it's been a while.

it's been a while since she's gone pokemon hunting in hoenn, after doing her fair amount of soul searching elsewhere. it was nice coming back, even more so to see that things haven't really changed, at all, for better or for worse.

unfortunately, she didn't have any pokemon that could help provide any kind of light. so she was a bit.. stuck in the dark, there. the only one in her arsenal was a noivern, which stood at her side glaring into the darkness. "could you lead me through?" she asks the bat dragon, with the fluffy pokemon grinning up with a somewhat cheerful hiss. somehow.

so it was a good sign, she thinks.

thankfully, she doesn't have to go too far without light. just up ahead, she finds the soft glow of an umbreon's rings illuminating the nearby ground. "ah--" she starts, with the words immediately forming a lump in her throat seeing the trainer nearby.

... you can do this, daphne. it was just a person. it shouldn't be too difficult speaking up, right?

"excuse me?" she starts, slowly pulling her noivern along with her. "i don't have any pokemon who can light up the way, so would it.. be okay for me to follow along?"
maverick noah ryder

not.. a man of many words. this was going to be uncomfortable, and she could already feel it from the tone of his voice. but that's okay. that's okay, because she just needed a little bit of time to adjust. she just needed a little bit of time to properly get a feel of any sort of conversation. yeah. it was usually the beginning that would be a speed bump, she tells herself.

probably the only thing that helps occupy her mind, at least for the meantime. enough for her to stave the anxiety that came with approaching new people away.

she could hear the clicking sounds of crystallized ice from afar, up until an ice-cream pokemon decided to show its face in the form of reflecting the dark type pokemon's light. she could hear the noivern groan, almost snarl at the dreaded ice pokemon it hated so. daphne only gently taps the bat pokemon, trying to pull its attention away while offering a small smile.

"leave it be. it won't hurt you." she says, knowing the wyvern. it was timid at heart since evolving, trying to put a strong front in spite of the trainer's protests. daphne only glances away from her pokemon to face her temporary companion. "ah.. erm.." she begins, instinctively taking a blue lock from her ponytail to begin gently twirling her finger around. a nervous tick.

"i've actually been looking for some more ice pokemon. some that look.. less like ice pokemon. my noivern is a bit antsy with them."

exposure therapy would definitely help it, right? a glance at the houndoom and umbreon made it obvious that they were well cared for and groomed, and that brought a smile to her face. "it's a pleasure to meet you three. my name is daphne, and this is amethyst." she motions to the noivern, who snuffs and kept a hold onto the trainer.

"what brings you to the cave?"

skipping
maverick noah ryder

ah, so he had other reasons to be here. ice type pokemon were always nice additions to a team, especially seeing that it would be good exposure therapy to her small trio of dragon pokemon. no matter how much she would try to help them, she could always see the underlying fear in their eyes as they anticipated the frigid cold to hit their wings. was it cruel of her to laugh? it was cruel of her to find it entertaining at most.

the noivern only looks to the side, paying little attention to the trainer as he began to express his interest in the surrounding pokemon. the trainer on the other hand, seemed to perk up the slightest bit, hearing about an.. odd type match up. "a fire and.. ice type?" she asks, interest piqued at the sound of that. how did that work? wouldn't it have melted itself? daphne shakes her head after a moment of pensiveness. perhaps it was a galarian variant? she hasn't been well versed in another region's species. "i'm afraid not, but if we see one walking by, i do wish you luck."

she offers a smile, that's only broken by the quick groan and tug upon her sleeve by the dragon pokemon. daphne doesn't have to do so much as to turn her head at the source, after hearing water splash from a nearby body of water. a dewgong was visible in the dark, only if from the drops of water that flew off its body. she nods to maverick's words and with a quick "thank you", she gets to work on the ice pokemon.

"they can't hurt you, okay, flourite?" she asks, yet the noivern still stays hidden behind the trainer. with a defeated sigh, she pulls out a pokeball to release a. mienshao from its confines. maybe capturing it and offering a friend will help put it at ease? "amethyst, aura sphere." she commands, and the fighting pokemon sends the condensed energy towards to hit its mark. with the dewgong knocked out of the water, daphne throws a pokeball at it.

she turns to glance back at the man, tilting her head a slight bit.
"everything alright over there?"

attempt @ dewgong
maverick noah ryder

galarian pokemon were still complete enigmas to her, and it was only recently where they were allowed to roam across this region - even if they were few in between the typical pokemon that's become the norm in hoenn. maverick had already completed his side of the field, with the sand castle pokemon slicking back into the darkness of the cave. thankfully, there wasn't much she had to worry about in regards to him.

though there was unrest, with more pokemon coming from the depths of the icy cave. this time, it was a pair of smaller pokemon, who appeared lost after being separated from their parent pokemon. it was almost pitiful to see, though she still gently nudges at the noivern to take a look at the ice pokemon. "see? it's a small one, so it won't be able to hurt you too badly." yet even with her reassurance, the dragon pokemon groaned and timidly hid behind the trainer. she sighs. her mianshao doesn't appear all too impressed, either, hence the fighting type pokemon getting back into stance.

"thank you," she starts, smiling to the other trainer before motioning to the vulpix. she needn't utter a command for it, and the mienshao is quick to let out another aura sphere at the poor ice type. due to the darkness, it didn't see the attack coming, and thus was hit with the condensed fighting energy. she makes quick work of it, tossing a pokeball at the ice pokemon then returning it into her bag. the noivern on the other hand, still seemed slightly shaken. she sighs.

"mmn.. i understand your phobia of ice types, but you need to learn to face it." she tries to reassure the dragon pokemon. it doesn't seems too receptive of the trainer's concern, only turning its head away. daphne sighs in defeat, turning her attention back up to the man.

"not exactly fond of this idea, it would seem."

attempt @ alolan vulpix
maverick noah ryder

perhaps the fuss was just a bit too much.

evident by the pokemon, running around and about in the cave. it looked more like they were trying to.. get away, now? it doesn't surprise her, with the ruckus going on. the ruckus that echoed down the chambers of the cave. it'd be enough to wake up any other ice type pokemon slumbering deep within. enough to give them time to get up and flee in a timely manner. a shame, seeing that she hoped that she could possibly find more pokemon. still, she sighs at the noivern that still seemed relatively shaken up with allthe ice types.

even if they weren't in the least bit threatening so far.

"next time, i'll bring you out to practice." she smiles in defeat. she just couldn't win to a dragon that was scared, could she? a shame, she thinks. so she pulls out the pokeball and recalls the bat pokemon, with the mianshao rolling her eyes. daphne gently nudges at the fighting type, almost in a scolding manner.

emerald green eyes glance back over to the man, making quick work of the marshtomp that came up from the shadows. she smiles, shaking her head at his suggestion. "i can go for a while longer. i'm in no particular rush--" only for her to pause while speaking, and gently bring up a hand to rub against her cheek "th-that is, if you're not busy. if you are, we can return immediately.." she didn't want to impose. she knows that he probably had places to be.

her brief embarrassment is cut short, seeing a larger shadow approaching the man. daphne's quick to raise her voice "amethyst, aura sphere!" towards the shadow behind the man, said orb narrowly missing him to quickly down the larger ice type. with it staggering, the mienshao followed up with a drain punch to ensure its defeat.

and to further ensure that it wouldn't be causing more trouble she pulls out a pokeball to contain it in. with the danger subsided, she lets out a sigh of relief and offers a small smile. "ah.. apologies if i startled you."

attempt @ walrein
maverick noah ryder