As the pair careened through the water, Lotus angled them towards the falls themselves. There was no better view of them than from the water, Dom knew. And what a view it was. They swam up to the falls, close enough that Dom could feel the spray of the water on his face. As he sat and enjoyed the beauty, a low rumble began from behind the waterfall. The water parted, a shimmering curtain split down the middle to expose a form behind it. A Drampa floated lazily out, drifting by Dom and Lotus as if it hadn't noticed them at all. It meandered by, turned, and slid up alongside the Lapras. Together, the trio watched the waterfall.[break][break]

"It's beautiful," Dom said after a little while. The Drampa gave a low, appreciative growl deep in its chest. After a long while, Dom and Lotus turned back towards the shore and Dom withdrew the Lapras back into her Pokeball once he was on solid ground again. He was surprised to find that the Drampa had followed him. It was looking curiously at Lotus' Pokeball. Dom tilted his head, pulling an empty Pokeball from his pocket and holding it out to the Drampa. "Interested in an adventure?"

[break][break]

+ catching.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Dom continued to follow the retreat of the others but, like a handful of other rangers, was well behind the group. It was his job to maintain a frontline against the Steelix, after all, and do his best to protect the rest of the explorers. He glanced around at the rest of the group, cursing the fact that he hadn't done a headcount as they rappelled down. He knew better. Their missing companions, walled away from the larger company, escaped his notice for the moment.[break][break]

Magnolia was focused on the fight in front of her, sidestepping thrown boulders and staring down angry metal snakes at every turn. Her attention divided, she was struck broadside when a Steelix lashed out with its tail. She went flying, and somewhere seemingly far from her, Dom cried out. The Mudbray grunted as she came to a sudden stop against the cave wall. Dom yelled for her to get up and she could feel the looming presence of a Steelix over her, preparing to strike. But she didn't balk. She never balked.[break][break]

A brief but intense light poured from her body, bright enough that Dom had to shield his eyes. When he looked again, his little Mudbray had been replaced by a hulking Mudsdale, broad as she was tall and filled with enough piss and vinegar to face down a horde of grumpy steel snakes.[break][break]

"Hell yeah, Mags! Give 'em a High Horsepower!" Magnolia didn't need to be told twice.

[break][break]

+ tl;dr[break]
- magnolia evolves.[break]
- magnolia uses high horsepower on the steelix. (10/15)[break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

It wasn't long until Matilda was back, with berries (and egg!) in tow. Dom was glad she'd stayed relatively close to camp. He understood she knew how to stay safe in the wilds, but he still worried, especially this far from medical attention. She gave him a snarky line and he grinned despite himself.[break][break]

"Don't have to get up when I've got someone doing all the work for me," he said, gesturing to the food they'd gathered. He reached down to pat Rigel and Vega on their heads, congratulating them on a job well done. He produced a Pokeball from his pocket: Lotus. "Let's go fishing." The Lapras' Ice Beam and Water Pulse were great for disorienting fish long enough for them to be snatched up and quickly killed. And she was a capable hunter herself, provided you could convince her to share her catch.[break][break]

Much of the week went along the same lines: a routine of foraging for food, searching the surrounding trees for firewood, and ensuring the pair didn't get too annoyed with each other. Even so, it was calm and well-controlled.[break][break]

Until the fire.[break][break]

It wasn't a fire of their own making—both Dominic and Matilda had been careful about their campfire's containment. A stray strike of dry lightning born from the edge of a passing storm found purchase on a tree not far from their camp and, despite the island climate, the surrounding foliage was happy to carry the flame.[break][break]

Dom woke to North sounding the alarm, and he was up physically before his brain really registered what was happening. The smell of smoke hit him instantly, filling his nose with acidity. A hand flew out to grab Tilly's arm—doubtless she was already awake—and he yanked her off the edge of the sleeping platform with him in an effort to get them both below the smoke. North, satisfied that his job had been completed, was up and soaring away from the smoke and flames. The Noivern was smart enough to take care of himself, but certainly not big enough to carry both Dom and Tilly to safety.[break][break]

From the ground of their campsite, Dom finally took stock of the situation. Flames roared along the western edge of the island, carried towards them by the wind. Fumbling at his belt, Dom pulled three Pokeballs, releasing their inhabitants in turn.[break][break]

"We have to put it out!" Surely Tilly already knew this, but Dom felt it should be said verbally in any case. In a red light that was swallowed up by the encroaching flames, he released Magnolia, Lotus, and Nova. The four blinked in confusion, each taking in the scene with varying levels of concern. "Nova, get along the edge of the fire and use Inferno to burn the foliage before the fire can get to it." The Vulpix's Flash Fire would keep her safe that close to the flames. If they could do a quick controlled burn, the fire wouldn't have a way to advance. Nova nodded and bolted off to do as directed. "Lotus, use Water Pulse and start dousing the fire. Mags, kick as much dirt and sand onto it was you can with Mega Kick!" The two made sounds of approval and planted themselves between the humans and the flames. Lotus sent out deluge after deluge of water while Magnolia flung dirt and sand.

[break][break]

+ Matilda Greenlaw[break]mission: deserted island

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

For a little while, Dom was content to sit on a nearby rock and watch Lotus weave through the chilly water. He was always surprised by how fluid her movements were. For a Pokemon so big, she was incredibly graceful. He was reminded how thankful he should be for the conservation efforts that went into increasing the Lapras population. Finally, he couldn't watch her have fun alone anymore. He hopped off his rock and walked over to the edge of the water.[break][break]

"Lotus, c'mere." The Lapras trilled and swam over to him, twisting in the water so he could jump easily onto her. The moment his feet hit her shell, she cut her fins in the water and pushed, flying forward with surprising speed. Dom yelped and grabbed onto one of the outcroppings of her shell before he toppled ass over teakettle into the water, laughing despite himself. "Really??" Lotus made a high sing-song noise that almost sounded like laughter.

[break][break]

+ skip.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

"She's already well on her way," he said proudly, grinning at the donkey Pokemon. Where her mother had been calm and gentle, Mags was a little spitfire. She didn't balk from a challenge and never shied. She wouldn't be the same as May, but Dom would have never expected that from her.

Dom gave a light chuckle at Vic's surprise. "There were volunteer programs and stuff for the rangers through school, so I've basically been doing it since then. I've heard Unova is beautiful, though. I kind of wish I'd had time to travel, but work always kept me busy." Especially in Kanto. But he, too, was following the lead of not making things awkward.

As they neared, the Passimian quieted and turned to stare. At the direction of the troop leader, the one holding the hat slowly shifted it so it was hidden behind the Pokemon's back. Dom pulled a face.

"I think it might be stolen." From up the path a ways, there was the muffled sound of someone shouting. "I'm starting to think it's definitely stolen." He fixed the lead Passimian with a stare and, in his best dad voice, said, "You know you can't keep that. Stealing is wrong, even when it's kind of funny."

Victor Wexler[break]mission: commitment: act i

☉

Dom had meant for his next visit to Meteor Falls to be with @romeo, but he couldn't stop thinking about the cave ever since he'd mentioned it. As he entered, he promised himself that the next time he was here he'd bring Romeo. It was only fair, really. The roar of the waterfall rushed over him, providing a background of white noise that could be at once comforting and concerning. It was easy to lose track of sounds in a place like this. Walking up to the edge of the water, he released Lotus in a flash of red light that shone far enough to highlight the waterfall briefly. The Lapras trilled happily, swimming lazy circles in the water.

[break][break]

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

As he happily chipped away at the wall of the cavern—gently brushing the stone away from an exposed fossil—Dom wondered idly if he had a future career in archaeology. Well... it was just the digging part he enjoyed. He looked up to tell Matilda Greenlaw about his realization only to notice she was gone. His brow furrowed. She knew better than to wander away from the group.[break][break]

There wasn't much more time to wonder, though, as a rumble shook the cave. Dom whirled in time to see boruta maher expose a massive Steelix. @cat was quick to direct everyone further into the cave system in an attempt to give ground to the swarm of steel snakes, but that seemed to do little to calm them. Enough of a show of force, though, might convince them to leave the group alone. Dom whistled for Magnolia, who wasted no time in charging in beside Thomas Benoit's Scizor. She planted her front hooves and whirled to deliver a shattering Mega Kick to the closest Steelix.

c5EX8FSR

[break][break]

+ tl;dr[break]
- found a little fossil![break]
- magnolia uses mega kick on the steelix.[break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Dom successfully slipped away from the tail-sharpening Seviper and started back down the trail, Magnolia in tow. Their walk was quiet, save for the crunch of sticks underfoot and the occasional rustling of forest life. For hours they walked on like that, their path twisting and curving lazily through the trees. It was almost meditative. Dom could swear at times like this he was on some other reality, somewhere between asleep and awake.[break][break]

Until a wholeass Carvanha hit him square on the top of the head.[break][break]

Dom yelped and recoiled, the blinding pain ejecting him sharply from whatever reverie he'd been so comfortable in. He stumbled, hands clapped over his head and eyes squeezed shut, and ended up sitting down hard on the ground. Magnolia, for all her steady bravery, stared at the flopping fish. She squinted between it, her pained trainer, and the sky. It was a miracle.[break][break]

Dom finally forced his eyes open, groaning. The poor Carvvanha looked worse for wear than he did. It was covered in scrapes and scratches, not to mention a line of shallow puncture wounds across its sides.[break][break]

"Got caught by some bird Pokemon, huh?" Dom asked it through gritted teeth. Sometimes birds would get spooked mid-flight and drop their dinner. It just usually didn't happen directly on someone's head. Clamoring to his feet, Dom pulled out a Pokeball. Neat, the lump on his head was about that size already. "Can't leave you out here in this condition, little guy. I'll make sure we find you a Pokemon Center and get you fixed up."

[break][break]

+ catching the carvanha!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

It wasn't often he got to sleep in on a trip like this. Usually, Dom was up with the sun, taking care of morning chores and likely beginning to clean the campsite if he was planning to move on that day. Today was something special. Even with North burrowing his way into the blankets, Dom wasn't bothered. It was warm, they'd had an uneventful night, and they could look forward to a meandering day of gathering and cooking food.[break][break]

Eventually, the rustling around camp stirred him, and he squinted into the morning sun. For a moment he was disoriented; it wasn't dawn. He blinked and looked around, surprised to find their campsite relatively empty. But a glance at Haedus and Mizar by the fire (and the neat little bundle of berries near his feet) told him that Tilly and company must have left of their own accord.[break][break]

As he got up and busied himself around the camp, Dom felt a little guilty. He should've been up already, helping get the fire going again and gather breakfast. Instead, he took the time to walk the short hike to the river to get a drink and a quick bath. When he got back to their camp, air drying on the way, he roused North. The Noivern blinked groggily at him.[break][break]

"Go find Tilly so we can get some real food." North grumbled but took off into the air without much more complaint. He circled above the area in a wide swirl until he found what he was looking for. He swooped down in a lazy arc to stand before Matilda, looking at her pointedly before taking off back towards camp again.

[break][break]

+ Matilda Greenlaw[break]mission: deserted island

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky