"right, but i'm so nervous!"

the cry of a pokemon would respond to the male voice. a private school uniform could be seen donned upon the new guest. in his arm, being the source of the cry, was an eevee. in his other was a school bag tightly held. "ahhh, i'm so excited eevee!" the male would stand outside of a building owned by his distant relatives: the stones.

"i didn't think i'd actually be going through with us. you don't think mom would be upset, it isn't technically breaking her rule?"

the eevee cried in agreement. "let's go!" stepping through the sliding doors. the youth made his way into the building. at the service desk the patron would hand over his trainer card. signing in, he would say, "i'm here to see my big bro!" eric, the challenger, confidently spoke.

the receptionist was confused. questioning him as to who that might be? "the guy who worked under my late uncle. i did a bit of research on my own and found out that they were apart of the minor league. color me surprised when i learned about the guy working under my uncle! so he's technically apart of the family, hence my big bro!"

talk about lady luck! he owed andres buenaventura a ton for steering him to this place first. "our first battle eevee, are you excited!? and it's with a family member, talk about crash!" eevee cried in agreement. "where is he? when i can meet my big bro!?" eric eagerly inquired.

CIAN MAHER

it was never her passion. to switch from something that required talent into something so complacent. for that to have been seen as her true calling was somehow inspirational to the youth. it was heartwarming even.

she would then proceed to inquiry about his path in life. eric's face became flushed at the question. "w-well," he would scratch the side of his cheek, "i'm majoring in ethnomusicology and business, but..." a wavering look befell his expression, "i don't want to just do that." with the life he had and the time that was left. he wanted to do so much more.

"i want to meet so many people, i want to make as many friends as possible." be they man or pokemon. he wanted to create a memorable experience during his stay in hoenn. "when i watched you battle, there was something amazing that happened." what he saw was what he wanted to create. "it was like you changed the scene for me. even though it was so small, you created this imagery that i can't seem to forget whenever i close my eyes. and the sound i heard, there was a melody born from the battle." he'd try to hum the tune, but couldn't remember it fully.

"i want to battle like that. i want people to be able to see and hear my battles. unforgettable pokemon battles, i'm so jealous of you!" eric would proceed to burry his face into his schoolbag. "i could never do what you do, or did rather." he'd look toward the mother of two, "i wasn't born with natural talent like you!" he cheekily grinned.

cait alfric

a yellow open hoodie rested atop of his white t-shirt; the right and left side of the yellow hoodie could be seen hung off his shoulders. a yellow warp sling bag could be seen hung over the frontal portion of his body. baggy, beige pants were comfortably chosen for his bottom attire; lastly, for footwear, he wore black combat boots which were seen to have the end of his pants legs tucked into them.

around the youth's neck was a camera. he was traveling to lilycove city by bus. once the bus finally arrived his desired location, he would begin to adventure about the famous city. sightseeing and absorbing all he could, something would capture his eye, "ah, a battle!" there was a fence, as he ran over to get a closer look, that separated he and the crowd that gathered to watch. it would seem the participants were being coached by someone serving as referee.

the coach in question seemed to have been guiding both challengers. coaching one side that was at a disadvantage while coaching the other with an advantage. "who is that guy!?" eric would take a picture. it was then that nearby onlooker would explain who he happened to be.

"battle instructor?" eric uttered. he would look on in awe, only to say the next, "andres buenaventura." that was the man's name. once eric said it aloud he would look at the man once more. trying to see or hear something. but to his luck there was nothing, he saw nothing. the man wasn't painting him a scenery like cait alfric did when he first met her.

why? eric needed to know. once their match was over and the crowd dispersed. eric would plan to visit the man the second andres buenaventura had a chance to breathe.

@social

it was like looking into a mirror. the female youth caressed the air gently as if she were holding an instrument. she mimicked his movement from head to toe, almost as if she were performing MIRROR MOVE like a pokemon.

it made him smile, to know that there were so many listening. it made him smile, to know that there were so many who could hear his playing. it made him smile, to know that his song brought so many to see him. the loneliness he felt before he started to play had no longer been there. all he could feel was warmth.

as the piece would come to an end. it was time to say goodbye. with one final chord eric would take a bow. a beaming, bashful grin would be thrown toward the crowd. "thank you all for listening, hehe!" the youthful student would massage the nape of his neck from sheer embarrassment. as the crowd began to disperse, he'd come to look toward the female he'd seen earlier.

with a exuberant expression donned on him, eric couldn't help himself but go over and say hi. once his instrument was placed back into the proper case, eric would head over. "hey, hey!" the energetic youth would greet her. "what did you think of my playing, not too shabby huh-huh!?" with rose-colored cheeks, he'd extend his hand to the female.

"i'm eric, eric moon! let's be friends!" he merrily suggested.

lilith eirwin

"what!? two!?" talk about lucky. "waaah, i'm so happy for you!" he cried ecstatically. "i'm so jealous of them. to have a sibling, that's gonna be so fun!" it was then that he learned not only the occupation of their father, but cait's specifically.

"you're retired?" he said with a surprised expression. "that's something i wouldn't have expected." well, when one is ready to settle down it should be expected. it's unfortunate that they lost such a strong leader. "hmm..." he'd come to sit beside the woman and became lost in thought. "you're not missing much, school is pretty boring."

"why theology? if you don't mind me asking. a gym leader like your..." he'd pause, correcting himself, "...a former gym leader like yourself didn't come off as someone who wanted to study religion. are you interested in becoming a minister now?" the thought of leaving an exciting life to do something docile made the boy bewildered. "well, considering you're with children. i can see why you'd want something docile and quiet."

cait alfric

a gym leader? there was a lot that stood out more than just her battle prowess. it was a small glance but he had no idea she was pregnant. to think even women in labor were able to battle in such a sate. it was merely awe-inspiring.

"a-ah, yes!" the boy would come to place himself into a very attentive stance. stiff as a muscle, he'd forgotten about the uniform he donned. "it wasn't exactly my first choice," not at first, "but when i learned that my dad attended this school i couldn't exactly say no, haha. y'know, legacy and all!" the boy would come to be bashful on the topic of his reason for attending said school.

"oh! you said you were a gym leader. talk about lucky, waaaah! i've never met an actual gym leader before!" he'd then come look toward stomach, arms flailed. "and you're with child! talk about lucky-lucky! to have a mom as strong as you, that little blob's got a bright future ahead!" he would come to let out a hearty laugh.

"ah, by the way, i'm eric! eric moon to be exact!" eric would grace her with a small head bow. "your number one fan!" followed by a thumbs and a cheesy grin. keeping his distance, he'd raise his phone into the air. "say 'crash'!"

click.

cait alfric

the greenette fought without having much to say. was this the bond between (wo)man and pokemon? eric stared in awe all while recording the battle.

in that moment, for a second, it was as if he saw something unfathomable. the world became black. there was nothingness, at first, until the battlefield changed. no longer were they in petalburg city. this was something else. a field of patch of cherry blossoms manifested beneath her. only to expand and scatter all about. an ocean blue sky emanated a harmonic ripple, each one reverberating a harmonic sound. as the battle fought a beautiful melody resonated within him.

a hand would come to be placed upon his chests. his cheeks a rosy color. their battle was creating something visually unnatural. it was as if they were painting a picture, or rather, "..no. it's her and her pokemon." it was as if he was witnessing the beautifully dark-toned woman painting a picture; both her and the pokemon. it was as if, for the first time, he was witnessing the blooming of a trainer. “she’s blooming…” he thought aloud. no, it’s not that she was blooming. he would shake his head, “she’s already bloomed. this is barely scratching the surface!”

a vibrant smile formed on his face. jogging over, shoulder bag in hand, the university student would open with a exuberant greeting.

“that was total crash!”

the white-haired male would jump into the air, with a small twirl and pumped fist, he’d proceed to land in front of the woman and her pokemon. “you bloomed like nothing i’ve ever seen before! talk about total crash!” he wanted to know, he had to know, "how did you create that battlefield? you took me away, somewhere...i-i don't know where, but i wanan go back!" the white-haired male just couldn't contain himself. beady-eyed cerulean orbs, hidden behind a pair of shades, leaned in ecstatically with glee as though he were a star-struck child.

"the medley that played..." he'd attempt to mimic the sound. pantomimning as if he were in front of a piano or a violin. shifting from one pose over to the other. trying to remember the attunement. "dammit, this is so not crash!" he would proceed to ruffle his hair in frustration.

cait alfric