[attr="class","icon"]

Now that the strenuous part of moving their decoys through the rift is done with, the rest of their task seems to move like a well-oiled machine. While Mint floats, Fern remains planted on the overhanging rock chin in their hands. “Glad you think so~” they trill back, obviously pleased with the praise. “It was fun to take your ideas and run with them.”[break][break]

The gear suited the beast, too. Meshed with his personality and everything. But Fern had turned back to looking out over the darkened expanse of the deep sea again.[break][break]

“Agreed. Maybe we can all go out after this.” Sounds mundane and too normal given the circumstance. It’s almost laughable, with the lack of gravitas to it. But the response is one he only half-pays attention to saying as his attention fixated on the flicker of movement down below.[break][break]

It’s all going smoothly at this rate. Too smoothly? It would seem so. The weight of a hand settles on their shoulder, and they shift—glancing at their partner sidelong through their mask.[break][break]

“Down there,” Fern points, as a pair of figures shift into clearer view. “Looks like we’ve got some company.”[break][break]

Even at a distance, one looks much more familiar than the other, face seared into the admin’s memory. The chill reflects itself in Fern’s voice. Something normally warm that turns flinty at the sight of ollie morales.

[attr="class","littleollie"] ignorant to the pair of rockets that loomed above, ollie walked along the ultra deep sea with his childhood friend Caleb Harcourt.

[break][break] "man, sorry we haven't hung out at all since the last ranger meeting."

[break][break] there were few people outside Eva Morales that ollie could count on when it came to people he knew from kanto, so imagine how thrill he'd been when he recognized his old friend who was not only in hoenn but a ranger too!

[break][break] "but i guess now's a good time as any." he gives a laugh. "hopefully slateport's not as crazy as evergrande is. i feel like everythings all warped ever since the meteor struck. or - uh - i guess didn't strike."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost fern delaney Caleb Harcourt [break]
CLASH [3/3]

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

Fern doesn’t seem to need to justify the sudden grate in their tone for Mint to set in motion. An act that spurs their own desire to let things come to a head, rather than allow the two leaguers peaceful passage. Not that they likely would’ve done so, anyway, but it was true enough—for Fern, this was personal.[break][break]

The instinct to follow comes and they dart after the beast, free falling from the edge with perhaps less reckless abandon, but still with shared itch for a fight.[break][break]

They hop down from their perch with a bit less fanfare than their partner, floating down to neatly land a short distance from mint frost. A bit closer toward facing ollie morales if they managed to twist through the dense air with enough accuracy. Their hand lifts, fingers waggling by their face to greet the Ever Grande captain. “Fancy seeing you here,” they chime, tone a little bit too saccharine to be friendly. Smile a bit too sharp at the edges.[break][break]

A dragapult floats up from hiding—phasing through the sandy earth to weave around the group, picking up speed in her DRAGON DANCE.

[attr="class","littleollie"] "aw, that sucks bro. i'm sure it'll be okay! razz is great - he's one of the reasons i became a ranger, you know?" he flashes a grin. "plus, you can always come to evergrande if - "

[break][break] before he can finish, the ground lights up as a FAIRY LOCK goes into effect, but ollie is too preoccupied to notice. he's squinting at the spot where he thought he saw someone.

[break][break] glancing back at Caleb Harcourt, he says, "uh, actually, i'm not so —"

[break][break] his words are cut off as they leap off the cliff, revealing themselves. more importantly, as he reveals himself.

[break][break] that guy from mt. pyre. the guy who was with the girl who had killed —

[break][break] emerald eyes flit towards the dragapult who materializes behind them, and immediately, his throat goes dry. 'it can't be, can it?'

[break][break] "yeah... hey," ollie says, blinking. he flashes a crooked smile. "any chance you guys will, uh, let us go through?"

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost fern delaney Caleb Harcourt [break]
CLASH [3/3]

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

“Yeah..hey,” Fern mimics the greeting in a lower, dopey tone. Underneath their mask, their eyes roll in annoyance.[break][break]

What were they expected to be? Benevolent?[break][break]

As Mint chimes in, they jerk a thumb over at their buddy. “What he said. Nooo can do.” Their words stretch slower, and the frown they’d been sporting morphs into a slow spreading grin. All wolf teeth. They’re not as physical as the beast alongside them is, and they make no direct effort to throw punches at Ollie.[break][break]

The memory of an ill advised battle with Gwyar Wledig lingers to remind them of what often happens when they try to buck against those who are bigger and stronger than they are.[break][break]

Instead, they lift a hand and snap their fingers. Medb’s weaving dance comes to a halt and her maw stretches wide to fire a beaming DRAGON PULSE directly at the Evergrande captain.

[attr="class","ollietop"]

[attr="class","littleollie"] 'you okay, buddy?'

[break][break] no. he wasn't. why did it have to be that guy of all people? why did it have to the person who'd he'd faced at mt. pyre, the one who had been partially responsible for —

[break][break] "i'm fine," he says, looking to Caleb Harcourt for support. he flashes a grin. "it'll be fine."

[break][break] but it wasn't, because the rockets weren't going to let them through.

[break][break] "nouget, let's go!"

[break][break] he releases nouget. the piloswine materializes in front of him just in time. he ENDURES the attack for the ranger captain, before chunks of ice raise in front of him before blasting out against the dragapult with ICE SHARD.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost fern delaney Caleb Harcourt [break]
CLASH [3/3]

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

With Mint distracting the other ranger, Fern remains focused on Ollie. “Pity,” they tut as a piloswine emerges to take the brunt of Medb’s attack before it can hit the captain.[break][break]

They continue to keep their distance, though. The ICE SHARD shoots outward, and as their dragapult twists away, it catches her on the hip. Piercing her scaly hide and freezing on contact as she lets out a reptilian screech of agitation. Fern grits their teeth. Like hell will they let his pokemon rob them of another of their dragons.[break][break]

Even if Ceci came back at Mt. Pyre, it doesn’t erase what happened.[break][break]

“How ya doin’, buddy?” they call out to the rocket beast, though it’s unlikely he’ll take the time to reply give the whole, yannow, tangled in combat bit. Their attention swerves back to the dragapult. Medb is already moving, though— surging forward with jaws open wide BITE down on whatever weak point she can find under the piloswine’s fuzzy coat.