i'll chase the light of that distant star

They fled, all shadows and wings, out from the tunnel from whence they came. Behind them was a riot of falling rocks and rubble, of cries and snarls of disdain from disturbed creatures, all drowned out by the sound of Orion's mighty roar.

To escape felt like an impossible miracle, and the thrill of it -- of seeing freya morningstar in all her majestic triumph as they breached the entrance once more, only for the cave to collapse seconds later behind them -- left Talia's heart racing.

"We barely made it," she breathed out with pure exultation. "You were... You were incredible."

Awe sang in her voice, undisguised and unashamed.

freya morningstar ● Search and Rescue ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia did not know Caleb Harcourt so well, save for the few outings they had done together as Rangers. One thing, however, she had noticed about him.

The love he had for his Lapras, Lyra, who shared the very same name as her Dragonair. The very same name of a harp-shaped constellation.

An idea struck Talia at this revelation, and she'd spent many days perfecting baking black velvet nebula cookies -- each complete with a frosting-rendered constellation, as a finishing touch.

At the bottom of the gift, as well, he'd find a compass -- one with the likeness of a Lapras etched into its back. That, unlike the desserts, had cost a relatively decent amount. The pawn shop owner had been willing to take some of Talia's old performer clothes to lower the cost, and that had felt worthwhile.

"I hope you don't mind that getting something homemade," she said upon handing him the pretty pastel bag of desserts. "There's something at the bottom of the bag, too, though!"

Glancing up, she belatedly noticed he was lingering under mistletoe. On purpose? Maybe. Caleb could be that way.

Oblivious to this side of him, Talia simply laughed, and said, "And I guess you can have this, too." A chaste peck on the cheek answered the holiday tradition, innocently given.

Caleb Harcourt ● secret santa ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Was Julia Davis being a dramatic goofball? Probably. But was it working? Surprising well.

Outnumbered and outplayed, the poachers lingered awkwardly as they attempted to navigate the shift in their situation, before engaging in a tried-and-true maneuver: ESCAPE.

"Not so fast," Talia called, her Flygon summoning an EARTHQUAKE of its own to neatly pin the two men in place between several large rocks. "That should keep them busy," she murmured under her breath, somewhat astonished at how well this had gone.

This was new, this teamwork business.

She liked it.

"I'll call for back-up to capture the poachers," she said, bringing out her mobile phone. "Um, are the snakes doing okay?"

In all the chaos of the SANDSTORM, they'd vanished out of her peripheral vision. But with her goggles, perhaps Julia was faring better.

Julia Davis ● Charm the Skin Off a Snake ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"Well, I--"

To be honest, there was no time for Talia to give her answer.

The moment Katherine Fairburne's shadow fell over the man, he ran.

Chaos unfolded in a single instant as he shoved through the struggling refugees as if they were nothing but decoration; Talia felt the urge to run as well in pursuit, but something told her to look up at the Elite Four for guidance.

"He'll run, but he won't escape," she said at last, her Noibat giving chase as DOUBLE TEAM attempted to make the stranger appear surrounded on all sides by the bat Pokémon.

It could have sounded like kissing up, or needless confidence, but it was stated with calm certainty.

You didn't earn a reputation like Katherine's for no reason.

Katherine Fairburne ● attack ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Echo followed her in pursuit, Talia's heartbeat pounding wildly as she looked for tell-tale glimmers of silvery-white to betray freya morningstar's location.

And there it was -- gleaming like starlit thread in the darkness, followed by the gleam of a Kommo-o's scales -- and Talia's heart sang for the joy of knowing that she had found her, that she was not yet too late.

Lyra's AQUA TAIL struck the offending Steelix with all the disdain of a mother defending her own, snarling with bared teeth as the wings on either side of her head flared.

"Hold on," Talia called, distracting the enemy Pokemon as Echo returned to its mistress's side in her moment of strife. "We're getting you out of here!"

One way or another.

freya morningstar ● Search and Rescue ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Oh. That was right. Katherine Fairburne was a celebrity.

Talia wasn't used to having to take things like that into consideration. Whoops.

"Sounds good to me," she said amicably, nodding.

She followed the taller woman into the tent with an earnestness mirrored by her Noibat, and in moments, Katherine's prophecy rang true: the sea of faces shifted towards her, struck either by her beauty or by her reputation. Both were intimidating and impressive things, Talia figured, taking the opportunity to read the crowd to see if any reactions seemed out of place.

It felt a little like being someone's groupie. Was that a thing? Could you be an Elite Four's groupie? The thought left as quickly as it came, a few figures in the back suspiciously pulling away as if afraid of even stepping into Katherine's shadow.

"Over there," she whispered, jerking her head. "At two o'clock."

Showtime, probably.

Katherine Fairburne ● attack ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"Thanks," Talia gasped out breathlessly, looking to her companion with a grin. "You, too!"

Her excitement came too soon, however. The ice shattered against the Dragonair's skin, and Lyra recoiled visibly, the pain from the blow worse than Talia would have liked.

"Come back, Lyra!" she called, and the Dragonair vanished into her Pokeball. Shortly after, a new Pokemon took to the field -- her Flygon, Navi. This time, the SANDSTORM bounced off her Pokémon harmlessly. "Navi, they hurt your sister. Show them why that's unacceptable."

Fixing the Weavile with a furious glower, the Flygon raced forward with SUPERPOWER, her sudden burst of strength and adrenaline pelting the Dark-type mercilessly. In the aftermath, the Ground-type seemed slightly less powerful than before, but the damage had been well worth it.

The Weavile fainted, to its trainer's acute distress.

"How are you doing?" Talia called over her shoulder at her companion, concern evident in her voice.

Julia Davis ● Charm the Skin Off a Snake ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"Few Rangers are," she muttered, darkly remembering the way the Rangers summit she had attended had dissolved into chaos. "Subtle, that is."

Poor Raziel Beckett. Poor Jax Cox's pies.

As the Orbeetle hummed onto the field, Talia's ears perked up, and she noticed the man hadn't exactly shooed her away. He hadn't really seemed enthusiastic about her joining, either, but she'd take what she could get.

A slight skip entered her step at this discovery, one that her Flygon mimicked to share in her excitement as they entered the Trick House.

"I'll be right behind you," she promised as they moved forward. "I'll have your back."

She meant it, too. Whether or not he needed the affirmation.

John Sullivan ● prevent ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia was oblivious to Caleb's own cynicism in this moment. The shared relief between them was enough to melt any such preconceptions about his character from her mind, had they existed in the first place.

She was not one to notice the handsomeness of men, nor really the attractiveness of others in general, but she appreciated Caleb's resilience and his sincerity in the task they had undertaken with one another. Talia valued those traits highly in others; with partners, in times like now, those qualities were essential.

And they couldn't always be assumed as a given, either.

Talia threw a Pokeball into the air, out of which a Dragonair glided mid-air with a low croon. "I'll oversee from the skies, you from the ground?" she said, smiling warmly. "Just in case we need a dragon's eye view."

With that, they parted to finish what they'd started, covered in ash and on the brink of exhaustion both. Their rest would be well-earned.

Caleb Harcourt ● Fire Fighter ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Grains of sand blurred Talia's vision, but the Toxicroak and the trainers themselves were unmistakable in the chaos.

The SANDSTORM posed less of a problem for her companion, however, who covered her eyes quickly. Goggles. What a smart idea. Why hadn't Talia thought to pack such a thing? She mentally filed the idea away, just as she had Eva Morales's suggestion for more potions in her pack.

"Cease immediately. This place is under the Rangers protection," Talia shouted, and again, the Rockets laughed.

The venom sacs on the Toxicroak began to bulge, but Talia acted faster. Her Dragonair released in an instant, the pale white glow of a SAFEGUARD coating herself and Moony in preparation for whatever poisonous intent the frog intended to hurl their way.

The sludge of its TOXIC faltered as quickly as it came, coating the sand beneath the Lunatone in useless purple spots.

In the aftermath, the unforgiving elements pelted her Dragonair and the Toxicroak both with dust and rubble.

Julia Davis ● Charm the Skin Off a Snake ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

The Life Dew from the Lapras surprised and touched Talia both, and the blue-haired woman looked up at the large Pokémon gratefully. A hand fondly petted Lyra's head with a genuine smile, which the Ranger offered next to Caleb Harcourt with full brilliance as he lifted her to her feet.

"I'm glad you were here, too," she echoed, though it was a gratitude that didn't extend merely to this kindness he showed her, now. To save this many people alone would have been impossible; the unforgiving span of time between the two disasters would have forced them to save one half of the family or the other.

Seeing them reunited now, a relief blossomed throughout all of Talia's own being, one born perhaps from a longing for a reunion of her own that would never come.

"It's what makes what we do worth it, I think. Knowing we're helping people. Truly."

She'd loved making people smile, once, with music and dance. Keeping them alive, however? Keeping them safe?

That was another satisfaction entirely.

Caleb Harcourt ● Fire Fighter ●