Trey did not expect another voice to chime in. As the pokemon drew closer, his head whipped around, trying to locate the new arrival. "A ghost coming into the sun? Now that you mention it..." The ecologist turned back to survey the not-Misdreavus' behavior, huffing an incredulous laugh as it did, indeed, continue to draw closer. At an alarming rate, at that. "Guess we'd better get back, Remedy, or else we're gonna end up—"

Retreating was wishful thinking. The ghost seemed to smirk, its frills fluttering enticingly before it cried out again. This time, though, a sharp, intense bright light shocked Trey and Remedy both, a Dazzling Gleam hitting them before they knew what to do. "Fuck!" Trey groaned, immediately clasping a hand over his eyes as he stumbled backwards. Remedy, being a fairy type, wasn't as affected. When the resisted glare wore off, an excited smirk crossed her face as she gripped her weapon, and before Trey could command her to do so, she rushed towards the creature with her hammer pulled back, attempting to strike down with a Gigaton Hammer.

"Hey, uh—guy—" Trey started, still blinking his way back to being alert as he tried to locate whoever talked to him before. "What is this thing, then?!"

priam conrad

☉

Mister Conrad? He almost snorts, instead focusing his efforts in working on being able to see again. A few more swipes at his eyes renders his vision mostly normal save for a little glitter and pops in his peripherals, but in truth, he'd had hangovers that were far worse. "Do I actually have to call you Mister? I haven't done that since, like, college. But I guess you are teaching me something, so..." His words trailed off, index finger tapping his chin as he mulled it over. "Alright, Professor Conrad. Name's Trey."

The trainer stuck his hand out for a shake just as the Sludge Bomb hit. Between that and the Tinkaton's attack, the Paradox Pokemon didn't stand a chance. It deflated and fainted almost immediately, its curiosity smothered by those it wished to harm. Remedy laughed and watched the Espeon carefully, shrugging off the poisonous aftermath easily. She trotted back to Atreyu's side, idly playing with the handle of her hammer while the "adults" talked.

"Flutter Mane? Of course something so dangerous has to both look cute and have a cute name," he sighed, slouching a little in defeat. "Are they catchable? Maybe I should throw a pokeball next time. I'd make it easier to study, that's for sure." Trey flinched a little as he was called out, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "New blood is that obvious to point out, huh? I mean, I read a few articles before moving, but between relocating, school, work... Can't say I got all the details. Sue me." He laughed, hoping it would help him feel a little better. "I won't lie though, exploring the area for the first time has been incredible. I can see why people seem to be flocking here. Got any tips for a newbie?"

priam conrad

☉

"Dinos without fossils? Yeah, that is pretty cool. Thanks for the heads up," he said, whipping out his phone to make a note. He'd always been interested in fossil pokemon anyway — seeing how they reacted to a new environment after being dormant for a millennia was neat — but to have one without needing to go through the process of finding a fossil and reanimating it... huh. "Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for 'em; make sure my team's ready to go in case we find a few."

Trey turned to look past the waterfall, noticing a trail that delved deeper into the chasm. It grew darker the farther it stretched, but he had a feeling the giant crystals would provide enough light to see by. Something must have been lighting the way; people wouldn't have been flocking down there if it was too hard to traverse.

"Are you heading deeper in too?" he asked, curious. "No big if you're not." It didn't hurt to ask. If he ended up with a traveling buddy on this excursion, great! If not, well, he was already traversing this alone — keeping at it wouldn't hurt him.

priam conrad

☉