See the world from a different perspective. It’s a learning process, getting over one’s fear, regardless of what it could be.”

Wise words coming from him, considering that he was afraid of ghosts and of death. But that was something else entirely… and a story for another day.