He admires her smile, giving a subtle nod as if to say your welcome. Not that he needed thanks for comforting a friend. Her struggle is one that he knows well. The gut-wrenching feeling of missing what you want but can't have is crushing. It's a sensation that nips at your heart like the howling winds of a blizzard.


Following her lead, he grabs two marshmallows of his own and sticks them on the poker. Of all the talents he'd acquired over the years, none proved more vital than the ability to listen. A shoulder to cry on, an ear for the weary - you'd be surprised how far something so simple can go. Though there are questions aplenty as Eva tells her story, not a word leaves his lips.

Marshmallows roasting over the fire, he listens, and he absorbs. His face a tight mixture of emotions. Kanto's fall and all the things he'd lost fighting until he couldn't anymore are fresh wounds. Despite the passage of time, they always would be.

"I understand how you feel." violet eyes are locked on the fire. Its gentle glow casts his face in an eerie light that sways with the flame. His grip on the poker is so tight his knuckles turn white. Slowly, they relax as he turns his head to face her.

Gone is all the anger, replaced by the warm, reassuring smile he wore during his gym challenge.

"We'll beat em, I promise Professor Eva."

Eva Morales

"Okay, just Eva."

"Hmm." another difficult question to answer. So much of what he'd been doing the last few years is classified. "Fighting." that's the best way to describe it. "Defeat's always left a bitter taste in my mouth." an understatement. "I followed Rocket to Johto. Gave everything that I had and then some to make sure they didn't take it." and they'd won, but the victory felt hollow.

There's tension in his muscles as the Gallade and Beedrill arrived. He doubted Eva would be able to tell. Onyx hide it well behind a practiced mask. He pulled his marshmallows out from the fire to slided them between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. The perfect, gooey treat for a night by the campfire.

"That's about it, really." crunch and chew. The s'more is delicious, exactly what he needed after a long day. "Not as interesting as making Professor, but hey, we can't all be quite as riveting as you." Onyx chuckled, flashing her a wink and a smile.

Eva Morales