It doesn’t matter whether she’s a tiny little star in his arms or a fully grown fairy in her own right, Lyra – as many Cleffa had once been – was fascinated by Minior. [break][break]

But it’s both of their eyes that light up with the arrival of a Minior, floating down through the sky like one of the many petals swept up in the dusk breeze. [break][break]

“Huh, look at that. Guess the rumours were true,” says the courier, surprised (in the pleasant sort of way) that the gossip had been more credible this time. Hands in his pockets, Angelo brushes an ink stained thumb over a safari ball; tasting satisfaction and keenness on his tongue, but resisting the throw. [break][break]

Lyra is the one who eagerly bounces forward first, reaching her paws out towards the lump of space rock as it descends, hovering just above her outstretched grasp as she brightens with all the captivated innocence of a tiny Cleffa. Two pokemon of a familiar origin talking in tongues Angelo doesn't understand; save for a distinct recognition of pleasant comradery. He doesn't want to interupt with a thrown pokeball.[break][break]

“You can invite your new friend along, you know.” He smiles.

[break][break]

+ catching minior // 3 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lyra does invite her new friend. After catching it in a safari ball and letting it back out again, the Minior trails along behind the Clefable like her shadow or as if they’re partaking in a game of ‘follow the leader’. Both of them marching just ahead of Angelo through the castle grounds.[break][break]

Uncaring to playing a part so he could fit into the scenery better, (he is a filthy peasant, as skyler dross sometimes likes to call him) Angelo hops onto a nearby stall, balancing on the edge with scuffed up sneakers and a hand gripping onto the support beam for the tented top. [break][break]

There’s a blob of pink waddling around a corner, a Happiny chasing its dropped egg-shaped stone but Angelo blinks away, uninterested. Scanning the skies for falling stars...


[break][break]

+ passing // 3 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Hey. Lyra. Stellina!” [break][break]

He launches himself off the stall with a jump, rather than hopping down like a regular person; his legs carrying him far through the air before landing with an unabashed stumble, hitting the ground jogging. There’s a grin on his face, amused, as Angelo approaches the Clefable whom had seemingly acquired a new hat that her too-short paws couldn’t reach. [break][break]

A Hatenna (rather than a falling star) having dropped from a nearby blossom tree and flopped onto Lyra’s head when she had passed underneath. Leaving the Clefable in a panic as his shy companion tried, and failed, to peacefully lift the stranger off alone.[break][break]

“Hats aren't your thing, huh? And here I thought it suited you.”

Angelo laughs, plucking the little witch hat pokemon off her head, bending down to let the creature go.



[break][break]

+ passing // 3 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

A paw sticks out suddenly, urging Angelo to stop as they walk through the picturesque castle grounds, very nearly sending him stumbling into the perpetrator. “Shit… Alright, Ly?” He asks as she stands staunchly in front, pink arm still held out as her Minior friend floats and turns above their heads. An unmoving barricade for reasons currently unknown.[break][break]

Angelo waits, amused and puzzled, until the cause of Lyra’s sudden change in her usually shy demeaner emerges. A line of Shellos suddenly wiggling out from underneath a bush, crawling from one side to the other in their quest to reach a pond nearby. They were standing in front of a Shellos Crossing, as it were. [break][break]

One. Two. Three. Four…. Ten….. Thirteen. [break][break]

They wait until the last one, babbling as it squelches slowly along in front of them, passes. Then they continue on down the path.




[break][break]

+ passing // 3 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Somewhere. Far, far away. A young child screeches like they’ve just discovered that at the end of the rainbow lies a pot of delicious, neverending candy. [break][break]

It majestically trots amongst neatly pruned rose bushes, a fountain gurgling in the backdrop as its mane flutters in the freeze like pastel clouds. Letting out a soft whinny, it rises on its back hooves and gracefully dances its front pair through the air.[break][break]

[break][break]

Angelo sneezes loudly. Rising from tying his shoelaces, oblivious to the rare sight that had played out before him. [break][break]

There’s no shiny Ponyta in sight.




[break][break]

+ passing // 3 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“There’s one!”[break][break]

A finger is pointed towards the sky awash in sunset shades as a Minior streaks down from the clouds, blazing a wispy trail as it plunges towards the carefully tended castle grounds – a waypoint to its landing location. [break][break]

Angelo and crew follow the line scratched across the heavens, weathered trainers hitting the ground in an impatient jog as he passed by wild pokemon of varying shades of pink lounging in the grass, blue eyes fixated on the prize. [break][break]

Brushing past a blur of green, Angelo automatically manoeuvres down a couple of paths, winding through the castle grounds with his gaze on the sky. When he finally spots the Minior, floating in its rock form and looking confused, a safari ball is plucked from his pocket. Snapping it up without hesitation. [break][break]

Only, when he turns around to present the second lump of space rock to Lyra, he finds she’s not there. Instead, Angelo’s line of sight trails up the bushes that he stood sandwiched between, finding that the foliage on either side of the path were less of a carefully managed shrub and more of a wall. [break][break]

A maze. To be more specific. [break][break]

Ah. Shit.




[break][break]

+ catching minior // 2 safari balls left[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]