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[attr="class","athread"]Circe wasn’t the only Pokemon itching for a fight. The Blast went unused, but it was too late – they’d earned the attention, and apparent ire, of a Hawlucha on the edge. The bird spread his wings wide, presumably yelling at them about watching their aim or looking for a beatddown.

Annie, having wiped her face of the initial surprise, watched in silence. Mildly amused eyes flicked from her Pokemon, to the stranger, to the stranger’s Pokemon, then back to her’s. She bent her knees, bringing herself closer to his level, so that she could place a hand atop his head and force nods out of him.

“What he means to say is that he knows that accidents happen, and it’s no problem!” Her fighter growled his disapproval, which only prompted more nods. “You’ll have to excuse Lucha Libre. He’s been cooped up for too long, and he’s just been waiting for an excuse to let loose. He’s fine. Physically.”

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[attr="class","athread"]The apology seemed to ease Lucha’s tension… Somewhat. Maybe he was frowning. Maybe that was his resting face. It was often hard to tell with Pokemon. Annie seemed to think the problem was solved, at least, standing up straight again. “No worries, no worries. Surprise attacks are good for training anyway! A five-star Pokemon wouldn’t get hit anyway, right?” The luchador struck a pose, extending his arms and holding one leg in the air. His battle cry was as close to affirmation as they were going to get.

Unfortunately, it might have helped attract the wild beasts. Fortunately, Annie had been hoping they’d find a punching bag soon. The Tangrowth was toasted in short order, but that wouldn’t help them against the ball of lightning barrelling onto the scene. Selena had given the warning so Annie didn’t have to. It was a close call, but the Hawlucha managed to dive out of harm’s way.

“Ooo, that’s the one! I’ve been looking for this one for a while! Lucha Libre, don’t beat it up too bad, alright?” She armed herself with a Pokeball while her partner got to work. His little feet packed a lot of strength, throwing him into the air. When he zipped back to the ground, it was with a white glow that heralded a painful blow. Indeed, the Flying Press would knock the little hedgehog off her feet, making her a sitting duck for a Pokeball to the head.

Annie turned her attention to Selena as the ball decided her target’s fate. “I feel like I’ve kinda seen you around before, but not really. I go all over the place, so it’s hard to keep track. Anyway, I’m Annie Mei - trainer extraordinaire!”

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[attr="class","athread"]Her bird collected the Pokeball, tossing it into Annie’s awaiting palm as she went on. “That’s not a problem! Any good trainer needs to have patience when they’re getting to know a new team member. Some of my strongest guys needed a lot of time to come around- And then there’s Lucha.”

It had been mere seconds since his duel ended, but he’d somehow managed to find a skittish squirrel to challenge. The Pachirisu was having none of it; the moment he showed his wingspan, the rodent dived into a bush and took off. Annie opened her mouth to comment, thought twice, decided that it wasn’t worth it and turned back to Selena.

“Oooo, a journalist! Nice, nice. Are you working with HNN? Or, let me guess - you’re on the lookout for an interview with Hoenn’s next champion?” One hand accepted the handshake, while the other jabbed a thumb into her chest, with a little too much force. Her eyes gave a slight wince, but she refused to acknowledge it.

“Rustboro. Yeah, I’m around there pretty often! I’m not planning to be on a record any time soon, but my Yanmega is. Maybe you caught me dropping him off, or over at the Straaaaay-hey!” She’d noticed the mount too late. The Braixen had everything under control, and the challenger was set to flee. Annie couldn’t have that.

“Lucha, scare tactics!” She pointed her masked fighter to the rapid runner. Fortunately, his small size lent itself well to Agility; one mighty Bounce sprung him into the Zebstrika’s path, where his overconfidence pose could startle the beast. The horse reared his front legs, half-startled and half-prepared to Stomp Lucha Libre, but a Pokeball bounced against his body before he got the chance.

“…Sorry. If you wanted to catch that, it’s yours, but I’ve got a thing for big and fast electric-types. They fit really well into one of the teams I’ve got going. If there’s something that you know me for, hopefully it’s for my battles.” The Hawlucha must have learned to be cocky from somebody, and with the smug edge in Annie’s voice, there were no prizes for guessing who.

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[attr="class","athread"]The Braixen’s disappointment seemed to go largely unnoticed by Annie, mostly because she was eyeing her newest filled capsule. She slipped the ball into her pocket as she went on. “Independent! Even better!” There was a glint in the girl’s eye as she observed, and perhaps admired, the woman. “You’re not held back by corporate… things. You’re free to look into whatever you like, even if that gets you into way too much trouble. Of course, then you have to get yourself out of the trouble… But that’s part of the adventure!” Hesitation barely showed itself for more than a second at the thought of risk. No doubt, she flirted with danger more often than she should have.

She might have continued, if not for the sight of everybody’s favourite dog Pokemon. The girl’s quiet cooing drew Lucha Libre’s attention for a second, away from an apparent bush he’d been trying to scare into submission. It wasn’t until Annie took a second glance that she realised there was a Pokemon hiding within – half her bird’s size, but attempting to compensate by stretching her leaves out. It was a battle of the wingspans, and with a chuckle, Annie quickly realised that it would fall to her to break the stalemate.

“I remember that everybody went crazy over them just after they were allowed into Hoenn. Heck, there’s probably still a lot of love for them now. A good addition to any team.” And yet, she was barely even glancing at the pup. Instead, she stepped between her wrestler and his rival, lowering herself as close to her level as her bent knees would allow. “Now, now, folks. You can both glare at each other all day, or you can fight, or you both come with me and get some food later!” Food was a great motivator, as Annie could attest, but she hadn’t expected the Swadloon to shuffle out of the bushes that easily. Still, for her trustworthiness, the bug earned a little berry to munch on, and then a Pokeball as her new home once it was done.

“Easy peasy,” Annie muttered to herself. By the time she turned back to Selena, they were both one Pokemon richer. “Taken the gym challenge? More like finished it! I’ve got half the region’s badges. It won’t be long now before I’m taking on the Elite Four – and winning.” There was no shortage of self-satisfaction in her voice, but if she was telling the truth, then she’d probably earned it. “Safe to say, I know my stuff. When it comes to battling, at least. Some other stuff, not so much, but I’ve still got time to learn. Hey!” She snapped her fingers, as if suddenly remembering that she was having a conversation. “Is that why you’re a journalist? To go around and learn? Not a bad reason to take up a job, if I do say so myself.”

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[attr="class","athread"]Annie took the opportunity to scoop her partner into her arms; Libre grumbled, but wasn’t bothered enough to try and escape. “Yep-yep, that’s the way I try to live my life! Every day’s some sort of new adventure, if only you go out and find it. That’s how I’ve ended up with one, two…” She whispered the next few numbers. “Eighty Pokemon! Maybe more now. Each of them special and strong in their own way, just like me.”

It was no surprise that the woman hadn’t known of Annie’s deeds. She was more than happy to speak of them, but nothing in her appearance would suggest that she was nearing the level of Hoenn’s elite trainers. Her size and age were obvious points against her, and her tracksuit was unassuming at best.

“Anyway, I’m juuuust about sixteen, yeah, but that’s no excuse to keep still!” She paused for a moment, eyes flickering to the rush of flames. The hesitation briefly showed on her face, easily missed thanks to the battle. “I haven’t had an easy time, getting to where I am. Don’t get me wrong, I’m over it, but it taught me how to work hard. I don’t think I can ever keep still again, after spending so long fighting to keep me and my guys safe. Doing nothing would just feel weird, you know? Like I’m wasting away.”

In turn, the woman revealed a little of her past. She spoke of things Annie couldn’t quite relate to. Wealth. Parents. Privilege. A twitch of a frown showed itself on her face, but of course, it wouldn’t last. “Well, that’s the most important thing, right? That you’re doing something that you love with all your heart. You sure do sound passionate about it, at least. Which begs the question…”

She shuffled closer to the woman, eyes wide with curiosity. “What truth behind truth have you discovered in Hoenn?”

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