As the hours passed and the day turned to night, Fayne began to believe the expedition would end in failure. This fact wasn't too disheartening, for she'd grown accustomed to such disappointment while studying in Sinnoh. Most field trips were boring or uneventful, with successful or exciting trips being the outliers. Today's expedition consisted only of a bunch of rocks, a sunbathing Chimchar, and a colony of Bonsly huddled together in a faux bush. There wasn't much else of note.

[break][break]That was, until Fayne stumbled across a Carbink. It was in distress, being smacked and battered about by a hungry Sableye desperate to pry the gems from the small fairy's body. In any other situation, Fayne may have let nature take its course. Predators deserved to eat just like anyone else; it wasn't a human's place to step in and punish a creature for trying to survive. But her heart ached at the sight and a selfish desire to capture Carbink led her to act.

[break][break]In a flash of light (Dazzling Gleam), a Gardevoir appeared on the battlefield and both the Carbink and Sableye winced away from the brilliant aura that now engulfed the area. The tiny fairy was fast to recover from the attack and successfully escaped from its assailant's grasp. Sableye, on the other hand, screeched and batted at the air in front of its face, desperate to shield its sensitive eyes from the light.

[break][break] As the shine faded, the gem-eyed monster's focus adjusted, and it realized that it was outnumbered. Not only was it being confronted by its prey but also a red-headed trainer and a battle-ready Gardevoir. The dark beast made a chittering noise that resembled an nervous chuckle before turning tail and running away. "Good riddance," Fayne said with a sigh of relief. She was never a huge fan of battling, so the sooner a fight could come to an end, the better.

[break][break]Only then did the young researcher turn her attention to the Carbink who floated nearby, watching on in curiosity and wonderment. "Hey," she began, holding one hand up in a "I'm not a threat" position while her other hand slowly drifted down to her belt to retrieve an empty pokeball. "You look pretty hurt." It didn't move, just continued to stare. "If you come with me, I can heal you up. I'll protect you. Give you a new place to call home."

[break][break]She lifted the pokeball up and held it out like a peace offering while taking a few steps closer. "What do you say?"

[break][break]

+ Spawn 1 of 3, capture attempt
[break]+ Me: I won't catch anything other than a Solrock. // Shiv, probably: Imma call your bluff.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]