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If he were more jaded, Rhys would say that at this point he knew the layout of the Giant Chasm and Area Zero better than he did his childhood home. The intervening weeks had brought him into confrontation with hordes of Paradox pokemon, giant Paradox pokemon, and even the perennial thorn in his backside that seemed to turn up at every possible worst opportunity.
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Still, given the selection of partners he'd been privy to up to now - with the possible exception of Aurelie Lefevre - Rhys had to admit that progressing through the wilderness with Zev allowed for significantly less to go wrong from the standpoint of the native creatures.
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It did, however, invite conversations that Rhys found difficult to gauge and respond to. With most people, he could fairly easily determine how much was too much, and how little was too little, but speaking with Zev offered little in the way of determining what he actually thought of Rhys's responses. Then again, he seemed a man that didn't bother hiding his opinions, when he disclosed them.
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"I have," he returned, idly watching his Tinkaton patter forward to bash a fallen log from their path with a hammer larger than she was. "This has been a...challenging month, but I can't say I haven't benefitted from it. Even had a few unexpected run-ins with a Leaguer that ended favorably, though I question whether he was acting on orders or just off in his head."

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Rhys shook his head, grunting a negative as he followed the other man through the remains of the log. "Can't say we had the chance to exchange pleasantries - he's the type to introduce himself with a knife, apparently." Scowling, he flicked a small insect from his lapel.
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"Swarthy type, eyepatch, unusual accent. One of the Galarian regionals, maybe." He lengthened his gait, pulling just enough ahead of Zev to hold a portion of the vines out of the way with his forearm, allowing the other man to pass. "Two encounters, one when I was on shift monitoring the Dyna Tree, and one when I was deeper in Area Zero collecting specimens. Doesn't seem to have a connection, could have been bad timing, but he's definitely a pest."
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Slipping under the vines to slide back into step with Zev, he brushes his forearm free of the detritus, musing. "It's something, though, to come at a Rocket, grunt or no, with a weapon in the flat middle of Sootopolis. Vigilante?"
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Hm. "I don't know that I would classify him as a threat - if I was able to fend him off, I imagine nobody would have a serious problem with him." Rhys mused for half a moment, then added, "Still, unpredictable."
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As they rounded the bend, Rhys canted his head curiously at the Mismagius' alert, then blinked as he saw why, even before Zev prompted him for an answer.
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"Damage from a Paradox pokemon," he answered readily. "It's difficult to say which - so many of these variants have blades of some kind or another. I tracked one of the larger ones, maybe a kilometer from here - give or take - with Aurelie Lefevre, and we saw similar signs there. In that instance, it was a Fire-type, some kind of crested leonid."
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His head snapped up from his examination as a strange cry echoed from deeper in the Chasm, reverberating strangely through the surroundings. "...That might even be the culprit, although I haven't seen any of these things that sounded quite like that," he murmured.
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"I was hoping for something a little less involved," Rhys sighed as he stood, waiting patiently for Zev to finish gathering photographs of the damage. "Still, you're right, it might wander back or it might not. Some of them are just such a nuisance to subdue," he grumbled.
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As they advanced forward, Rhys kept an eye out both for additional tracks and any pokemon that might happen to take issue with their presence in the area. He had quickly gotten a handle on appearing outwardly composed, but his insides were coiled like a spring, his constant low-grade anxiety prepared to power swift action should the need arise.
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Fortunately, the need had not yet arisen, and all he found himself facing were more of Zev's questions. These, at least, seemed more informational than pointed, in contrast to some of his last dealings with the man, though, and so he was glad to field them.
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"Not strictly my department, so not quite as much as I'd like, but they are fascinating," he replied. "Aurelie and I managed to capture the beast I mentioned beforehand, and as a result of that they're allowing us to monitor their progress, but no direct involvement, unfortunately." His lip curled - frustration, perhaps. "However, on my last outing, I happened to capture another specimen for myself, and that's provided its own benefits, if unofficial."
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He recalled his Tinkaton and tossed another pokeball, revealing a saurian in cool hues, regarding the pair with barely-contained anger.
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"It listens quite well, for looking so angry," Rhys offered with a small grin, "But it's terribly useful having one to monitor and biopsy so close to hand."
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At the other man's suggestion, Rhys lowered his gaze, toying with the idea. He wasn't a researcher - not of that kind - and didn't want to create more of a presence in that neck of the laboratories than he had to, lest he be roped in as some kind of assistant or other. Yet, his desire to keep arm's length came into direct conflict with his basic desire to know about everything.
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When he thought about it like that, the choice was clear.
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"I will," he nodded. "The proliferation of these things is something we don't want to be caught wrong-footed on." He moved to continue as Zev finished, beckoning to the Walking Wake. The beast growled, a rippling, dangerous sound, but fell into step behind Rhys without further complaint.
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"Of course," Rhys returned brightly as their path drew them further through the rainforest. "I'll be happy to provide you with that data." Well. Not strictly happy undergoing whatever test Zev had in mind, but confident, at the least, that he could show the man he had indeed progressed.
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He smirked as they continued, a thing full of pride. Confident, yes.
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