surprise flitted across greyson's features as he watches the stone 'speak' to him. to see the words etch themselves right in-front of his eyes, he felt a bit disoriented by the affair. it was reminiscent to watching a time lapse, and the more he thought about it, the more his own thoughts started to jumble and confuse him. the comfey around his wrist float with curiosity down to the pointed flowers, mewing and gossiping among themselves.

pushing it all aside, he considers the question.

to who was he most thankful? a myriad of names and faces come to him. illeana reyes, his friend and confidant; willow atkins, his unlikely friend turned business partner; mint frost, nosey and short, but good hearted; PENELOPE LIVY, his friend of mutual interest, and... well the rest was still a bubble of confusion, but she was good people; DANNY HALL his... best friend, turned enemy, turned? greyson's smile turns thin as he considered the many, many people he could possibly list.

then, he finds himself going down a different path. he was alone here, presumably, in this field. but to voice it out loud... he feels his cheeks turning scarlet.

but, he speaks anyways.

"myself." it was selfish, he knew. but he could be selfish, right? "i'm thankful to myself. for having taken the first steps on the path that's led me to meet so many amazing people. to growing, and changing, and becoming a better version of the person i was."

one of the comfey — ellie — rises to his eye level and stares him. she smiles broadly, for such a little thing, and he holds out a finger to coax her small form. the others join her, mewing and laughing at just above a human whisper.

"i'm thankful for the drive to continue bettering myself everyday. and, of course, i'm thankful for you — all of you." he smiles and, beneath the chorus of little laughs and chimes, he starts to laugh. when it settles, his own smile couldn't go any further.

"thank you. all of you."

guided by their warmth, he inscribes his own name into the stone.

Greyson Connors

@shaymin

he couldn't believe what he was seeing, no matter how hard he tried. nature itself comes alive and beckons him forward, and he does so without hesitation. holding the flower felt right in a way that went beyond his joy of gardening. and greyson was now eagerly chasing the reason why.

stairs ascend upwards and something tells him he was on limited time. "ace!," he calls, and the bird responds automatically, "i need your tailwind!" their bond was such a way that she didn't even question why, and he'd thank her afterwards when he had a moment. with a flap of her great wing span, she summons a TAILWIND onto the path.

it was essentially a wind tunnel, at this point, and would greatly accelerate his effort. he just needed to make sure the flower was protected.

@shaymin

fear seizes him, and it's nearly enough to force him into a stumble. the thought of plummeting up so high makes his palms sweat, and greyson needs to redouble his focus into ensuring he has proper hold on the sentient flower. he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees the stairway end onto a stable surface, and hurries his pace to the safety of it.

taking a moment to peer over the edge and towards the fathomless depths that led to the earth, he moves with purpose to center himself on the floating island as much as possible, falling onto his hands and knees as he makes his way back.

a large garden sits in the center, and upon closer inspection, something shifts in their forest of leafy stems. not wanting to scare the potential creature, he reaches for one of his orbs and calls out a combee. viv, one of his oldest companions.

"let's see if we can't provoke it with a SWEET SCENT huh?"

@shaymin

the sound greyson makes is not something he'd ever admit to out loud. violet hues peer down at the new arrival, completely enamored. "hello there," he says, crouching. "you want me to plant this?" the soil looked thick, and he didn't feel comfortable putting the flower down to complete the work. so, with one hand, he brings out one of his lopunny.

"hey, help me out! use ROTOTILLER right here."

blinking, she takes but a moment to comply, using her paws to dig and unearth the soil just right. greyson, satisfied, places the flower inside.

@shaymin

the shaymin's attack surprised greyson, his smile turning into a confused frown. from around his wrist a soft cobalt blue energy pulsed, forming into a FLOWER SHIELD in-front of him. the SEED FLARE met the bulwark of spring, destroying them both and turning the moves into pink mist.

"ells?" his confusion turns to concern as he watches the comfey rise from his wrist, putting herself between him and the legendary. "are you sure?" he knew, of course, that she was. ellie rarely did anything without fully supporting her decision.

"okay then. let's do this."

from beneath the hedgehog a vine emerges and wraps itself around it's small leg. with a tug, the GRASS KNOT trips the small-pokemon, forcing it flat onto it's stomach.

@name

the shaymin lets out a small huff as it collapses, but determination sparks in its little eyes, and the legendary creature stands once more.

[break][break]
it release a SEED FLARE as it does, once again cognizant of the flowers in its attack. his comfey responds with yet another FLOWER SHIELD, taking the brunt of the attack and outright denying it.
[break][break]
greyson grins.

[attr="class","notes"]WSgQUsij

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"our turn."
[break][break]
from around the fairy-type a small wind picks up. dozens of ethereal looking flower petals begin to form in that wind, created from energy itself. the PETAL BLIZZARD collides with the mythical pokemon, sending it tumbling back a scooch.
[break][break]
when it stands again, it's SYNTHESIS begins actively working to keep it healthy.
[break][break]
a quick glance confirms the flowers are unharmed, but, for how much longer?
[break][break]
"are we going to keep doing this?"

[attr="class","notes"]wSjU68hO

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"guess so."
[break][break]
LEECH SEEDS shoot out from the creatures maw, landing mostly around and on greyson. instantly they begin to bloom and stamina noticeably drains from the trainer.
[break][break]
all around those small petals begin to overlap, FLORAL HEALING returning what stamina is lost just as quickly.
[break][break]
a war of attrition?

[attr="class","notes"]dv6pE6SI

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉