Fern doesn’t remember feeling this sort of cold for ages. Not since his upbringing in Galar. The bitter wind does no favors to his still-splinted nose, or the bruises the swoop under his eyes as a result of the break. The cold makes already sore limbs that much more tenderly stiff. But he’s powering through it![break][break]

If anything, for the sake of strange gut feelings and the shard that remains tucked in the inner pocket of his heavy down jacket. Nimuë lumbers alongside him, the hisuian typhlosion radiating a natural warmth that Fern gravitates toward. Snow crunches underfoot.[break][break]

He doesn’t exactly know what he aims to find. Maybe something that will connect to what he saw on Mt. Pyre. But it’s certainly not another person amid the barren landscape. Let alone one he actually recognizes. “Well lookie there,” he hails, “the elusive elite four member himself.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | notes[break]


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

it takes him a moment (far too long) before he finally puts a name to a face. okay, not really a name, but he does find them familiar enough to not consider them a stranger but perhaps an acquaintance.[break][break]

"hello again."[break][break]

still, his expression betrays nothing. he smiles faintly.[break][break]

"how have you been since we last met?"[break][break]

the ground rumbles beneath them as an orthworm pops up only to be met by virizion's sharp LEAF BLADE. it sinks into a pokeball while matias looks down at the pokedex on his phone, reading its details.

[attr="class","ooc"]fern delaney[break]
ice/steel[break]
catching orthworm![break]

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

Fern hums in thought, "Well enough." That's downplaying it- he's still sore and wounded from Mt. Pyre, but that's his little secret for now. "And yourself? Been busy as-"[break][break]

"Trasna ort féin! he cuts himself off with the curse as the large, strange creature rockets up out of the snowy earth -- namely because it's too close to him and it embarrassingly topples him over. He rolls out of the way as virizion makes quick work of the pokemon.[break][break]

A wild amaura trots up to stand alongside Fern as they watch the spectacle of the weird worm thing being brought down by the elite four member. Without much thought, Fern pats it on the head. When it doesn't startle, he tries tapping it with a pokeball instead. perhaps it will make a nice gift for someone else. Or maybe not, if Fern finds himself fond of the reptilian pokemon.[break][break]

He's not thinking too hard about it, though -- "What is that?" he asks the other man, obviously meaning the big freak with the retractable legs.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | befriending amaura![break]


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

"busy as fuck. yup."[break][break]

he does not mean to be curt but he's equally sore and wounded from his endeavors in littleroot. probably more so, actually, considering the fact that he was both stabbed a few times and also shot with an arrow.[break][break]

"oh? this?"[break][break]

he calls the orthworm back out. the moment it materializes, it springs up with its legs to TAKE DOWN the magnemite. matias throws a pokeball at the electric-type after.[break][break]

"it's called an orthworm apparently."

[attr="class","ooc"]fern delaney[break]
ice/steel[break]
catching magnemite![break]

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

"Can understand the sentiment." Fern dismisses the curtness. He's read the reports on Littleroot, so he has an idea. And though he came away from the mount with a broken nose, some bruised ribs, and a minor concussion, it's not as bad. He's increasingly glad that he was masked for the whole ordeal. Especially after his recent promotion.[break][break]

"No, that," he remarks sarcastically as he points at a lump of snow. The orthworm doesn't look any better in Fern's mind once it's re-released. "Kinda goofy looking."[break][break]

The seeming snow drift bursts apart moments later, and a froslass floats out. Perhaps the commotion disturbed it from some sort of hibernation period? Nim quickly takes over, the hisuian typhlosion thawing it out with OVERHEAT.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | catching froslass![break]


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

"yeah? you've been busy too?"[break][break]

it's just small talk to pass the time and to not make it awkward between them even if he still does not remember their name.[break][break]

a snover STOMPS into the scene, ready to throw a tantrum only to be ushered away by virizion. wild pokemon seem to pay the swordsman a great deal of respect.[break][break]

matias looks over at his acquaintance.

[attr="class","ooc"]fern delaney[break]
ice/steel[break]
skipping![break]

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

Nim catches sight of a sneasel attempting to sneak up on Fern, aiming to PICKPOCKET him for anything that catches its interest. That is Nim’s job, though, and she’s not about to let the wild pokemon steal the apples she knows that Fern keeps in his pockets for her.[break][break]

Before the sneasel can get sticky fingers, the typhlosion blasts it with FLAMETHROWER, belching a steady stream of flame until Fern follows it with a pokeball.[break][break]

“Mm, quite.” They grin, head tipping back toward Matias. “Posters aren’t gonna print themselves, you know?”


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | catching sneasel![break]


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

"ah, yes! posters."[break][break]

now he remembers. this is the stranger who reluctantly helped save a couple of falling miniors. how coincidental to run into them again at the icelands, of all places.[break][break]

"business must be booming now that the world hasn't ended."[break][break]

he points his pokedex at an approaching pokemon, unfamiliar with it as he reads up its details.[break][break]

"a frigibax..."

[attr="class","ooc"]fern delaney[break]
ice/steel[break]
skipping![break]

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

It is only then that Fern realizes that Matias was struggling to place them. As much as they prefer to be the center of attention, their recent elevation within Rocket leaves Fern grateful for the slight lapse in familiarity.[break][break]

“Yep! That’s me, posters.” He says it with a laugh. “You bet. People certainly aren’t holding back from their event advertising now that the word isn’t ending. No more doom and gloom, and so on.”[break][break]

The creature that approaches is a little funky looking, but to Fern, it’s much cuter than that weirdo worm Matias just caught. Kinda like a smushed face lizard. Rather than set Nimuë on it, he distracts it with a poffin from his pocket (much to Nim’s dismay,) and while it is gobbling it up, he tosses a pokeball out at it.[break][break]

“Wonder what a frigibax is! Guess we’ll find out.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | catching frigibax![break]


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