Pristine trekking boots that clearly hadn’t really been used to do much trekking (in actuality, they had been purchased solely for this occasion) step upon the damped stones that rest near one of the many waterfalls, their grip and traction truly resulting to be something to be thankful for when it comes to avoiding any slip-related incidents – especially considering how the esteemed POG Bank CEO is indeed glued to his device.
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Metaphorically, of course.
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He does look up, eyes of bright amber scanning his surroundings in search for any signs of his elusive target. Left to right, he allows himself an almost full panoramic view of Meteor Falls, until his gaze meets that of one angelo vestri.
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”All good questions!” Loud over the sound of the raging rapids, he grins at the pilot. ”No teeth or bloodthirst… That I’ve noticed, at least, but it’s probably better if I show you!”
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And so, bringing out a pokéball, he sure does show him…

[attr="class","picnb"]

With a flash of light, the Unown N appears between both men; its characteristic zigzag shape making it look more like a “Z”, then actually an “N”, and back to a “Z” as it floats restlessly in the air. With curiosity, it looks around, and when its single dark eye falls on Angelo, it moves closer – really close – in order to get a good look at the pilot.
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Mars seems unbothered by this; not even looking at them as he suddenly finds himself distracted by some unusual movement in the water.
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”We’re looking for Unown, Angelo! They don’t all have the same shape, but they look kind of like this little guy here.” Or “little girl”. Wouldn’t want to misgender our mysterious Symbol Pokémon, would we?
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Just as he says these words, he brings out two more pokéball, although thankfully what comes out of them this time is a little bit more normal: Inkay.
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Inkay that mercilessly make quick work of a helpless little Skrelp with nothing more than a nod on Mars’ part, that is. He does try to catch it though, because even if not what he’s looking for, Mars has never been a fan of wasted efforts. Plus, Skrelp are adorable.


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+ Catching Skrelp! ♡

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Polished is the right thing to call Mars, for as hard, painful, and tragic as much of his life has been, he has also enjoyed privileges of which many can only dream. The kind of privileges that would make some say they’d gladly endure all the horrors Mars has endured if only they could have all of that luxury and wealth. The kind of privileges that mean he indeed has never had a reason to spend much time among unrefined, dusty stone before. And, also the kind of privileges that mean his childhood meals never involved things like alphabet soup.
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Actually…
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”Alphabet soup?” It’s in slight confusion that Angelo’s words are echoed, because no, Mars has no idea what that is. He can easily draw the conclusion that it’s soup with letters, because that much seems obvious, but the reasons why anyone would want such a thing escape him. How would a company even market that to the public? Maybe it’s better not to waste his time pondering on such a meaningless topic...
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”Ha! I think maybe he just likes you.”
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Angelo hadn’t been wrong about the Unown being curious by nature, but Mars isn’t wrong either: despite the way the pilot spins it around, the Symbol Pokémon doesn’t float away, even following once he keeps on walking – it’s single eye never looking away from him. It’s probably a bit unsettling, but it’s not like anyone will bother with stopping it.
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Except, maybe, for a Slowking.
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It may be out of a mere whim or it may be out of some awful past experience with the species, but a nearby Slowking doesn’t seem too happy with the Unown’s presence. It rushes towards the psychic type, but the latter is quicker, and HIDDEN POWER stops it in its tracks before it can do anything harmful. From there on, with only a short and quick whistle on Mars’ part to call to their attention, the Inkay intervene. Or, one of them does, at least: a swift NIGHT SLASH teaching a painful lesson to the Slowking.
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A Premier Ball is thrown so the Royal Pokémon won’t get in their way any longer, and when heading over to retrieve it, Mars looks at Angelo.
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”There has probably been Unown around here if pokémon react like that when seeing one. Could just be a coincidence, though.” There's a dismissive shrug, even though he’s familiar enough with Slowking to know most of them are usually too calmly to just randomly pick a fight. ”Searching the lower levels sounds like a good idea. Have you been around here before?”



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+ angelo vestri | Catching Slowking! ♡

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

”Explorations tours, huh? Did you find anything interesting during those?” In the most poetic sense of it, Mars can see the appeal to doing things like those. Exploring, discovering, finding things no one else has found before, perhaps even things no one ever imagined could be found…
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There’s a certain beauty to the thought, but in reality, it all just sounds like too much effort with too little to be gained, and of course Mister POG Bank CEO isn’t about that life at all. Even back during his multiple visits to Mount Coronet, never was he one to do much hiking around, and he’d always much rather use his pokémon to surf or fly up. Isn’t that what they’re there for, after all?
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So, yes, Angelo’s right: he should be careful. And, as prideful a man as Mars may be, the warning is heeded, because he can recognize that the pilot is actually the one who knows what he’s doing here. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be much point in paying him to be here – no matter how enjoyable his company may perhaps be.
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Just as he’s about to say something else, Mars is distracted by the sight of a Dragonite flying overhead, and seeing an obvious opportunity, he simply nods at his Inkay. This time, they do no more than double up on HYPNOSIS in order to ensure that the dragon falls into deep slumber, and once it does and begins to plummet from the skies, a pokéball is thrown at it. As simple as that.
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”You’re not from Hoenn, right?”
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The assumption is rather obvious, but who knows when taking things like immigration into account. Still, Mars is always rather curious about such matters, and they might as well have something to talk about while looking around.




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+ angelo vestri | Catching Dragonite! ♡

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Out here, among these stones and flowing rapids, what reason could there be for Mars to believe Angelo might lie to him? No one could blame the pilot for keeping much from a man who is really no more than his occasional employer, and while Mars has always been a distrusting man, not even at his most distrusting hour would he pick apart every single word all the time – that’s exhausting, and he has no time for that.
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There’s no more than a scoff at the mention of Heatran, for Mars has never been particularly fond of the Lava Dome Pokémon. Blame it on the aesthetics, maybe. ”You must have gone pretty deep to run into those.” And that’s all that’s said on that, the banker being much more preoccupied with searching their surroundings for those Unown that never seem to want to show themselves before his eyes.
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And if Angelo’s discomfort at the sight of the Dragonite is noticed, there’s also no comment on it, but the Unown N that has been following him and watching him closely does gently bump into his back – whether by mere coincidence or in a strange attempt to comfort him is truly a mystery.
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It’s the mention of Alto Mare that does interest Mars, for while it doesn’t come as particularly surprising given Angelo’s name, the City of Water happens to be a place for which he has a particular fondness. He has been there a few times before, most recently on a short trip for CIAN MAHER’s birthday, but his interest in the city and the island it’s built upon is more than just that of a tourist, isn't it?
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”Ah, I suspected as much… I have, yeah, a few times. I actually had some relatives from there.”
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There’s a smirk, and he doesn’t bother to elaborate on that, the comment coming as no more than a simple tidbit just as Mars’ gaze fixes on a Woobat that flies out of a crevice among the rocks – almost as if it were the cavern it had been sleeping in until disturbed by the presence of the pilot and POG bank CEO. His Inkay turn their attention to it with no more than a nod on his part, and soon enough, it’s a precise NIGHT SLASH that brings the Bat Pokémon down.
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”Do you prefer Hoenn over it?” The question is asked while a pokéball is thrown, and when going to retrieve it, Mars wonders why he himself didn’t bother with lying about his connection to Alto Mare. As simple as his comment may have seemed, it’s actually something only a handful of people in the world know about him, since it’s something of which he once wasn’t even allowed to speak. After all, being that it’s the place where his father was from, that’s much more than just ‘some relatives’, isn't it?
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Maybe he’s just tired of lying.
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Maybe living in Hoenn, so far from his family’s influence, has made it much easier to speak of the people he actually considers to be his real family…
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Either way, he doesn’t dwell on it for too long, soon continuing to walk among rocks in search for Unown.




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+ angelo vestri | Catching Woobat! ♡

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