The voice that called out to him was familiar, even if Eddie couldn't place it at first. It wasn't long after that the horror of recognition jolted Eddie like an electrical shock when he turned around to face the man addressing him; of course, it was just his luck that he had joined an excursion with the stupidly, criminally good-looking Ollie. [break][break]

They'd met back at the VCT, Eddie recalled, when he had squared off against the other man's giant Pikachu. He'd been struck then by Ollie's casual decorum and boyish smile, and it had stuck with Eddie for far longer than he'd care to admit. Part of him thought that it was kinda nice to see the other man again; another part of Eddie wanted a paradox Pokemon just swoop in now and devour him whole when he recalled the definitely too expensive and elaborate floral arrangement he'd sent to Ollie as an anonymous gesture of thanks for their battle. Eddie desperately tried to will away the burning flush that had begun to blossom across his cheeks as he mustered up the most casual reply that he could offer, [break][break]

“Oh, uh, hi! Yeah, that's me!” Eddie chuckled sheepishly, definitely sounding a little more eager than he had intended. Great, this was going just perfectly, “You're Ollie, right? From the tournament? How's your Pikachu doin'?”[break][break]

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[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Eddie could probably wax poetic about that smile or the lingering warmth he felt pooling across his back even after they parted from the half handshake-half hug, but that train of thought was immediately derailed by a new little nugget of information. Head Ranger? His eyebrows arched in surprise, but maybe the revelation shouldn't have been all that shocking after all; this wasn't the first time he'd bumped into someone of such importance without having realized it at first, [break][break]

“Good ta hear! Little guy sure put up a hell of a fight,” Eddie replied with a grin, “And nice to meet ya, Mochi.” [break][break]

He was half tempted to reach over and pet the Wyrdeer (that fluffy mane just looked so inviting), but he paused. Eddie took a step to the side and gestured at a Lucario lingering nearby, and a Rhydon that stood a little farther out from the group, watching on with crossed arms like that kid at a school dance who refused to participate in the festivities, [break][break]

“I'm lettin' Beau sit this one out; got plenty a'other friends that need to stretch their legs. This is Batou, and the moody fella back there is August.” [break][break]

The Lucario barked sharply in greeting, and the Rhydon turned away with an indignant huff, acting as though he hadn't heard his trainer's introduction.


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[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Maybe it was a good thing that Eddie didn't reach over to pet the deer after all, having narrowly avoided the prehistoric manure himself. It was hard to stifle a laugh as Ollie sheepishly begged the Wyrdeer for assistance, but Eddie managed somehow, even if the crinkled lines at the corners of his eyes probably gave him away, [break][break]

“Hah! Well, if steppin' in some shit is the worst we run into out here, then we ain't got nothin' to worry about,” Eddie replied with a sharp bark of laughter. [break][break]

He too noticed that the others had begun to disperse, heading off to their own assignments. Eddie looked over to those still-flushed cheeks and became acutely aware of the hand slapped squarely between his shoulder blades. In that moment, Eddie realized that he quite liked the idea of spending more time with Ollie, [break][break]

“No complaints here, 'specially if I've got you to scout ahead for any more'a them mud pies.” [break][break]

A little teasing and his own playful, wolfish grin went a long way to quell the last of the butterflies fluttering in his gut.

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_|BTIEyw

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Eddie grinned as the procession of deer emerged and took off into the wilderness at their trainer's behest. Ollie had some specific preferences, it seemed, and Eddie filed that little tidbit of information away for later. [break][break]

For now, though, he followed Ollie into the wilderness of the Chasm, and for the first time since he'd set foot in this place, Eddie found he could actually appreciate the beauty it offered. There was birdsong on the wind and the scent of something earthy and damp in it's wake. The ancient greenery was lush and verdant as the pair slipped past ferns and white-barked trees. It seemed that even for all the other-worldliness of this place, it too was in the throes of springtime, where everything was bright and pleasing and new. Eddie couldn't blame the paradox Pokemon for defending this place with tooth and claw, [break][break]

“This is nice,” he sighed contentedly, breathing deep to take in a lungful of the spring-soaked air, “Outta curiosity, do ya name all of your Pokemon after food? I mean, I'm not judgin' or nothin'; it's kinda cute.” [break][break]

August stomped behind them at some distance, though Eddie wasn't sure if it was because it was the Rhydon's attempt at being vigilant, or if he just found his trainer embarrassing to be around. Batou lingered much closer by, alight with a calm blue glow as he canvased the area for any unseen auras lurking in the brush.

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u|WFZuos

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]