i'll chase the light of that distant star

Oh!" That single syllable was all Talia could manage before the Electrode imploded.

A blinding light seared through the surroundings while Talia attempted to shield her eyes with the long sleeves of her kimono, to no avail. Thrown back by the sudden impact against the ground, she crawled to her knees and glanced about herself, brow furrowed with worry. "Lyra?" she whispered, and the serpentine form of her Dragonair coiled protectively around her in answer, nudging her to her feet with a gentle push of her winged head. "You're still here, thank Arceus," Talia exhaled, visibly relieved as she embraced her Pokemon.

Then Talia gathered herself, and climbed onto her Dragonair to ascend into the sky. It was her duty, she reminded herself, as a new Ranger of the League to see if others had been so lucky -- or unlucky. At least, it should be, if it wasn't already.

Not too far away below, the figure of edith joy was visible with her Blissey: both looking slightly worse for wear, but otherwise relatively unharmed. Relief washed over Talia anew as she descended beside her, gently alighting to the ground to run over to their side. "Are you both all right?" she asked, genuine concern radiating through her every word.

edith joy ● boom boom bakudan ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Then it seems that Ho-oh smiles down upon us both," Talia said warmly. "I am glad to hear it. The explosion left us unscathed as well, thankfully. Lyra and I were just patrolling the area, and, well."

Her voice trailed off self-consciously, the thought left unfinished as Talia gestured airily about them both. Several trees had been felled by the impact of the Pokemon's explosion, and a few timid Bug-type Pokemon could be seen creeping back from the outskirts of the tall grasses.

In comparison to the wary wildlife of the area, the pink-haired woman before her looked tall and self-assured, tending to her Blissey and then turning to examine the Electrode with a thoughtful air.

Talia's gaze followed that of her companion's to the inert Pokemon, and her voice grew soft with pity. "Poor creature. What do you think frightened it so much, to implode like that?"

edith joy ● boom boom bakudan ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia nodded in agreement, her earrings jangling with the movement. "That sounds sensible," she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Truthfully, Talia hadn't known Electrodes could have bar codes, much less that local labs used them for such matters. "You seem very knowledgeable about these things," she ventured, her hands clasping behind her back as she leaned forward to look at edith joy more closely. "Do you work at a lab, maybe?"

Wait. This was the backwards way to get to know someone, wasn't it?

"Um, sorry. I meant to ask, what's your name? I'm Talia." Somewhat sheepishly, the young woman extended a hand, the slightly charred sleeve of her kimono shifting with the movement. "I work as a Cadet for the League. A new one, anyway."

It wasn't the most graceful introduction in the world, but in the wake of an explosion, things like grace hopefully didn't matter.

edith joy ● boom boom bakudan ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

For all the grace that Talia believed herself to be lacking in her own greeting, Edith Bliss Joy possessed it in spades as she introduced herself.

Of course Talia knew of the House of Joy -- the pink hair should have, in retrospect, suggested the possible connection to that established lineage of Pokecenter nurses.

Though her question wasn't intended to be rude, the young Cadet felt chastised nonetheless, and she dipped her head apologetically.

"Miss Joy, then," she said, respectfully bowing low at the waist. "Is there anything I can do to help? I don't know how you feel about flying, but Lyra can take us anywhere you need."

The Dragonair blinked her beautiful eyes in answer to her trainer's offer, watching the floating Electrode with rapt curiosity as she glided towards the pair with a serpentine fluidity.

edith joy ● boom boom bakudan ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Everything about the way that the woman spoke assured that, yes, she did have everything well under control. By the time that edith joy had suggested Talia give her surname, the girl had begun to wonder if she had contributed much of anything to the encounter at all, save for checking that there had been no harm done and not being harmed herself.

"Oh, that is not necessary," Talia started to protest, but it seemed futile to deny someone with such a strong will. "Celes," she relented at last. "Talia Celes of Ecruteak City." A less impactful name than Joy by far, known perhaps only by those locals who frequented the Ecruteak Dance Theater.

Even then, it had been some time since a Celes had danced there at all. The Johto invasion had made certain of that.

"If you're sure you have the matter in hand, Miss Joy, then Lyra and I will scout the area to make sure there were no casualties elsewhere." Talia patted her Dragonair's neck as she was so resolved, this compromise allowing for herself to feel she had earned the right to some reward. "That Electrode is lucky you found it," she said kindly as she climbed Lyra's back. "I hope you both get home safely."

And with that, Talia took once more to the skies.

edith joy ● boom boom bakudan ●