greyson walks beside his quilled behemoth, tossing a smile over at matias's way.
[break][break]
"funny how these things work out, huh?" little over a year ago his biggest duty was to protect sheep, now he'd faced against gods. hm.
[break][break]
"work never ends." he muses.

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"it really doesn't. but we should be used to that by now."[break][break]

it's the only way they can survive, really, and not get drowned by the mountain of work and pressure that they're constantly faced with.[break][break]

lucario stands at the vanguard, ready to detect any approaching threat.[break][break]

"i never got the chance to talk about what happened in sootopolis."[break][break]

he looks over, expression something akin to grief but not quite.[break][break]

"thank you for your comfey. it fought well."

[attr="class","ooc"]Greyson Connors[break]
valor: defend[break]

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

the well of grief comes up against, heavy and choking, and greyson could only nod. he stuffs that back down into the fissures and cracks formed by loss, and pain, knowing he would face it in the future.
[break][break]
"he would've been glad to hear that," he says after a moment, "he will be missed."
[break][break]
they walk for a time, in silence, and greyson welcomes it. when words do come, they're leveled with professionalism.
[break][break]
"any idea what threats we're facing?"

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

the fact that greyson's referring to the comfey as he tells matias enough. though he values his own pokemon, he doesn't treasure them, which is likely the difference between the two.[break][break]

"likely a gang or two. they've gotten more reckless recently."[break][break]

the fools.[break][break]

"should be an easy fight for us."

[attr="class","ooc"]Greyson Connors[break]
valor: defend[break]

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

"mm," the confirmation is half-hearted, a sign that he's attenuative without expanding further on his own question.
[break][break]
"think they'll strike even when they see an elite four member?" then again, desperate times, desperate measures...

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"an elite four member and lavaridge's gym leader."[break][break]

but for how long more, he wonders, because he can see the signs of exhaustion showing on greyson's features. it must not be easy being gym leader.[break][break]

ahead, lucario whistles, then gestures to the left and right, indicating that there are two approaching forces.[break][break]

"looks like they're here."[break][break]

he looks at greyson to ask:[break][break]

"defense or offense?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Greyson Connors[break]
valor: defend[break]

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

he almost pities the forced pitted against them. anything short of an avatar, well, it just wasn't enough. and with matias here, not even that would pose an issue.
[break][break]
he contemplates the man's question. a year ago, he'd have opted to play defense. now?
[break][break]
"offense," he answers with one-hundred percent certainty, "i'll leave Till here to cover any gaps in the perimeter, but i'm heading straight into them." he looks off and to the right, at where the lucario had indicated.
[break][break]
"you?"

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

offense. good. greyson stopped being a bitch.[break][break]

"you really have to ask?"[break][break]

should he be a little offended? he thought they were closer than that but apparently not. or maybe greyson's just being polite? either way, matias laughs it off.[break][break]

"i'll be right there with you. lucario's been looking for a fight."[break][break]

the shadow-afflicted lucario is naturally more aggressive than usual. a good fit for matias.

[attr="class","ooc"]Greyson Connors[break]
valor: defend[break]

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

greyson pats the chesnaught on the shell, and begins to jog in the left-most direction. on the way, he releases a pokemon — scizor. the crimson, metallic armor, glints in the sunlight.
[break][break]
"race ahead," he orders, and she moves to obey, itching for a fight herself. [break][break]
with an impressive speed, the bug-type shoots forward. she meets one of the attackers more agile pokemon, a gallade, in combat. their strikes can be heard even from here.

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

not wanting to fall behind, lucario darts ahead as well, following after scizor only to stop at the sight of the attackers. not out of fear, but because it knows they're outnumbered which means they'll have to play this smartly.[break][break]

or aggressively.[break][break]

dark wisps of energy circle around lucario's palms before it slams them into the ground, summoning a wave of FRENZY PLANT that rushes across the battlefield like a tsunami. it might even hit the scizor in the process.[break][break]

matias watches from afar.

[attr="class","ooc"]Greyson Connors[break]
valor: defend[break]

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

the steel-type sends a BULLET PUNCH straight into the gallade's gut, sending it sprawling back in pain. it offers her a moment of reprieve, one she uses to deal with the FRENZY PLANT.
[break][break]
with a flutter of her wings, so fast that the eyes can barely track it, tornado-like funnels of air shoot forth in a VACUUM WAVE. what mounds of dirt or plant-life that stands before them are ripped up and tossed aside.
[break][break]
she casts a dangerous look at the lucario before leaping back into her fight.

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉