Eddie beamed happily, and came precariously close to catching the small table with his knee when he suddenly stood up to approach her, [break][break]

“I'm doin' great!” he called, “How about you? It's good to see ya on your feet!” [break][break]

It was harrowing to think of the circumstances that had lead to their first meeting, and of the ancient titans the two of them had been caught between back in the Chasm. But Yuina had saved the lives of their expedition group that day, and it was a relief to see that she seemed no worse for wear on the outside, at least. [break][break]

The trip down Memory Lane could wait, though. Eddie found himself temporarily distracted when he noticed Yuina's companion for her outing. His eyes widened with curiosity as he regarded the strangely ethereal fox, [break][break]

“Yer Zorua's cool, but I ain't seen one that looks like that before. Some kinda regional variant?” [break][break]

While his trainer yapped like an over-excited Growlithe, the Pawmot made his way over to the group, waddling over with his paper cup gently clutched between his two paw-like hands. He looked up at Yuina, sporting a milk-froth mustache that he didn't seem to realize was there.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He had to stop himself from snorting incredulously at Yuina's dismissal of her injuries, but there was something about her stoic bravado that he could respect. He would have done the same in her shoes, Eddie realized, if only to keep the other party from worrying. [break][break]

So instead he refocused his attention on Moroe and grinned further at the obvious warmth in Yuina's tone, [break][break]

“Hisuian history? Sounds interestin',” he mused with genuine intrigue, “I'll be honest, I wasn't the best at that sorta thing in school, 'less it was about the old Alto Marean empire, and even then I could only list off a couple'a emperors and generals.” [break][break]

But that was definitely a rabbit hole for another day. The Pawmot cried happily in acknowledgment of Yuina's mirth; he really seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, [break][break]

“That's Vash! Met 'em when I was out on a jog a few days ago. He's a good kid.” [break][break]

While Vash did his absolute best to continue to charm Yuina with his cuteness, a thought occurred to Eddie as he glanced back from the Pawmot to the Zorua. Huh, an extinct species from long ago, ripped through a space-time distortion? It got some gears turning in Eddie's head, specifically regarding a matter that had been nagging at him since a little after he'd moved to Hoenn, [break][break]

“Hey, what can ya tell me about Pokemon like Moroe? Yanno, the ones that are supposed to be extinct. What other kinda species are kickin' around from way back when?” [break][break]

But before such discussions could begin, Eddie realized that they should probably find somewhere comfortable to sit first. He quickly glanced back to the table he had been sitting at, over to the park, and back to the books Yuina was carrying, [break][break]

“If, uh, ya don't mind me buggin' ya for an impromptu history lesson, that is.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Eddie happily followed and listened, eager not just to learn, but to witness someone truly impassioned by sharing such knowledge. Vash relinquished his hold on the paper cup long enough to give the fox a pat on the head as he toddled behind his trainer carefully, moving slow to keep the rest of his precious drink from spilling onto the ground. [break][break]

Yuina's excitement was infectious as she detailed the intricacies of the ancient Zorua species. Eddie found he was almost paying more attention to her emphatic tone and intonation instead of the actual information she was communicating, but he did cast a pitying sidelong glance down at Moroe at the mention of their cursed existence. It was just so sad; the poor little guys were just trying to make a life for themselves only to be cut down by tragedy and resurrected as spirits. Eddie felt a chill rush through him despite the warmth of the spring day, [break][break]

“Wait, Growlithe?” [break][break]

By the time Eddie managed to mentally catch up to the rest of the conversation, he was struck by a flicker of realization. Before he could inquire about who the second ambassador of the ancient past would be, Eddie stopped suddenly and fished around through one of his pockets for his smartphone, flicking through some pictures before he found what he was looking for, [break][break]

“Weird question, but, uh, would one'a those Hisui-era Growlithes look somethin' like this?” [break][break]

[break][break]

He held up the phone for Yuina to see the image he'd dragged up from his camera roll. Blanche stared happily at the camera with an expression that Eddie had come to know as the one she used when she was begging for treats. She was cute enough that the look(tm) was usually pretty effective at getting her what she wanted, too. Eddie couldn't resist the dopey, easy charm of that wide smile.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Holy shit. The realization struck Eddie like a bolt of lightning; he knew Blanche was special! [break][break]

“Well ain't that somethin'!” he remarked with awe, gently taking the book from Yuina and studying it carefully, “'Fire/Rock types', huh? Man, guess that explains why she hates baths so damn much.” [break][break]

It struck him as absurd that the first Pokemon he met in Hoenn was one displaced across the vast landscape of space and time. What were the odds that he'd meet a Pokemon from the distant past who was more at home in a mountainous land far away? But in a way, it stoked a new feeling of kinship that Eddie couldn't help but extend towards the gregarious little dog; the both of them were far from home, it seemed, so maybe it was only natural that they'd found each other, [break][break]

“I wonder if she could grow up to be some kinda noble Pokemon.” [break][break]

Eddie carefully closed the book and handed it back to Yuina, grinning like a kid in a candy store, [break][break]

“Thanks for sharin' that with me! Oh – ya mentioned another ambassador Pokemon; didja happen to bring a Hisuian Arcanine with ya?” [break][break]

Nearby, Vash similarly beamed at the amicable Zorua, delighted by the little fox's reciprocated friendliness. He carefully lowered and tipped his cup of warm milk forward for the little Ghost to sample if she chose to do so.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Him? Special? [break][break]

Nah, that couldn't have been right. So the Hisuian Growlithes were choosier and more standoffish than their modern counterparts, but maybe that just meant that Blanche had been particularly desperate when Eddie had met her. After all, he had found her by a dumpster, scrounging for food at the bottom of an empty McPognald's bag. Maybe she just saw him as a free meal ticket. [break][break]

But Yuina looked up at him with such sincerity that it made Eddie want to believe her, to believe that he was special for having won the little dog over so quickly. Yuina was the expert after all, so who was he to question her judgment? He turned away to hide the frown that had begun to tug at the corner of his mouth, but listened intently as she continued, [break][break]

“Hey, no worries. I'd be interested ta meet whoever else you brought with ya, Arcanine or not!” [break][break]

He really was becoming quite fascinated by her talk of these ancient species. To the side, his face broke back out into a warm smile as he watched Vash share his drink with Moroe, [break][break]

“'Specially if they're as friendly as your buddy over there.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were tryin' to scare me off!” [break][break]

The only thing that Yuina's warnings served to do was stoke Eddie's curiosity even further. Big and scary Pokemon were some of his favorites in his childhood – not, like, 'giant bug' or 'spooky ghost' kind of scary, but the imposing, kaiju-y looking creatures he'd occasionally see accompanying trainers when he visited Kanto and Johto were some of his favorites. [break][break]

So when the giant bear emerged to join Yuina at her side and landed on his forefeet with tremendous force, Eddie was beyond delighted to make the Ursaluna's acquaintance, [break][break]

“Hey there, buddy!” he beamed, slowly reaching a hand towards it, palm out, for Higumei to inspect. [break][break]

It was a massive creature, and probably strong as hell. Eddie imagined this thing was probably an apex predator back on it's home turf, [break][break]

“I can guess where the whole Bloodmoon bit comes from,” Eddie inclined his head towards the large, red circle on the bear's head, “But what happened to the poor fella's eye?” [break][break]

Out of the two narrowed eyes that Eddie was sure were sizing him up, one was clouded and dark, and the side of the creature's face that it belonged to looked to be overtaken by a curious muck. What sort of violence had the poor creature seen, he wondered, as Eddie's eyes traced along the dark, cracked ring underneath, trailing south like the jagged lines of an old scar. [break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Yuina Higashi [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]