i'll chase the light of that distant star

What a contrary person.

Talia skipped slightly to keep pace with him as he grumbled along, her Flygon shadowing them both with a flutter of jade-green wings.

"I don't understand why so many people are so quick to judge the League," she murmured, politely choosing to ignore his more pointed statements. He was obviously upset about something or other. She was just unlucky enough to stumble into him at the wrong moment. "It's not as if Rocket has done anything other than criticize, and cause war and dissent."

She wrinkled her nose with distaste for this topic. Her sympathies were clearly defined, and Rocket lacked them entirely.

Maybe he had his own reasons for hating Rocket as much as she did, she wondered suddenly. Perhaps that was what warmed her voice here, daring to once more insist on the partnership he had denied her.

"You seem like you know what you're doing, at least. And you shouldn't go in alone. I'll follow your lead? I promise not to threaten anyone."

A sheepish grin tried to lighten the mood.

John Sullivan ● prevent ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"How was I supposed to know you weren't hostile?" she blurted out, stunned that her greeting might have offended a man who -- to her mind! -- might have responded to her in exactly the same manner. "At least this way you knew which side I was on!"

When Doug marched onwards, though, Talia began to take note of a few things. As his diatribe lengthened, spanning to such absurd lengths as to declare he could take on some of the most powerful of Team Rocket's members, Talia quickly realized she was but a single match set to an already roaring flame of discontent.

Her instinct to defend herself quickly surrendered to her desire to soothe and to calm, and her own voice softened somewhat -- not patronizing, no, but gently curious.

"You wanted to do this alone on purpose?" she asked, her hands latching together behind her back. Genuine surprise presented itself in her reply. "I mean, even if you're a 'badass,' it just seems..."

She paused, then in the end, tentatively used his own words against him.

"Reckless?"

John Sullivan ● prevent ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia brightened with his change in mood, secretly delighted to have succeeded in pushing away the dark clouds that hovered over their encounter, at least a little bit.

"About six months now, I think?" she answered, thinking for a moment as she busied herself with cleaning a particularly difficult pot. Bubbles foamed on her hands, which were beginning to redden and turn raw with the friction of scrubbing the stubborn stain out. "So I'm fairly green, all things considered."

Their task passed quickly the more they talked, she noticed. Greyson Connors was not a particularly difficult person to talk to, and she appreciated that.

Not every mission partner was that way, in her experience.

"Usually I conduct search-and-rescue missions on the coastline," she admitted. "Things like this are... new."

As a Ranger, at least. Not as a civilian.

"How about you? Gym Leader, huh?"

Greyson Connors ● Helping Hand ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"I agree," Talia said easily, returning her Chansey to her Pokeball. "We'll have to balance swiftness and accuracy."

freya morningstar was not a Ranger, but Talia didn't mind taking orders from her all the same. The white-haired woman exuded a sense of silent authority that, in truth, Talia found comforting.

That was another way of saying, perhaps, that Freya was sensible.

"Come along," Talia murmured to the young boy, who clung to her side like a young Poochyena might shadow its trainer. She brought him up beside her on Lyra's back, the Dragonair gracefully handling the newfound weight of two riders. "Hold on tight, okay?"

As Orion climbed through the cavern, Talia's own Pokémon took flight, winging their way through the place that they came.

Secretly, Talia feared it would be worse than when they had entered.

BULLDOZE had made pushing through tight spots a simpler matter, but with so much extra weight, and such fragile cargo on Orion especially, such brutal measures couldn't be utilized the same way as they had before.

The tremors had their effect, but not immediately. Several minutes passed in blissful silence as their plan went uninterrupted.

That is, until an EARTHQUAKE sought to rattle their surroundings, drawn from an unexpected intruder.

freya morningstar ● Search and Rescue ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

A searing brightness heralded the arrival of mythical Pokémon and human alike; Talia recognized Zeraora by legend, but had never witnessed the feline creature in the flesh. Motes of blinding light dazzled forth from its flying PLASMA FISTS, the entire room seeming to come alive with the hum of electricity.

Sparks danced from puddle to puddle of water in ceaseless arcs, mirroring the violent, breathtaking spectacle before her. The Ranger didn't dare move from the doorway, for fear of being a casualty herself.

When Talia's Noibat bared SUPER FANGs towards the foes distracted by SPOTLIGHT, the lightning invoked by PLASMA FISTS in this place gleamed in the bat's wicked smile. The crunching and gnashing of fangs crackled like thunder, sizzling with the sharp hiss of newfound static.

In this artificial storm that had brewed in the warehouse's interior, the serpentine form of her Dragonair slithered towards Talia's partner, seeking to return the trainer's earlier favor. The next Pokémon to dare to face the man would face a targeted THUNDER WAVE, the glare of the dragon's large eyes arresting them in place.

At this distance, Talia couldn't see the man working alongside her for who he was.

---

• Noibat uses SUPER FANG, which is affected by PLASMA FISTS.
• Dragonair uses THUNDER WAVE to defend FERNANDO SILPH.
• It is RAINING.

FERNANDO SILPH ● Defend ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Filling silence came easily to Talia, who was often content to chatter blithely to pass the time and put others at ease.

Tam's own silence suited her, in that way. Although any incredulity the man harbored at the obviousness of her own observations went completely, blissfully unnoticed.

"I like naming Pokémon. At least, I think my Pokémon like being named? They seem to cheer up when they hear their names called, at least. I think it makes them feel noticed, in some special way."

She watched the Castform drift above them, letting out a soft hum of quiet thought. Her Noibat joined the nameless Weather Pokémon, buffeting the Wingfull with a beat of his wings.

"Would you like help naming yours? I enjoy it, honestly."

Tam Fawley ● Heroes on a Half-Shell ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia watched with silent appreciation as Julia approached the Arbok and her children, seeking to calm them rather than attack. As a Ranger should, Talia agreed to herself.

The snake peered at the crouched Ranger with a wary gaze, before letting a forked tongue slither out in warning. Something in the meekness of the gesture, however, seemed to satisfy the Arbok as she curled in place, letting the little Ekans gather around her.

"She seems to have decided to trust you," Talia said approvingly. The blue-haired woman then glanced about herself, frowning slightly. "I wonder why they were so restless, though? Perhaps something in the area has..."

A SANDSTORM kicked up out of nowhere, and Talia shielded her eyes from the sudden assault of gritty sand that flew in all directions.

Behind them, a masculine voice chuckled darkly. "Seems like we found a few other snakes in this nest," the new arrival sneered, turning to his companion.

Rockets. Two of them.

The Arbok hissed loudly, curling around the Ekans protectively at their approach.

What was presumably the father of this brood dangled limply from one of the criminal's arms, its treasured snakeskin gleaming in the sunlight.

Julia Davis ● Charm the Skin Off a Snake ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

How rude.

Talia's cheeks puffed out slightly with indignation as she bit back her first impulse -- to thoroughly tell the man off for his condescending behavior, and frankly, elitist opinion! How was she supposed to know every military face in Hoenn? Work kept her too busy to keep abreast of these things.

Was her time so well-spent reading newspapers and watching TV, when she could be out making a difference?

"...If we are allies, then you could just say so. No need to be so rude." She crossed her arms, looking away as she answered, "Talia Celes, cadet. And yes, I would prefer not to be working alone, but my partner decided otherwise. So my options are either letting him suffer for his own stupidity, or going in after him."

By the time she turned back to look at him, the younger man was already intent on continuing on without her. Her face flushed with heat as she pursued him, her Flygon taking wing behind her.

"If you're League, too, then we should work together," she insisted, a bit tartly, as she ran to follow him. "We're here for the same reason, after all. Or does being a captain mean your own advice doesn't work both ways?"

John Sullivan ● prevent ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

The lamplights were dim in the darkness of the lower district, barely eking out illumination as the relief efforts continued in earnest. Not so long ago, Talia had been part of them with Greyson Connors, though she had manned a soup kitchen alongside the Gym Leader rather than tend to relief disaster tents like the ones that had been set up here.

League funding had been poured into these resources, offering medical supplies, nonperishable foods, and even temporary shelter to those who required it in the aftermath of the Darkest Day. Where some saw relief, however, others saw opportunity:

Specifically, an opportunity to waste and squander League resources through calculated attacks and division.

It was for this reason that Talia found herself standing beside Katherine Fairburne, a member of the Elite Four that she had never met before. As a Slateport Ranger, she'd been tasked to join the woman more as local support than anything else, though Talia quietly believed that the woman next to her held far more knowledge about Hoenn, and by that extent Slateport, than she did as a recent transfer.

"Tensions have been high around here lately, apparently," the blue-haired Ranger commented, glancing up at her companion. Her Noibat lingered by her in mid-air, ears perked to the slightest change in sound. "Squabbles have broken out here and there, but the frequency of them is reaching a boiling point. We have reason to believe some of the individuals involved are planning a more drastic approach to disrupt efforts here, and soon."

Talia felt a bit silly, reporting and rattling things off as if she were some kind of automated recording, but she wanted to be professional.

Although admittedly, being near Katherine Fairburne was intimidating.

Katherine Fairburne ● attack ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Great minds, as it happened, thought alike.

The Rangers had their own reasons to be concerned with the Trick House and its new inhabitants. The smuggling in question was regarding Black Market Pokémon, abused through unethical breeding practises and in desperate need of rehabilitation and care. The officers of Hoenn were here to lay down the law, but the Rangers had been instructed to protect the defenseless casualties of that crime.

"Hm..." Talia murmured to herself, looking about herself at the meet-up point and frowning. She was supposed to meet another Ranger here, but they were nowhere to be seen; she checked her phone, then blinked, seeing only: "Went on ahead to scout the premises. Be careful."

Talia exhaled a disdainful sigh, pinching her nose. Irresponsible. No matter how talented a Ranger this person was, going in alone to such a well-prepared site was foolish.

Although, well, she seemed doomed to do that herself now. What was the alternative?

Talia rode on the back of her Flygon, Navi, quietly flying over the canopy of trees to avoid notice. She figured when it came to the networks under the Trick House, having the Ground-type's ability to BULLDOZE through the earth would be of use, but for now, she was making use of Navi's colours blending in well with the leaves and twigs around her.

Until, however, she caught sight of someone below her.

Before she could quickly retreat to the skies, his eyes met hers, locking her in place.

Oh, no.

Talia's heart dropped at being spotted so soon and so suddenly, and she bit her lip, attempting to find the right way to respond. He was alone at least, and seemed not much younger than herself. Did that mean she had a chance to defeat him in combat?

Mustering courage, she alighted beside him on the ground, facing him squarely from the draconic creature's back. "If you plan to get in the way of rescuing these Pokémon," she whispered, with a forced resolve, "then I am afraid I'll have to make you move aside."

It was not exactly the most menacing or clever threat, particularly from a slight and petite woman like herself, but it was the best she could manage at the moment. And the severity in her eyes was not faked in the slightest.

John Sullivan ● prevent ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Beneath the dark vantage point of night, all the world seemed to go still as the fate of the poor man became apparent: this would be his last assignment as an officer.

His partner merely watched, stunned silent, as Talia saw Orion withdraw from the failing CPR. She had seen death before, enough times for the scene to be familiar, but not enough for the gravitas of the moment to elude her.

They had completed their duty in one respect. Now, Talia would complete it in another.

The blue-haired Ranger knelt down beside the man, tenderly taking the red armband that marked her as a cadet into her hands.

"Did you know him?" she asked the woman beside her softly, who stirred with surprise at being addressed.

"It was our first work together as police officers, actually." The stranger swallowed, as if embarrassed to admit this truth. "I... His name was, um, Akihiro? Akihiro Soto. He was from Johto." She gathered her wrinkled clothes about herself, the FLAMETHROWER having dried them and the banished DEFOGGED storm having lost its power to drench them anew. "I'm sorry. That's all I know, really."

Talia's eyes misted faintly at the mention of her homeland, nodding once to acknowledge she had heard the woman speak aloud. "Thank you. That helps a great deal."

The cadet regarded the damp red cloth in her hands and turned to Altair, asking softly, "Would you dry this for me?" Once the Absol obliged, Talia took the warm fabric and pressed it carefully over the deceased man's eyes.

When Talia spoke next, her words were softly directed to the man who had fallen, oblivious to all others present.

"I did not know you, Akihiro Soto, but you are one of my people. And we shall bring you back safely, so that those who love you may mourn you."

She closed her eyes for a moment, familiar songs and dances returning to her mind as she recalled her time in the Ecruteak Dance Theater, before she began to sing in a soft, tremulous voice on the sea breeze:

"Empty-handed I entered the world
Barefoot I leave it.
My coming, my going -
Two simple happenings
That got entangled."

As she murmured the jisei aloud, her Dragonair began to perform DRAGON DANCE overhead, crooning her own funereal cry as she did so while the Noibat and Swablu joined in tandem. Talia's quiet lament sang through the stillness of the night, haunting and beautiful, its last echoes dancing on the currents of the sea to ripple outward like waves, its melody carried to a far-away, uncaring shore.

"There is an ancient tradition in Johto history," Talia said suddenly, in a voice that betrayed more awareness of her own surroundings than her last, "of writing a poem when one realizes it is time for one's departure from this world. It is called a jisei. This one was written by a monk who asked for no burial, no services in his passing, but he left this epitaph to be remembered by."

She paused her, her topaz gaze lingering over him with something sorrowful.

"Whatever happens to him upon our return, he deserves at least this little to be remembered by."

In case there is no one left to mourn him, except us.

Orion Lykos ● A Deadly Job ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

There was something unexpected and affirming about the pat that the doctor gave her on the shoulder, and Talia decided she liked it.

When Eva Morales offered her hand, Talia took it eagerly, her smile radiant as they watched the happy reunion unfold. "It was a pleasure, Eva Morales," she replied.

If she were even a tiny bit more well-read on the region's sciences, that name would mean something to her. Given who she was, however, Talia just valued it as the name of a new friend. That alone though was worth enough for her to commit to memory.

"I know you're not a Ranger, but if you ever wanted to join, I'm sure you'd do a fantastic job. You showed such skill and quick-thinking! I don't know if it would have gone so well without you."

Eva Morales ● Heal Bell ●