"hmm?"

[break][break] ollie turns, pulling out smore-flavored a protein bar, when he hears the gym leader's question. "oh, like, super long. did you know that me and head ranger Laurence Anderson trained together?"

[break][break] he peels the wrapper, biting off a piece and chewing, just as he watches his stantler sniff around at their surroundings.

[break][break] "what about you, cal? — it's okay i call you that, right?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Callan Young [break]
fire/rock [break]
location: route 111

"yes," ollie says with emphasis, before letting out a laugh. lots of people - including annalise henderson - were intimidated by their head ranger, but ollie had a hard time seeing Laurence Anderson as anything but that young cadet smothered with mud.

[break][break] his togekiss flies past him, a powerful ANCIENT ROCK cascading upon a poor wild numel just as Callan Young points out a new pokemon. "woah, what's that?" it's certainly not something he'd ever seen before.

[break][break] he blinks. "oh — ya know. i'd just graduated college and my girlfriend then suggested it." well, PENELOPE LIVY and him hadn't been dating then, but he'd wanted to impress her. "plus, i've always loved pokemon! and traveling! you know, it just kinda fit. what about you? gym trainer, elite four and ranger — that's quite the stack, bro."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Callan Young [break]
fire/rock [break]
location: route 111

ollie peers curiously over Callan Young 's shoulder at the pokedex entry. "huh, nacli," he says, repeating the new pokemon's name. "cool!"

[break][break] "maybe you could pay sis a visit. she'd probably know more."

[break][break] after all, Eva Morales was the smart one. plus, she'd been doing all those test with pokemon variants anyways.

[break][break] meanwhile the elite four's answer makes him laugh. "that's so political. take some credit!"

[break][break] still, he could relate a little bit to the other. ollie didn't think he would've been anywhere, without the people who'd supported him along the way. if not for PENELOPE LIVY , annalise henderson , Laurence Anderson and others, he definitely would be a different person.

[break][break] he watches as his togekiss blows a SWEET KISS than a FAIRY WIND at the wild bonsly, making it perfect for capture.

[break][break] "the rangers?"

[break][break] he blinks and then seems confused.

[break][break] "they're great — why?" a pause, before something lights up his face. "oh... you mean, like, in comparison to the ones in kalos?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Callan Young [break]
fire/rock [break]
location: route 111 [break][break]

catching bonsly!

"she's doing great!" part of ollie still couldn't believe that his baby sister had been blessed with such a powerful beast, but then again, it wasn't his story to tell. "i'm sure she'd love it if you visited."

[break][break] callan's response after is so serious that ollie can't help but laugh, but he says nothing else, sensing that it'll probably take a while for the other to loosen up around him. if it was possible, even.

[break][break] "oh yeah! i was in kalos for three years before coming back to hoenn."

[break][break] the turtonator that wanders into sight looks so spiky that he doesn't feel like catching it.

[break][break] "oh, yeah... that meeting." ollie chuckles a little bit awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Laurence Anderson would've probably said something candid like - fucking hell, it was a shitshow. annalise henderson would've said something kind and well-meaning like, 'well, it wasn't that bad!' but ollie, who had been part of setting up the whole thing, did feel a little bit responsible.

[break][break] "honestly, i don't know. last time i was at a meeting it definitely wasn't like that — but that was also my first meeting as a ranger captain, so maybe it's different."

[break][break] he folds his arms together.

[break][break] "i can't really blame them," he says after a moment, looking starkingly sober despite his personality. "the end of the world? who would have believed it?"

[break][break] he certainly hadn't.

[break][break] he twists his head to look at callan, this time flashing a much more characteristic smirk.

[break][break] "personally, i blame the person who made the pies. they were way too delicious."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Callan Young [break]
fire/rock [break]
location: route 111 [break][break]

skipping

"me?" he grins right back. "never."

[break][break] clearly, Callan Young had never met PENELOPE LIVY .

[break][break] "saving you? what from?"

[break][break] before ollie can pursue that line of questioning further, ollie bursts out into laughter.

[break][break] "lars? really?" it's a hilarious thought, the fact that every ranger could be as sour-faced and grumpy as their head ranger. in fact, in many ways, ollie was Laurence Anderson opposite. where the other had always been brooding and silent, ollie was loud-mouthed and honest. well, he supposed, lars could be loud sometimes too when he wanted to be.

[break][break] a scorbunny races onto the path and ollie can't help himself. he releases nugget who jumps forward into a WILD CHARGE and crashes into the fire rabbit. a pokeball is thrown therafter.

[break][break] "nah. could you imagine? there would be a dark cloud over the HQ for days."

[break][break] he blinks, turning towards Callan Young . "hm?"

[break][break] angry?

[break][break] "just last week, eva and i got into an argument cause she thought i stole her sandwich from her fridge."

[break][break] which — technically — he had, but it hadn't been labeled Eva Morales .

[break][break] he chuckles.

[break][break] "but actually — it really was her. i was really mad when i found out she was here on hoenn."

[break][break] alive. bitterness rises in his throat at the memory.

[break][break] jade eyes slide over to callan.

[break][break] "we thought she was dead."

[attr="class","ooc"] Callan Young [break]
fire/rock [break]
location: route 111 [break][break]

catching scorbunny