a favor for a favor, an eye for an eye.

[break][break] was this really any different from the doctrines that his father had taught him? someone betrayed rocket, you got them back. if someone hurt the family, you would hurt them back.

[break][break] favors probably worked similarly.

[break][break] it was with this in mind that jayden responds to illeana reyes's call. he appears a little earlier than their meeting time, appearing with two cups of coffee similarly to the way that he had at their last meeting. "of course," he says, handing one over to her. "it wasn't a burden."

[break][break] he glances towards the cage that she gears him too, and the surprise flickers through his normally dour expression. "what is this?" he inquires, sipping at his coffee.

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]coffee is a pleasant, and very welcome, surprise. she accepts the extended cup with a grateful smile. the first sip, however, waits until after she speaks.

"thank you," she murmurs. the cup is warm against her hands. grounding, almost. she holds it a little tighter than she should to hide a trembling she still hasn't shaken after her golden cage was stripped away. "i appreciate you coming, especially with coffee."

she raises the cup, finally, to her lips and sips once before his question hits open air. she swallows both down in one gulp, ignoring the way hot liquid paired with a question burns more than it should.

"what do you know of primal crystals?" it's the standard she asks of her help, it would seem. gauge their knowledge then their interest before dragging them to hell's gates with her own hands.

jayden cross
mission

he blinks.

[break][break] "primal crystals? not much, admittingly."

[break][break] if it's not obvious from the surprised way that he turns to her, jayden is oblivious. this is a rare sight for him, considering that he often takes pride in being aware of most things, but it seems that the league scientist has caught him off-guard for once.

[break][break] it is almost at that exact moment that jayden seems to be aware of the discolored golurk looming behind him. most people would notice that at the first thing, but considering the amount of ghosts that jayden ordinarily spends his time around, it doesn't immediately strike himself as odd.

[break][break] the colors, however, are a different story.

[break][break] curious, perhaps more curious than he is about the caged item, jayden asks. "is this yours?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she nods. an unknowing accomplice is, perhaps, better than one who knows too much. the less he knows... the less trouble she'll get into or something like that.

"that's okay," she murmurs. "i can give you a small lesson on them if you'd like but it's easier to show you."

she doesn't get very far, however, as the attention shifts to her discolored golurk. the looming automaton coos softly, almost preening beneath jayden's look. it, unfortunately, is not as accustomed to a curious look as it is cautious ones.

and her smile grows at the question, pride seeping into skin and bone.

"yes, this is deus." god. "the first golurk i caught. it's a sweetheart, so much so i found more." none of them share the same coloring, however. surprisingly enough, deus is the only shiny variant out of nine golurks and five goletts.

her head tilts after a moment.

"do you like golurks?"

jayden cross
mission

he nods. it makes enough sense — jayden has always found that tactile experiences are often much more effective than simple metaphor.

[break][break] before they can get further on the topic, jayden's achilles' heel strikes. his fondness for ghost-types. as the automaton cooes towards him, jayden finds a finger reaching out to trace the cool metal. he pets the pokemon as one might a puppy.

[break][break] though it's quite likely that jayden himself might not see any difference.

[break][break] "yes," he says, eyes gleaming a bit. "i actually enjoy all ghost types, but i do have a golett or two of my own." his head tilts. "and you?"

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she allows the interruption, observing as a mother would their child and a stranger. there's a fondness to her features that she can't quite seem to overwrite. no matter how hard she tries, her weakness is the same as jayden's.

the automaton happily accepts the pets. it even bends a bit to allow jayden better access to its discolored arm. after a soft silence, the telltale rumbles of her golurk vibrate through the room. she knows the sound well; it purrs much like a cat does when being pet and fawned over.

"i do, actually." her smile is bright and there's a small sparkle to her eyes that hasn't existed in what feels like months.

"i have more golurks and goletts than anything but," she pauses, afraid her pride in her ghosts will overwhelm both of them. "i've always found ghosts kind, cute creatures. they're a specialty of mine, i think." well, besides dragons. she has a specialty in specific things, it seems.

"do you have a favorite ghost?" just as she has her golurks, she assumes he has one of his own.

jayden cross
mission

"most consider them unfriendly or suspicious creatures," he murmurs, as if mulling over his own thoughts. "personally, i have never found that to be the case."

[break][break] if so anything, he considered them the opposite. they were the few things in his childhood that were untainted by that of his father's touch. they offered him comfort and companionship in what was - in general - a sea of loneliness.

[break][break] he hums. "a specialty..." he isn't sure if he has ever considered the thought. ghost types had always surrounded him — whether he wanted them to or not. "i'm not sure if it's the same for me. for me... they simply have always been around."

[break][break] he hadn't chosen them. they had chosen him.

[break][break] similar to rocket, he supposed.

[break][break] "a favorite?" his head tilts. like parents with their children, jayden did not often discriminate. "no. but — " he thinks of his collection, and wonders which he is more fond of. his mentor, Cillian Quinn, comes to mind. "i have a red duskull; he was a birthday gift to me from a good friend of mine."

[break][break] he adds, "i have always found an allure for inkay as well. though they aren't ghost types."

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]each word is intently listened to, as if she's hanging on the syllables with an innate curiosity to better understand him.

there's insight to be found in the similarities. it's enough for her to latch onto, sinking in teeth and claws and refusing to let go.

"perhaps you're lucky," she murmurs, pausing long enough to flash a smile. it should, perhaps, be grim given the subject but it exists in a strange territory. "or simply a kindred spirit."

in a way, they both could be. existing in one realm and the next... not quite belonging with one over the other. an odd middle ground to play in.

"a red duskull?" her eyes shine at the thought. it sounds pretty, crimson and bloody and shimmery. she'd like to see this duskull of his, one day.

and her mouth opens to ask but the ground slowly begins to rumble with a sudden life they couldn't have predicted.

"the hell?" comes quickly, rushed out as she struggles to stay standing. earthquake rocks the city of mossdeep, fissures breaking into the upper layer of the island. and she can't see the source. not yet, not now... but it leaves a pit of uncomfortable anxiety dropping into her stomach like a stone beneath gravity.

jayden cross
mission

"i spent much of my childhood in the glimwood tangle," he says, as if that's any consolation. "have you ever been?"

[break][break] strange that he would bring it up, considering that while the glimwood tangle was known for it's secrets, it was also known for his fairy types. ironic that it would be years later that he would meet bryan delarosa , who specialized in the mythical beasts.

[break][break] a bright smile - rare - draws to his face at the thought of the duskull that Cillian Quinn gave him nearly a year ago. "i can show you sometime. his name is chernobog."

[break][break] before he can say more on the subject, there is a rumble beneath their very feet. jayden's arm flashes out to steady his friend almost immediately, his other hand flicking out to release a pokemon of his own. his krokorok lands in front of them with snapping jaws.

[break][break] "irmin, go find the source."

[break][break] using hone claws to prepare himself, the pokemon then digs through dirt and tile to search find the source of their troubles.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"i haven't," comes honestly. outside of coming here, she'd never left snowpoint much before. the rare occasions when her father would bring her along to meet up with Felix Gallagher's father or on vacation were far and few between. "it sounds fascinating, though. i have a feeling i'd very much enjoy experiencing it."

and with the utterance of showing her his duskull, she's hardly able to resist how badly she wants to dissolve into a giddy child. it's shoved down with an iron fist as if that's not who she is anymore but at the core... illeana reyes is still very much a child. she's just, unfortunately, more wounded and broken than giddy.

"i'd like that, thank you."

when the ground shakes and threatens to break apart beneath their feet, he's quicker to act than she. her automaton dissolves into the growing shadows left behind by broken pieces of earth. and when it reforms, it looms over her shoulder.

his krokorok hones its claws and quickly sifts through rubble, dirt, and rock for an intruder. it's effective, really, but she feels exposed even with her golurk practically glued to the scar of her back. skin slowly crawls with paranoid life and she gives into the concept with little reluctance. a dim flash brings another form to her side, soft and pink and squishy. the chansey coos and bubbles, still not quite used to no longer being a young happiny.

"do you see anything yet?"

jayden cross
mission

"we can go sometime."

[break][break] it's unsure if these words are said to be sincere, or simply careless. is he saying this as a genuine offer to take him to his hometown, or simply because it seems the right thing to do in the moment?

[break][break] it's impossible to say, because jayden's expression is impossible to read. not that it ever is.

[break][break] when the earth rumbles to life, jayden also is quick to protect her though - again - this is hard to say if it's impulse or intention that dictates his action. he only releases his grip on her shoulder once his golurk emerges into view, and when his krokorok appears shaking it's head.

[break][break] jayden frowns. "no, not yet."

[break][break] maybe he spoke too soon.

[break][break] surely enough in the distance is a group of camerupt stampeding their way towards them. it's clear as day who was the source of the earthquake — at least this one.

[break][break] jayden releases his vaporeon. "isis, go!" sure enough, the pokemon's splits from view using acid armor only to reappear in front of the stampede. aurora beam explodes from her jaws in an attempt to freeze the stampede in their footsteps.

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]they can go sometime... she'll hold him to it, perhaps.

his hand settles quickly on her shoulder. protective, caring, and she shivers beneath the weight of it. it lingers long after he retracts fingers from skin, a distracting phantom sensation.

his krokorok comes up empty handed but the source soon reveals itself anyway.

a herd of camerupt emerge after a moment of ominous rumbling echoes against buildings. and for massive beasts, they sure have some speed to them... she gasps softly, eyes darting to the veiled cage. the crystal shudders, smooth facets vibrating against metal bars. she sticks an arm out to prevent her golurk from moving forward as it wants to.

"watch the crystal, please," she murmurs, voice just barely heard over pounding hooves. the crystal is the priority. nothing can happen to it, not before she uses it.

her golurk rumbles softly and shifts to hold the cage in place. with the automaton detached from the scar of her back, she feels more exposed than before. it's an uncomfortable feeling, one she has to grow accustomed to.

she turns to her chansey, then, and flashes an encouraging smile. "ready?" the answering coo is enough affirmation to elicit a soft command from her lips. "egg bomb."

the shiny chansey is almost too delighted to begin chucking egg bombs at the camerupts as ice begins to freeze them in their tracks. perhaps that, paired with jayden's vaporeon, will be enough to deter them.

jayden cross
mission

the chansey's egg bomb is enough to stun the stampede in it's place, if for nothing more than surprise. his vaporeon's frosty attack does the final blow, ice crackling along the edges in a stunning beam of light, freezing the group in it's place and preventing any further damage to the pavement's interior.

[break][break] one might assume, had they not known jayden at all, that such skill could be attributed to a ranger.

[break][break] unfortunately for that person, they would've been very wrong.

[break][break] they are given a bit of a relief, at least momentarily, except the biggest of the camperupt seems to shake and tremble within it's icy prison. heat burns through the ice easily, smoke rising into the air.

[break][break] once again, jayden is quick to the punch. he releases his mimikyu into the air, the gleam of his crystal lapel gleaming with the power of a z-move. a never-ending nightmare descends onto the group of pokemon, just as jayden grabs illie's wrist — the one that isn't broken — and tugs her along. "we have to go, " he says urgently. "your golurk can carry the crystal, right?"

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes