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It's not the first time he's assisted in transporting Wailord back to their ocean homes, and Orion's certain it won't be the last, but the ranger is nevertheless relieved to be far better equipped than the first time he'd attempted such a feat.[break][break]

His Noivern circles the beach, scouting for a good place to land. A perceptive beach-goer spots the airborne dragon and directs the attention of others nearby, eventually prompting the crowd to make room. Noivern's scarred wings catch the sunlight as they flare out to soften his landing, claws sinking into the sand.[break][break]

Dismounting, he keeps a bracing hand on the dragon's neck to keep it calm as he addresses a member of the crowd. "Orion Lykos, with the Rangers."[break][break]

After a moment of mumbling and shuffling, they direct him toward a young girl walking the beach with her Hatterene. There's no need for anyone to introduce him; he recognizes her immediately as Ruby Walker, Saint of Slateport and possibly the reason that his Swampert had survived.[break][break]

He offers Ruby a gentle smile.[break][break]

"Ruby, right? We've — never met, but I was at Slateport. I'm pretty sure you saved Schism's life." A flash of red reveals a now purple-skinned Swampert into the nearby surf, the grouchy mud fish grunting its displeasure at being woken. "And a lot of others, too. Sorry — m-my name's Orion. I just... thank you."[break][break]

That he'd come here for a reason beyond reliving the horrific tragedy of that night is momentarily forgotten in spite of Wailord shadows looming over them. His Noivern has returned to the skies, circling as it waits.

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[attr="class","merktagI"] Orion Lykos

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Ruby, it seems, is an incredibly nervous individual. Immediately Orion finds that he can relate to her, from the redness of her cheeks to the stammer in her tone. It puts him more at ease with his own discomforts to know that they are alike, at least in one way.[break][break]

"You did great," he encourages gently.[break][break]

He can't imagine how difficult it must be for someone so young — Orion's a grown man and he still wakes in the night with a cold sweat and the image of the lighthouse bomb burned into his mind's eye. Was she getting counselling? Arceus knew he should be.[break][break]

His lip twitches fondly as he watches Grace drift over to Schism, the Swampert seeming to come to some silent understanding with the psychic-type. Orion, at least, thinks he looks a little less tense with such a soothing presence.[break][break]

He nods as Ruby insists that she's here to help, more to reassure her than anything. "My Absol's capable of it, as well. Between the two of us we should have no trouble." There's a slight pause as he debates something. Not knowing she'd already overheard his introduction to the crowd, he says, "I'm with the Rangers; usually we're the ones who get sent out to deal with things like this, but I just wanted to say I appreciate that you're still out here trying to help." He rubs at the back of his neck, shy in his gratitude. "We've been stretched thin since New Years and it's always nice to see volunteers."[break][break]

With an awkward smile and red cheeks, he turns to release the rest of his party. His Delphox attracts the most attention with his unique coloration, though the dual-type seemed to care little for the stares.[break][break]

"This is Katas, Delphi, Circe, and Altair," he says, gesturing to the Absol, Espeon, Alakazam, and Delphox in turn. "Schism you know, and the Noivern," he gestures to the skies, "is Camazotz, but mostly I call him Cama. He's still a bit wary of people, but he'll help out if we need him." Orion doesn't intend to ask for that help unless desperate. The ranger in him, experienced with this sort of thing, manifests in a confidence that builds as he takes charge of the scene. "I'm thinking we split our Pokemon into three groups, one per Wailord. Whisper and Katas can do most of the heavy-lifting on their end. Dephi can lend a hand — paw — there. Al and Circe have telekinesis; do any of yours have similar capabilities? I'm thinking with a combined effort, they might be able to lift that smallest one back into the water."

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[attr="class","merktagI"] Orion Lykos

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Orion listens carefully as her Pokemon are introduced, noting not only their names but also their typing. He'd known that she used at least two psychic Pokemon during the raid, having spotted the Hatterene and the Gardevoir playing a major role in the survival of his own partners, but meeting the rest of her team further enforced that they had yet another thing in common. He puts a pin in that info for later, not wanting to divert from the task at hand until things were underway.[break][break]

His Pokemon respond to the curiosity of Ruby's in kind; Altair returns the nod, and Delphi seems intrigued to meet a member of her kin. She touches her nose to the other Espeon, flicking her forked tail in silent greeting.[break][break]

"All right. Katas, Delphi, Schism!" He whistles sharply to draw the attention of his Swampert, who nods his thanks to Grace before lumbering over to join Orion. "You three are going to tackle that one, there. Whisper, Darling, and Opal will take the other. They should all be used to working with one another, I imagine. That leaves Altair, Circe, Sakura, Bubbles, and Grace to tackle the third. If it looks like they're having trouble, I'll call Cama down to help."[break][break]

Dutifully, Orion's Pokemon line up in their indicated positions. Having heard the command as well, the Noivern swoops low and glides in tight circles above the beach. Once he's satisfied that everyone is ready, Orion reaches up and pulls out the pin on his lapel, mega keystone glinting in the sun. The stone buried in the fur at Katas' throat reacts to the sudden release of energy, and a dazzling light engulfs his Pokemon. Several gasps arise from the crowd; not everyone has witnessed mega-evolution first-hand, and Orion had certainly been in awe when he'd seen Lars' Metagross transform.[break][break]

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Light fades, and the wing-like fur upon Absol's back ruffles in the breeze. With Swampert bracing its full weight against their Wailord, and Delphi standing by to lend him a helping hand, Katas powers himself up with a swords dance before slamming into the beached Pokemon at full speed.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Altair and Circe begin to channel their telekinetic powers, a haze of purple energy beginning to surround the smallest of the Wailord.[break][break]

Orion glances over at Ruby with an excited grin. "You like psychic types too, huh?"

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[attr="class","merktagI"] Orion Lykos