Locke titled his head upward in thought. ”Exactly like mine? Hm…I don’t think so…Oh, but there was that fella up in Fortree who had one like Eris’! Uh, what was his name…”

A look of great concentration passed over their face as they wracked their brain for the identity of the ranger they’d met before. ”He’s got long red hair-like red-red, not ginger-and tattoos all over. Kinda looks like a delinquent, but is actually pretty chill?”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

It had cost just about every leftover bit of Christmas earnings he had, but Locke could finally afford a simple grave marker for Orbee-Orbee on Mt. Pyre proper. The outdoor plot was more susceptible to the elements than the indoor ones, but it was cheaper, and he was around often enough for work he could drop by and clean it up now and again.

And the view was nicer.

Locke let the floral scent of the incense wash over them for a moment after they finished cleaning the headstone, before standing up, brushing off their pants, and going to find the nearest bench.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

The light landed on another pair of eyes, wide and unblinking, as though staring into his very soul. Locke gave a sharp yelp in surprise, and the Espurr immediately scampered away as the flashlight clattered to the ground where it fell from his hands.

They scrambled to pick it up, while Volty-Volty hovered down beside his trainer with a look that said it was probably time to go, a suggestion Locke eagerly agreed to.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Despite the overwhelming exhaustion calling his body to sleep, Locke willed himself awake long enough for Matias to return, which thankfully was not very long. He gave another small thumbs up, about all he could manage at this point, flashing the other man a small, but grateful smile.

When Matias didn’t immediately take his leave afterwards, the corners of their mouth turned down into a confused frown. ”Yer not goin’ home? I didn’ keep ya too late, did I?” An edge of guilt crept into their voice alongside the accent they were too tired cover.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

They hummed thoughtfully, still uncertain. It still seem a bit suspicious to them, but they’d never really had a good sense for what was popular.

”Huh? Oh yeah, have I shown you that?” Locke pulled out his own phone, flashing the Unusual Charm so where del Mar could see it. He was pretty sure it’d come up before at some point…

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

”Oh, yeah. I guess we’ve never actually been introduced properly huh? I’m Locke, and this is De-De!” The Delibird gave a cheerful chirp between mouthfuls of chips, but seemed to be eying the pairs respective charms with an uncharacteristic wariness.

Locke deflated a bit as Hideo asked about his amulet. “Oh, well I was kinda hoping you knew about actually…” He held his phone out between the other boy and his Beheeyem, the Unusual Charm sticking out among the more cartoonish Pokémon beside it.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke fully flushed at that, unprepared to hear of his own popularity like that. He’d always felt as though he didn’t stand out that much, so it was strange to be told otherwise by a near-stranger. He could only give a shy hum of agreement before the topic mercifully shifted away from himself.

”Bein’ a cop sounds pretty dangerous though…Lilycove’s a pretty big city to keep safe.”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke gave the other man a thumbs up, pulling up the correct address as the other man disappeared in a rush of wind. He took a moment to screenshot the route and send it to Matias, before pocketing it with an exhausted sigh.

They let Birdie-Birdie lead the way through the neighborhood, only stopping to course-correct whenever the Delibird took a wrong turn. It was…slow, the blue sky fading into deep purples and oranges as they finally, finally closed the last mailbox of the day.

By now the steady pounding in their head had settled into a dull ache, though whether it was the tea from earlier taking effect or the simple relief that came with the end of the work day, they couldn’t tell. Either way, as they dragged themselves back into the Pokémon Center, all Locke could think about was collapsing into one of the available beds as soon as possible.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke gave a little cheer as the last of the sheep made their way through. He bent over the side of Doro-Doro to pet the Mareep at the head of the herd, while Kuru-Kuru landed on its back and started picking at the twigs and thorns out of the wool it had left.

”Sounds like a plan!” They agreed, patting their Mudsdale and guiding the party and their charges around and back down the path they came, ready to finish a job well done.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke watched the Gothorita join up with a Gardevoir, the taller Pokémon only sparing him a brief glance before the pair disappeared together into another tunnel. He wasn’t feeling quite brave enough to follow them, sticking instead to the regular path leading up to the bridge.

They were nearly out the other now side now, and already feeling quite eager to leave. One last pass around the cave with the light wouldn’t hurt, though, right?

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

In any other situation, running around an unexplored cavern for hours on end sounded like a terrible way to spend a day. But, naturally, angelo vestri’s name drew Locke in like a fish on a line.

The other man is, of course, well-occupied with his wife skyler dross this morning, but the simple knowledge that he was here made the prospect of going underground a little less nerve-racking. If only enough for them to stomach one of the small breakfast bars they’d packed before joining the rest of the group for @cat’ instructions and equipment from Stevey and Mama Joey.

Locke peered into yawning mouth of the cave entrance warily, but, true to miss Cross’ word, the drop wasn’t nearly as bad as they’d feared. Still, they kept a tight hold on their Eevee’s scruff as the little fox also poked his head over the edge.

They took their time with their own descent, being one of the last to reach the bottom. The full interior was even larger than the opening had implied, but he could still see why a limit had been set on the amount of Pokémon the expedition could bring. Trying to fit thirty-something full teams down here would’ve been a logistical nightmare.

Vee-Vee wasted no time in wiggling out of his trainer’s arms and setting to work, Digging at a random spot in the ground before Locke could even finish dismounting himself from the climbing equipment.

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[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz