Everyone on the road was minding their business. He didn't see any grass-type Pokemon walking alongside their trainers, and anyone else had as good a chance of being just as clueless as he was here. Ignatius looked over just as his Shinx, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, approached a Luxio. Elektra strained her neck to look up at the bigger cat, her mouth gaping.

"Yeah, that's what you'll look like some day," Ignatius said to his Pokemon; the only acknowledgement she gave was a flick of her tail-tip.

That Luxio came around with a Tyrunt and an Archeops. Ignatius' mouth twitched. Those were rare, far as he knew. Could fetch a nice price. No way they were wild, unfortunately. That wouldn't always stop him, but in a well-traveled area during a sunny day? Not the time nor the place. Besides, he needed help.

Their trainer called out a greeting and complimented Elektra. She turned towards him and mewed, eyes sparkling. Ignatius laughed and waved in return. "Yooo! She's totally enthralled by your Luxio!"

Ignatius trotted closer to the other trainer so he wouldn't have to keep yelling. "What's up, man? I'm Ignatius," he said, outstretching a hand. Proper manners had been instilled from him from an early age. "You don't want to so much as implicate disrespect in this business," was one of his father's favorite things to say.

Ignatius rubbed his neck with his free hand. "Hey, would you happen to know much about grass types? My Treecko's kinda... hanging out in that tree, being stubborn. He's just a little guy, freshly hatched. My Absol's been trying to lure him out for a while now, but he won't budge."

@marshall

---

no mission here!

Marshall. Easy enough to remember.

Unfortunate as it was that Marshall was similarly inexperienced with grass types, he did offer a potential solution. "Treats?" Ignatius repeated, taken aback. He'd always associated treats more with coordinators and others who sought to teach their Pokemon cool tricks or get them to sit still long enough for glamour shots. Ignatius' father had certainly never mentioned anything about treats when Pokemon training came up.

Elektra pounced on the treat as it landed and practically inhaled it. She trotted over to Marshall, begging for more.

"I see where her loyalties lie," Ignatius muttered, raising an eyebrow at his Shinx. He wasn't sure exactly where his friends had caught her, but she must've been young.

The Absol, on the other hand, gave the treat a skeptical look, then--suddenly aware her trainer was watching--she devoured her treat too, as if to say "Yeah, see, we love this stuff, now hurry up and get Treecko out."

Okay, maybe he was putting words in her mouth. But after nearly a decade of partnership, Ignatius would bet a lot of money on his ability to read Vesper (and vice versa).

"Couldn't hurt to give it a shot," Ignatius said.

He slowly approached the tree again. "Hey, little... buddy? My favorite Treecko? Everyone else is getting a treat, and you'd better get out here if you want one too."

At that, two green bumps appeared, followed by a pair of yellow eyes with narrowed pupils.

---

ooc: @marshall

Thyme's head emerged from the tree hole. His gaze darted around.

When Marshall held a treat out, the little Treecko stretched his arm. The tips of his fingers nearly grazed the treat, but alas, it was too far. So he widened his pupils and put on the most dramatic display of begging Ignatius had ever seen: waving his little hand at the food, using Absorb again to pull some energy from leaves, sighing and huffing. Poor exhausted little Pokemon.

"I didn't teach him any of that," Ignatius said, his face reddening. His eyelid twitched. I should bring you right back to the farm I stole you from, you little shit, he thought. Still, these theatrics could be useful for future robberies. Maybe Ignatius would reinforce this behavior after all, as long as it wasn't used against him.

"Also, I regularly feed him," Ignatius piped up again, this time a bit louder. He was a criminal and a liar, but not a Pokemon abuser.

Thyme pointedly ignored his trainer.

Crossing his arms, Ignatius said, "Maybe Pokemon from Hoenn have more attitude? Are they naturally hungrier or something?"

Meanwhile, Iggy's Shinx padded over to where Marshall's Luxio guarded their food and nudged him, wanting to play.

Vesper the Absol circled around to the back of the tree, watching in case Treecko pulled a fast one on them.

---

@marshall

Ignatius inhaled so sharply the air whistled as it passed between his teeth. "Careful, don't fall for his tricks," he said, holding the bag of treats. Could he keep these? If Marshall didn't end up saying anything, he might as well.

Saliva trickled down the side of the Treecko's mouth. Still, he glanced back into the tree's trunk for what felt like forever.

Rubbing his eye to keep it from twitching, Ignatius stared hard at the little gecko. Would he eventually make a valuable team member? There had to be some way to train him, and if this worked, then he was undoubtedly food-motivated.

Finally, Thyme acquiesced. With a clean jump, he exited the tree and landed on Marshall's arm. He released the grip from his legs, clinging only with his hands and staring at the new guy, expecting his reward.

Ignatius slowly reached an arm out, hoping to snag the Treecko while he wasn't looking, but Thyme's gaze flicked over to him, so he pretended to scratch his face and acted casual.

"Color me impressed," Ignatius said. "Have you had to use this little strategy before?"

---

@marshall