laying sprawled on the couch, one foot on the cushion, the other on the back cushion, greyson numbly thumbs through his phone.
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gone were the texts between him and DANNY HALL, gushing over the girls they'd just met. his own had turned into the love of his life, while his friend's, a manipulative crazy bitch.
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the anger doesn't rise this time. an aromatherapy circulated throughout the room, leaving behind the smells of spring lillies and rain. both dogs, ra the arcanine and riley the boltund, were laying together in a mess of limbs and fur. the arcanine was snoring heavily enough to rattle the couch, somehow not waking up the boltund in it's ground quaking force.
[break][break]
greyson regards them with a gentle smile, transitioning the video on his screen to another one much like it. a song, a cute girl, and a dance of some kind. the equation seemed to be working quite fine.
[break][break]
from his peripheral, barely a blur, ellie floats into view and into his chest. her soft mew of hello, before a deep yawn, told him all he needed to know. locking his phone, he settled himself more comfortable on the couch.
[break][break]
soon enough, the connor's household was a symphony of snores and sleeping mews.

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[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-comfey"]

"i know you hate this," he offers in his best consoling voice, legs crossed as he sits on front of the meditative delphox, "but we need to practice." the idea of 'needing to practice' was an offensive one, to the fox; as if she of all greyson's pokemon needed it? but he wouldn't relent - not this time.

autumn was his go-to in nearly all situations. she was an excellent all-rounder with a number of attack and defensive abilities, and with one of the keenest minds he's ever seen in a pokemon. it was imperative that she utilize her skills to the best of her abilities.

"here, try again." laid out in front of her were nearly two-dozen utensils. the task was a simple one, at first, but grew progressively harder with each step. to begin, "pick up all twenty-four at once." her PSYCHIC makes short-work of this task, and soon, she's surrounded by silver. "now, arrange them by type. spoons, forks, knives." another simple task.

"now, arrange them in the specific order. knives. forks. spoons." this one required the slightest bit more energy to split her attention enough to find, then arrange them, while still maintaining the rest. easy, still. "spin the spoons in one direction, the forks in another, and keep the knives still." this was substantially harder than the rest. like patting your belly and rubbing your head all while hopping on one foot.

it took considerable more time than the last, a minute or so at least, before she could successfully fulfill the requirements without messing it up even slightly.

"good," he says with a timid smile, but he does his best to project confidence. not really easy to do when you're dealing with a psychic-type, "while you're doing that - find ellie." the real test, one she'd failed a time or two already. to maintain concentration on the silverware, and the act she was performing with them, and expand her consciousness to the room to locate a creature less than the size of a thumb?

her maw trembles from the effort and the frustration, eyes closed to maintain the concentration she holds by a thread. it begins to falter in the form of utensils dropping, before finally, in a huff of annoyed breath, she releases control. her breath is ragged from the exertion, and a deep growl permeates through her body.

"it's alright, we'll keep at it."

if they wanted to be stronger they had no choice.

☉

while hesitant to say greyson had a main team, there was no denying his bias on leaning on certain members. autumn, his delphox, for example, was one such pokemon. he'd worked with her extensively over a period of multiple days to expand her current psychic prowess; to better hone, and execute her will on the world around her. it was difficult work, but the results spoke for themselves. her humiliating defeat at the hands of moltres sparked an all consuming desire to better herself — no matter the cost.

that drive was part of the reason he was here now. giving the fire-type time to decompress was vital, so today, he would focus on another one of his pokemon. an old friend he'd found in his first venture into the safari.

"is it me, or do you just get prettier and prettier every day," he muses to the rapidash. her cream and mint colored mane flowed beautifully towards the floor below, but never quite reached it. rae neighed in appreciation of her trainer's compliment, a small touch of her psyche reaching out to touch his. their bond was warm, flowing with affection for one another. he cared for her like a doting, overly protective father; she didn't seem to mind. greyson's lips split into a grin, and he lifts the brush up to show her.

seconds later, he's stroking her ivory coat with the thick bristles, humming along to a tune he couldn't quite place. "you know," he starts, eyes glazed over in his work, "i'm still not quite sure if you'd prefer being a contest pokemon, or one that battles." it was an idle thought he'd been mulling around in his head for quite some time.

it began primarily because of the very clear courting ritual her and gesh were doing. despite being variances of the same species, it hadn't deterred the fiery-spirited stallion. his many attempts at catching the mare's attention had slowly over time impressed the psychic-type. he was tempted to step in a time or two to shut down the stallions advances, so as to no push the boundaries rae had set, but found he didn't need too.

greyson admittedly didn't understand the rituals of mating pokemon, nor would he really attempt too, but it was nice to see they'd found each other. crazy to think his pokemon had better luck in the dating department than he did. he pushes it from his mind, deciding not to dwell against the past.

he looked up to catch the mare staring back at him. there was a look of determination in her eyes, and only then did he remember the question he'd idly posed. as if understanding, he sighs, and gives her an appreciative smile. he saw no reason to discount her as a solid fighter, but he wanted what was best for her. and if fighting was something she wanted...

"we'll talk about it," was all he could say, giving her side a series of soft pats, we'll talk about it."

exhibit

☉

squealing in fear, a tepig jumps up and into greyson's arms. he laughs, despite himself, wrapping the little oinker in his arms. overhead a shadow falls and the pokemon to which it belongs is heralded by the sounds of steel clattering like windchimes.

Z's heavy form lands on a nearby branch, neck twisting in curiosity as it gazes down at the small pig. it reacts like greyson expects, burying deeper into his arms, nuzzling further into his chest. greyson looks up at the predatory bird, holding a finger out as he chastises him. "cut the shit, z. don't let me find you trying to kill any of your fellow team members. got it?"

the caw of indignation only spreads greyson's lips into a thin line, but the metal death bird flies off anyways, leaving greyson to comfort the scared little fire-type.

"hm, he really needs some training."

next time, he tells himself, next time.

☉

making his way onto willow atkins's land, greyson makes a beeline (hah) for the cluster of hives. he stops in front of the first one and cups his hands around his face. "viv! can you come on out, please?"
[break]
[break]
she was one of his oldest companions, but she was now queen - the queen. beneath her was a network of vespiqueen and combee that were subservant to her 'rule'. thus, he needed to put on the show of respect, lest the others think she too weak to hold her station.
[break]
[break]

greyson is greeted first by a small combee who, after a moment of curious flight, ducks back inside. viv comes droning out a moment after, luckily, without an entourage. he gives her an affectionate smile and begins to walk further down the property line - she follows.
[break]
[break]

properly out of sight from the rest of the nest, he lets out a sigh and turns to face her. "ready to continue?" viv was a rather large vespiquen, and certainly larger than the rest of his brood, so she was a strikingly intimidating bug. despite this, she 'chirped' happily, though it sounded more like a high-bitched buzzing.
[break]
[break]

"great! let me give you some space." greyson backs up a dozen or so yard, retrieving a pair of thickly framed glasses from his pocket and placing them on. he sucks in a breathe, and then...
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"shield wall!"
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with practiced precision, small bees emerge from the underside of the vespiquen and spread out. they gather together in a tight formation, creating a barrier directly in-front of the bug-type.
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[break]

"spread: sphere."
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[break]

another buzzing command and the bees spread out, encompassing the vespiqueen in a sphere-like barrier. this would be effective against multiple attacks, thus, a high-priority in their practices.
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[break]

"hybrid."
[break]
[break]

half of the group breaks off and forms the shield wall again, albeit much smaller than the other. this time the bees ensure they compact themselves even further to ensure the safety of their queen.
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[break]

greyson grins, proud to see their training paying off. to split her focus on both groups was no simple task and their constant attempts had paid off. reaching into his pocket, he tosses the monarch a snack.
[break]
[break]

"want to give offense a go now?"

[attr="class","notes"]@exhibit

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

greyson sat on willow atkins's porch, feet swinging over the small ledge. his attention, at first glance, would seem to be on the pokemon playing in the fields beyond; the last few months had been perfect in bonding their two respective pokemon families.
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but, the truth was, his mind was preoccupied.
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it'd been some weeks now, since the event that'd been dubbed 'the darkest day'. his anger and grief had subsided, but the coiling ball sit sat evenly in the pit of his stomach.
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he'd looked for someone to blame, for a while. team rocket had taken the city for themselves just last summer, so anything that happened within' their walls falls within' their purview, did it not? so, were they not responsible for his loss, and his pain?
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that, at least, had been his line of thinking. time granted him the small measure of comfort, of knowledge, that it didn't really matter, did it?
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greyson made the decision of his own accord to field himself in that battle, knowing full well the dangers of doing-so. even when his pokemon had taken the field beside him, against his initial wishes, there was no stopping them.
[break][break]
he's pulled from the reverie of his thoughts as a small, swamp green pokemon waddles up to him. greyson reaches down and picks up the larvitar, settling it onto his lap. the recent hatchling had been the child of his fallen tyranitar, and the guilt he felt even now, rattled him like the epicenter of an earthquake.
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he pats the mewing rock-type on its rough head. it satisfies the creatures.
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for now, he just has to live the choice he's made.

[attr="class","notes"]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

greyson's gaze lifts to level with the arcanine's. it's transformation had given it a few more inches, making the already intimidating canine even more so. with its protruding horns, and mythical, cloud-like ashen grey fur, it struck an impressive figure.
[break][break]
"how you feeling, breeze?" he asks, reaching out with a hand to pat the massive dog's head. the horns were new, and not as soft as he expected; it'd take a while to get used to.
[break][break]
with a wag of its tail, it takes a step then two back, dropping to his haunches, butt wiggling in the air. he wanted to play — a good sign. smiling, greyson picks up a rubber ball about the size of his fist, turns, and lobs it as far, and as hard as he could. it gets a dozen or so feet before the now dual-type is upon it, catching the red ball in his muzzle.
[break][break]
"huh, i think you just might be faster," and more nimble, now that he thinks about it. greyson whistles, calling the canine back to his side. he pries the ball from his teeth, wiping the ridiculous amount of slobber on the grass below.
[break][break]
"let's put your new form to the test, huh?" greyson grins, inciting a powerful bark from the arcanine; it was excited, and eager, even if the big lug probably didn't fully understand it.
[break][break]
internally, greyson devises a training regimen.

[attr="class","notes"]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

the force of the blow sends greyson tumbling head over ass, the black armor-like shield, provided to him by his comfey, shattering just as the momentum does.
[break][break]
"fuuck," greyson says in a shuddering breath, pain flaring in areas of his body he wouldn't have imagined could feel pain. the doublade, which had fallen from his grip, slides back together above her trainer. she looks down on him with a concerned gaze.
[break][break]
"i'm good, i'm good." it came out more like a wheeze than anything, and the swords concern redoubled. he swats them away with one hand, pushing himself slowly to his feet. blood trickles from the number of minor wounds all over his body, but, he gets back up.
[break][break]
flower petals the color of muted night begin to cover his wounds, a FLORAL HEALING working to relieve the ache all-throughout his body. it wouldn't bring him back to full, but it would be enough.
[break][break]
his opponent, a grizzled, scarred samurott, stood opposite of him. his body was marred with the passage of time, and the dozens of battles under his preverbal belt. had you asked greyson — this fucker was still in his prime.
[break][break]
"again," he urges, his tone bordering on the edge of a command. he held authority over the water-type, usually, but here? he was a babe still in the cradle.
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samurott's eyes narrow and greyson feels as if he was being assessed and analyzed far more deeply than he could comprehend. his step falters, but he catches himself.
[break][break]
"again." this one carries more weight, more confidence, and after a number of seconds, the samurott simply nods. reaching out with both hands, kenz, his doublade, moves to place herself in either of his hands. the armor from before spreads over his body, shielded plating of obsidian and violet.
[break][break]
centering himself, he releases a calming breathe.
[break][break]
then he charges back into the fight.

[attr="class","notes"]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉