[attr="class","jacktext"]



"Oh yes, Alola is at the top of my list! Their tourism board had reached out about sponsoring a trip but that was right before Hoenn was cut off and then I ended up heading back home to Galar after that, so I never got to go," Jack responded enthusiastically. "I'm planning to reach out to them soon to see if the offer is still on the table. I'll let you know if they are covering travel for me to bring a guest!"[break][break]

Jack's attention is caught by the massive strides of a stonjourner moving up the route. With a nod to Rayth, he threw a pokeball as the lampent struck.[break][break]

Turning back to Nenet he responded, "My favorite place to visit is Ballonlea, in the Glimwood Tangle. It is absolutely magical with glowing mushrooms and dark, nighttime ambiance." If it is still there, he thought to himself but doesn't give voice to his worry. "Here in Hoenn, there's a really great distillery one of my mates introduced me to in Lavaridge. I'd recommend that for a local trip!" he added.[break][break]

"You mentioned you moved to Hoenn recently, too. Where are you from originally? Any good hometown travel tips?" he asked with a smile.

[break]

[attr="class","jackooc"]
[break]

NOTES

+ CATCHING stonjourner.[break]
+ Spawns: Fire/Rock.

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD SKELEDIRGE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD BASTIODON APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","nenet1body"]

Nenet laughs, her expression bright at Jack's offer. "I'll take you up on that," she promises. She had already been in Alola over the summer with her new husband, but any excuse to return to the island was welcomed. Sometimes homesickness for the starlight shining down on the Hokulani Observatory and the Minior that fell on the mountain's sides.

[break][break]
"I've never been to Galar," she muses, listening with curiosity as Jack describes Ballonlea, which sounds gorgeous in the nighttime. With a touch of mirth she then says, "I'll have to see if my boyfriend is up for a distillery trip."

[break][break]
A Skeledirge then scurries out of a nearby rock outcrop to peer at both Nenet and Jack. A thoughtful look to her, she offers a pokeball to the fiery crocodilian.

[break][break]
"Ula'Ula," she answers Jack as she waits for the pokemon to make up its mind. She doesn't especially want her Metatross to destroy it. "I lived in the foothills near the ocean and then worked up on Hokulani Observatory. It was nice being so closed to family. If you do go to Alola though you need to try Mantine surfing. And there are some beautiful gardens on Ula'ula - the Malie Gardens that you should see."

[attr="class","nenet1credit"]

[attr="class","jacktext"]



A wide grin spread across Jack's face as he listened to Nenet share about her hometown, at least until she mentioned mantine surfing. Jack pretended to swoon as he said, "I spent all last summer learning how to do all the mantine surfing tricks and really burned myself out on it." He chuckled to himself and added, "It sounds like you'd be the perfect tour guide, so the Alolan Tourism Board will have no good reason for me turning down my request for a guest!"[break][break]

The broad face of a bastiodon appeared in the tall grass and Rayth immediately started swatting at it with his ghostly appendages, leaving tiny scorch marks that the other pokemon simply ignored. Jack dropped a pokeball at his feet and kicked it over to the rock pokemon, where it clicked open invitingly.[break][break]

"It might be tough to visit Galar right now," Jack coughed as his voice thickened at thoughts of his ravaged homeland, "but at some point I'd love to set you up with an itinerary. I've got a lot of connections with the Galarian tourism boards so I'm sure they'd jump at me writing some pieces for them once they are ready for tourists in exchange for a trip for you and your man." Jack smiled happily at the thought of doing something to help out Galar and his new friend.[break][break]

"Do you surf too? Or have any other cool hobbies?" Jack asked with another dramatic shudder at the mention of surfing.

[break]

[attr="class","jackooc"]
[break]

NOTES

+ CATCHING bastiodon.[break]
+ Spawns: Fire/Rock.

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD LITWICK APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD HOUNDOUR APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","nenet1body"]

"It's rather fun, isn't it?" Nenet offers with a laugh. "Except when you're falling, which is often in my case."
[break][break]
Her brow then furrows, and she looks nominally apologetic as she offers, "I hadn't thought of that. I suppose the region will be recovering for some time, so it certainly isn't pressing. I would love to show you Alola some day, though."
[break][break]
Soon drawn from her thoughts of environmental devastation, she hums thoughtfully before answering, "I do surf some. Baking is probably the closest thing I have to a hobby. I still dance some - ballet - but not as much these days."
[break][break]
As she finishes speaking a little Litwick pops out of a patch of grass that burns as it stumbles out. Trying not to laugh as the Litwick scurries away from the mess it's caused, she tosses a pokeball and then uses her boot to stomp out the smouldering grass before the fire can grow.

[attr="class","nenet1credit"]

[attr="class","jacktext"]



"Wow! Surfing, baking, ballet, really cool science stuff - maybe I should have asked if there's anything you don't do," Jack responded, clearly impressed. "Now I need to think of something cool," he said as his brow furrowed in concentration.[break][break]

He turned in time to see a houndour pounce onto Rayth, nipping at his ribbon-like appendages. Jack frowned as the Lampent swatted ineffectually at the houndour before he tossed a pokeball at the attacker.[break][break]

"Oh!" he exlaimed as a thought occurred to him, "I do photography as a side-gig. Mostly pokemon and landscapes, but sometimes people too! I'd like to publish it all in a book once I have enough photos that I like. It sounds like I'll definitely need to include some photos from Alola." He smiled at Nenet, now excited at the prospect of taking photos of such a beautiful locale.

[break]

[attr="class","jackooc"]
[break]

NOTES

+ CATCHING houndour.[break]
+ Spawns: Fire/Rock.

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD AGGRON APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MAGCARGO APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","nenet1body"]

Nenet grins at Jack's comment, her head shaking as she assures, "That's about it. Physics, dance, and baking. Biology thrown in on the side."
[break][break]
As they speak a Magcargo slowly inches its way down one of the canyon's walls. Nenet's Metagross pounces, and despite the Magcargo's attempt to escape with a well-placed Smog, the Metagross swipes it harshly in the nearby rocks and leaves it in a daze.
[break][break]
As she tosses a pokeball Jack draws her attention again by mentioning his photography, and her expression turns curious as she asks, "Do you have any photos on your phone?"

[attr="class","nenet1credit"]

[attr="class","jacktext"]



Pulling his phone excitedly from his pocket, Jack closed the distance between him and Nenet as he opened his photo storage app. It wasn't long before he was flipping through some of his best work: a flock of pidgey breaking from the tall grass in various stages of flight, a group of lotad playing in a clear stream, the sun setting through Mount Chimney's falling ash in a swathe of rare colors.[break][break]

The sound of heavy footsteps drew his attention from his phone as a large Aggron approached. Little will-o-wisps of flame appeared before the large pokemon, darting it around and distracting it as Rayth maneuvered in from behind. The Lampent's confuse ray hit directly and the Aggron looked around in puzzlement before Jack threw a pokeball.[break][break]

Returning his attention to the phone, Jack flicked his thumb and a photo of Zev Harcourt standing with his yamask slid onto the screen. The photo seemed to shimmer as if viewed through translucent glass or crystal. "Ah, like I said, I usually stick to landscapes and pokemon but this shot of my best mate and his pokemon came out really spectacularly with the light filtering through his Yamask's protect shield." Jack closed the app and slid the phone back into his pocket before adding with a smile, "If I ever manage to get some night sky shots, I'll have to get your feedback on them."

[break]

[attr="class","jackooc"]
[break]

NOTES

+ CATCHING aggron.[break]
+ Spawns: Fire/Rock.

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD BRAIXEN APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD ARMALDO APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","nenet1body"]

The photos are beautiful, and Nenet appropriately ooo's and ahh's as the pictures are shown. There's a brief pause in which Jack catches a pokemon, during which Nenet notes an Armaldo that she ultimately ignores, and they're back to the photos once more.
[break][break]
She blinks in surprise when Zev's face is suddenly staring up at her and then gone again, along with Jack's phone.
[break][break]
Nenet considers bringing attention to the fact, but she's also certain they'll talk again, and it's starting to get late enough that she should be off. Instead, she holds out her hand and offers, "It was a pleasure to meet you Jack but I should be off - I'm sure we'll keep in touch."

[attr="class","nenet1credit"]

[attr="class","jacktext"]



Taking Nenet's hand and shaking it vigorously, Jack replied, "It was wonderful to meet you as well! This patrol certainly turned out to be more enjoyable with your company." And it had - Jack had expected a quiet and boring patrol where he caught a pokemon or two and headed home. Instead the time had flown by judging by the sun dipping toward the horizon and he was wondering if his PC box was going to be overflowing with all the pokemon from today.[break][break]

Jack waved to new his friend and turned away, preparing to head toward Mauville City when he caught sight of a Braixen watching them from the edge of the tall grass. Rayth hovered nearby as Jack offered an empty pokeball to the curious pokemon.

[break]

[attr="class","jackooc"]
[break]

NOTES

+ CATCHING braixen.[break]
+ Spawns: Fire/Rock.

BY GUNSMILE