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Recovering artefacts for the League is quite the broad job description, but generally speaking, when contacted with a new task at her workplace in the Lilycove Museum, rocks are not what Lia expects to be identifying and retrieving.
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Ah, but these are not any kind of rock, are they? They’re meteorites, and even if Lia is no mineralogist, much less an expert in meteoritics, she can easily identify those visible among the rocks of the aptly named Meteor Falls. Golden eyes wander over volcanic rock, then falling upon dark stones marked by the thumbprint-like indentations formed when a meteor’s outer layer melts during flight.
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Those two.
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”Helix, try this one here for me, will you?” She tells the golden Steelix peacefully coiled nearby, and calmly, the Iron Snake Pokémon lifts his gigantic head, looking down upon his trainer. Yet, it’s with extreme gentleness that he begins to emit the magnetic pulse of a MAGNET RISE. Not strong enough to lift his huge body, but definitely to test if the rocks will be attracted. Sure enough, they begin to shake, moving closer until the pulse suddenly ends. She sadly isn't in possession of a pokémon with MAGNET PULL, because this is not something she often does, but Lia and her trusted pokémon can adapt easily enough.
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Lia nods, turning to look at both FERNANDO SILPH and the short deliveryman with his oh so adorable Delibird.
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”Most meteorites are full of extraterrestrial iron and nickel.” She tells them with a soft smile, used to explaining this sort of thing to people. Perhaps it's the result of all those years working in museums in Slateport and Lilycove alike. ”These ones here have regmaglypts, I’d guess iron due to the colouration.”
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It’s then that gaze then fixes solely on Locke Jamison.
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”Ah, but meteorites can be really heavy, even if small. Will your Delibird be alright?”
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This is a job and fulfilling it is what matters the most, but Lia also happens to have a ranger licence (as made clear by her red armband), and true to her ranger nature, she does care for the wellbeing of the pokémon involved in this operation.

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"Hey there!" Lia doesn't recognize Julia Davis, but she greets her with a smile all the same, grabbing the ball and tossing it up in the air a couple of times to get a feel for its weight. Then, she readies a throw.
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"Might wanna hold your breath just in case!" She tells the woman in the dunk tank before throwing the ball.

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Instincts kick in, and at first, they're her saving grace. Lips now stripped of gloss thanks to the briny water press together, and she does her best not to breath in. Her eyes sting, and when her mysterious catch reveals itself to be a gigantic Basculin, Lia tells herself not to panic.
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It's then that arms wrap around her, and before she can even process what's going on, they're back on the surface and she can breathe again. @marshall to the rescue. Maybe he really is her hero.
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"Marshall! Wait–" She wants to tell him that she's not sure that the Basculin is free from the hook, that there's something else down there (the Octillery that unbeknownst to her will soon become the fish's dinner), and that she's worried about it. In the chaos of the situation and in her own shock, the words don't come, and after making it onto the boat, Lia can do no more than take a deep breath and sit with her back pressed against the hull.
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At least she still has her fishing rod, and she probably would have been fine since she's a pretty decent swimmer. But, the fact that Marshall had jumped in to help her with no hesitation at all...
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Lia feels rather silly for it, but it makes her heart flutter to think about it.
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"Marshall..." So, she looks at him, soaking wet as they both are now, and when she does so, she really can't help the slight smile that illuminates her expression. "Thank you."

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Another pokéball. There's always a use for those, no? Lia grabs it and carefully puts it with the rest of her loot, going up for air and a quick break before diving down again.
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What will she find this time? Sadly, she seems to be running out of time...

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At least she’s pretty good at swimming. She was a decent diving before, but all the practice she has gotten during the Splashfest has definitely paid off. It sure makes it easier when her Mantine inevitably drops her and she falls into the water, while angelo vestri's help is appreciated too.
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"Ha. Tell me about." Lia jokes, but he sure does tell her... or show her. By having the most spectacular fall she has seen so far. "HOLY SHIT! Angelo, are you okay?!"
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It's only once she confirms her friend is not fucking dead that Lia goes to try another OVER-THE-GYARADOS of her own, hoping not to fall.

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”Ha! Well, at least it’ll sure make a good story, yeah?”
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And true to her historian nature, Lia loves stories. She always has, she always will. But, as much as she may enjoy telling tales of the distant past, those of her own adventures are without a doubt her favourites. This is exactly the sort of exciting and hilarious story she loves sharing with family and friends, people like A–...
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Oh.
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skyler dross.
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Now, that’s a name she has heard many times before.
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”You’re Skyler?” It’s not disbelief as much as it is surprise: she had never expected that this is how they would meet. Still, it fits like a glove, doesn’t it? After everything they just went through together, Lia can say that without a shadow of doubt, skyler dross is exactly what she had expected based on everything angelo vestri had said to her about his wife. Inevitably, Lia laughs. ”Angelo has told me a lot about you. It’s great to meet you… Circumstances aside.”
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Those sure could be better, right?
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Then again, neither of them had been hurt, the Sharpedo had been dealt with, it would soon be released far from the coast, and the whole experience had been pretty damn thrilling. So, maybe the circumstances aren’t so bad after all. On top of it, it looks like they also have loot.
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”Looks like you knocked a couple of teeth out.” Lia smirks then, nodding towards the fallen fangs after shaking the captain’s hand. It’s not like they can return them to the pokémon, so there’s only one thing to do in her most expert ranger and artefact hunter opinion. ”...Care for a souvenir?”



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"Hey there!" Oh it's this kid again! Lia remembers him! As she sees it, it's kind of sweet that kids are participating in this sort of thing, so of course she could never deny them of the fun they're seeking.
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She readies a throw.
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"Uhm... Might wanna hold your breath just in case and what not!" She tells Hideo Kino before throwing the ball.

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She finishes her sandwich while listening to him talk about his Wailord, the passing thought coming to mind that perhaps Marshall would make a good ranger if he ever wishes to pursue that path. He's kind. He's sweet, but she already knew that.
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"Marshall, that's awesome. I'm glad you could help Axle, and the fact that you still want to return him to the wild is admirable. Not many people would do that." Secretly, selfishly, she hopes the Wailord will choose to stay with @marshall, because it's clear that he's fond of the pokémon.
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Sadly, while she watches him reel in his next catch, Lia finds herself being almost pulled into the water by whatever tugs at her line. No more Mantine jokes for now.
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"Wha–!" No time for words anyway, or for cursing, if the boat had almost been flipped before, it's by some miracle that it doesn't happen now, because the Basculin that Lia tries to reel in is truly a beast like no other. Bigger than the Barraskewda and even the Lanturn. It's huge, and inevitably, Lia finds herself losing the fight.
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Splash.
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She falls into cold sea water.
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Is that what you'd call a Basculin Splash?

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Surely devolution stones are of use to some people, and the unevolved forms of certain species really can be better than their counterparts in some cases, but right now, Lia can't think of any use she may have for one of those. So, she puts it away, storing it where it'll be safe, and then she dives down again.
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Time to continue the search.

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Mantine training wheels.
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"Oh yeah, because that totally wouldn't look stupid as hell." She laughs, although let's be real, both her and angelo vestri need them most of the time. If she had had those, she probably wouldn't have taken what felt like a month to land a splash.
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"Need some floats too?" Lia calls out to Angelo, smirking. And then of course she goes to give the OVER-THE-GYARADOS her own shot, knowing there's a high chance of failure.

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”Wha–” For all of the grace she may have displayed when readying her bow and shooting the Sharpedo, Lia still finds herself stumbling when the stranger pulls her back. The bow is dropped, her body presses against that of the other woman, and the Sharpedo bites straight through the air.
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”Holy fuck.”
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Something primal and instinctive seems to overtake her companion, and the ranger can do no more than watch while the sedated wild pokémon takes the worst beating it has probably ever taken. Golden eyes widen when golden liquor is lifted, and then and there, for a fleeting second, the sound of the waves is overpowered by that of glass being smashed to pieces.
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Despite her initial surprise, skyler dross’s assessment about her is right indeed: Lia does not miss a beat.
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The words come before she even realises it:
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”Damn, if it hadn’t been sedated before, it sure is now.”
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Shouldn’t a ranger be more concerned over the pokémon’s well-being? Worry about the damage they may have caused to it? As Lia sees it: yes and no. Sharpedo are hardy pokémon, after all, and there had been a need to put a stop to this one. Protecting people from dangerous pokémon will always be her primary duty. Even if this time she isn’t the only one doing the protecting.
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”Well. I was gonna relocate this big fella anyway, so having him knocked out works out just fine.” She says while reaching for one of her Ultra Balls, from which she releases a Comfey that immediately wraps itself around the Sharpedo’s long dorsal fin. If the Brutal Pokémon were to wake up, the Comfey would ensure it stays pacified. ”I’m Lia, by the way. Thanks for the assist… And sorry about your tequila.”
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It’s with an amused half smile that she offers a hand to the blonde, her delicate fingers soft yet marked by the calluses of a lifelong archer. If only she were aware that the woman whom she’s talking to is someone she has heard of time and again.
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Juniper, her Decidueye, lands on the boat’s gunwale, but instead of looking at the stranger as is to be expected, his gaze fixes on a spot next to the Sharpedo: there, on the boat’s floor, is a fallen tooth amongst shards of glass – one that likely had been knocked out by the tequila bottle.


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She had been right: he's kind of a masochist. Or, more like painfully competitive... Which she also is. Let's be honest, it's the only reason why she's still doing this, and also the reason why she'd agree without a second thought to another surfing competition despite everything they have suffered through this summer.
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It's also why she rolls her eyes when angelo vestri says she needs more practice, and why she laughs when he goes on to immediately fail right after.
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"Who's the one who needs practice now, huh?!" Lia mocks, but let's be honest: it's them both.
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Still, when approaching the next wave to try a OVER-THE-GYARADOS yet again, her smile is as bright as ever.

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"I do! Well, I don't practice Kyūdō much these days, I stopped competing when I graduated uni. Oh, that's traditional archery, by the way. Buuut.... I do have a compound bow I mostly use when doing ranger work. It took some time to adjust to it, but I think I like it better. I could teach you sometime, if you want."
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She's probably ranting. She knows as much. But, that's the thing: Archery is something that actually matters to Lia. She enjoys talking about it, and that's probably obvious by how excited she sounds, to the point that even when she realizes she should stop talking, she still smiles at Marshall. A soft and gentle smile, paired with a subtle blush.
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"Aw, come on. They're kind of cute!" The sound of her laughter joins his when talking about Mantine, but at the mention of the swimsuit contest, Lia pauses for a second while trying to free her latest catch from the hook. He had actually noticed she was there? And that she cheered for him? Gods, in retrospect, that's kind of embarrassing...
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Still, Lia finds herself smiling.
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"I did, yeah. It's a really cute one. What's its name?" She asks out of curiosity, carefully returning the Magikarp to the water.

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