"Fantastic. I promise I won't sell it on i-bay either." He smiles, all the while thinking how funny it is for two writers to have met in such a dangerous and remote place. Would this end, perhaps, in the two of them hosting book signings at the same venue some day? Or would they never see each other again? The anticipation was palpable.

"I appreciate your consideration," Cade remarks, coming to a stop when he regards yet another SWINUB that has chosen to bump its snout against his ankle. "You're right. I've got to keep some surprises to myself, after all. Otherwise I might not be as interesting." He adds, pulling another empty ball out of his pack.

Distracted with its ODOR SLEUTH behavior, the little pig is easily captured within the ensuing flash of light after the ball is tapped against the top of its head. Lobo, in the meantime, regards the other trainer and her Gardevoir as they make short work of a NIDOQUEEN.

---

✨ catching swinub

DUO WILD + Cathrine Fisher

☉

Cade nods, intrigued by the premise of her story as he recalls what little he knows about the Hisuian era of Sinnoh. "You can't really go wrong with a story about the perseverance of the human spirit," He says, shifting his gaze back onto her and smiles. "When I buy a copy, you'll sign it for me, yeah?"

Again, the one-eyed blonde was about to answer her question before the two were interrupted by the abundance of wild Pokémon within the cavern. On Cade's side of the path, a DEWGONG stuck its head out of an adjacent river and clapped its fins (ENCORE) at them. Curious, the man stopped and retrieved an empty ball from his pack.

He cast it at the seal shortly thereafter, watching as it jumped up from the water to try and headbutt the ball back. Instead, the ball devoured it in a flash of light before falling into the water below. "Lobo, go fetch." He requests of his Dragapult, returning his attention to Cathrine afterwards.

"Where were we? Ah, yes. I'm writing a memoir," He admits. "Among other things."

---

✨ catching dewgong

DUO WILD + Cathrine Fisher

☉

She was a writer, too, then? It seemed they had much more in common than just their sense of style and colour palette. Pleased about that, Cade's attention was nonetheless drawn away for a moment as an AURORA VEIL began to spawn above them.

A FROSMOTH gently fluttered into view before long, dancing in the air (QUIVER DANCE) without a care. Lobo, his Dragapult, flew up to meet it. Shortly thereafter, the two twirled around each other, as the one-eyed blonde retrieved another empty moon ball from his pack.

Finding the chance to catch a Frosmoth pretty rare around these parts, he casts the ball and hopes for its capture. Lobo, in the meantime, flies off to retrieve it.

"I would welcome the company, actually," He offers a slight smile in response to Cathrine's inquiry. "Especially of another author." He steps closer to her in the meantime, offering to lead the way as they move forward. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your current writing project, señorita?"

---

✨ catching frosmoth

DUO WILD + Cathrine Fisher

☉

Their horns sprout over the edges of the JAGGED PASS like bladed flowers. Their mysterious gazes peer at the sky; at something the human eye can't seem to perceive. Even Cade's PASSIMIAN looks up and fails to understand. Just what is going on?

Silence falls over the canyon before too long. Heavy. Like the stillness in the air just before a STORM. A stray ABSOL saunters to a stop not too far from Cade's position. It joins its brothers and sisters in the quiet skygazing.

Taking this as the opportune moment to capture one, the one-eyed blonde produces a moon ball from his pack before casting it.

---

WXKVlX6m

ABSOL SWARM + JOAQUIN

☉

Cade wastes no time in divulging his reason for being here. After all, he hadn't been told that any of it was confidential. And it wasn't exactly a secret that Shoal Cave was said to contain hundreds of sites like these.

"I was hired to find a set of runic symbols and draw a map. Though that's easier said than done, considering how often things change in this place..."

Suddenly, a CRABOMINABLE scales a ledge just above them, leaping off of it to try and strike his Dragapult with a POWER-UP PUNCH. The attack, of course, harmlessly passes through the Ghost-type. And the wild pokemon is then punished with an onslaught of blue flame afterwards (DRAGON BREATH).

It twitches, temporarily PARALYZED, on the cave ground in front of them. Cade produces another empty moon ball from his pack afterwards and proceeds to try and capture it with a toss.

"How about you, Cathrine?" He asks, briefly shifting his eyes back onto her beautiful figure.

---

✨ catching crabominable

DUO WILD + Cathrine Fisher

☉

Sometimes, Cade thinks, stifling is good.

It just depended on the context and the person, really. And, so far, he certainly didn't mind having the nurse pressed against him at all. One should consider themselves lucky to have such close and personal attention after sustaining such injuries.

A hint of Spanish swagger ekes out of the weariness and injury otherwise painted across his face. Her smile has him down bad, but he hopes she hasn't realized that quite yet. Thankfully, he's mastered hiding the truth of feelings behind that confident smirk of his.

"Hm... there's a lot of places I'd like to take you, Miss Lyons," Cade answers as they reach the bathysphere doors. Accessing the control panel at the side with a few taps of his fingers, those doors slide open before he escorts his savior, and date, inside with him.

"But for now I was thinking about... the Bar da Monica in Sootopolis." He smiles, taking his seat carefully beside her and suppressing a slight wince. "Maybe the lantern light will help hide the ugly, hm?"

Of course, he wasn't typically one to care about his appearance— as bloody or bruised as it might get. But Evelyn had the look of a woman he cared to put his best foot forward for, always. That and, well... it'd been some time since he'd had such lovely company.

The bathysphere doors slide closed, the pressure within the cabin stabilizes, and their ascent upwards, away from the ocean floor and the Rocket submarine, begins. Just above, Sootopolis awaits. But they have some time to chat before they reach its docks.

MUMMY GAUZE + Evelyn Vespera

☉

Standing there in cross-laced brown boots, high-waisted black pants, a golden belt buckle, and a tight-fitting black tank, Cade Atreides patiently waits for his first challenger with muscled arms crossed. The long brown coat he'd strode in wearing was currently folded in the arms of a beautiful attendant behind him. A few foreigners in the audience cheer and gasp in awe. He's a legend, in another part of the world. Or, more accurately, a ghost.

Meanwhile, his Pokémon, a rather lithe PASSIMIAN, stretches its legs on the their side of the mat. It seamlessly shifts into a two-step fighting stance, a capoeira movement known as a ginga, when its opponent finally appears. He's excited to start.

"JOAQUIN and I are ready to begin. Make your move." Cade says with a slight bow of his head.

MATCH 1E + DEREK HOFFMAN

☉

Embarrassment (or slightly wounded pride, more like) quietly shifts into a reassuring nod and a small hint of a smile. Carefully, and arm-in-arm with the beautiful blonde, Cade begins to lead the way out of the medical bay room. He doesn't bother grabbing his jacket on the way out— it being torn to shit, and all that.

"Is that really the first impression most people have of you? Tch... how sad." The wounded mercenary answers, pushing the door open. "I can respect a professional, of course... but I have even more respect for a professional who knows how to make time for the finer things in life, as well."

It was written plainly in the way she smiled at him, as far as he was concerned. Though he couldn't help but wonder whether that specific nuance was something rare... or, through some miracle, as a result of something he may have sparked within her.

MUMMY GAUZE + Evelyn Vespera

☉

After the ABOMASNOW's roaring appearance, and after a threatening rattle in response from his Dragapult, the one-eyed blonde suppresses a chuckle and answers. "Well I can't say with certainty that I'm not... but I don't feel lost, anyway." He says, his resonant tones laced with a distinct Spanish accent.

He stays to watch the ensuing battle in case the woman needs help. When she proves, quite easily, that she does not, however, Cade stands back. That is... until a SWINUB presses its snout against his heel. Curious, exploratory, and always scavenging for food, the creature had never been one to impress... until it evolved. 

Deciding it is worth the time and effort, the blonde reaches into his pack and produces an empty ball before crouching down to press it against the Swinub's snout. As it is absorbed by the ensuing flash of light, he turns to realize the woman's battle with the Abomasnow was over.

"Well done," He remarks, briefly sizing her up head-from-toe. "My name is Cade, by the way. What's yours?" He straightens in posture, palming his recent capture and waiting for it to settle before placing it away.

---

✨ catching swinub

DUO WILD + Cathrine Fisher

☉

The one-eyed man nods. "Cade." He responds, finding it slightly funny (buried somewhere deep within that serious personality of his) that their names were almost as alike as their locks of blonde hair. Regardless, it isn't long before he returns his attention to the assignment at hand.

"Who do you suppose has done this? ... Overachieving whelps?" The man asks, his resonant tones laced with a distinct Spanish accent. He looks up just in time to see a glob of honey drip down from one of the tree's branches, splattering across several more on its way down before reaching the sticky ground below.

Meanwhile, PABLITO the Banette sinks back into the shadows and travels swiftly down the length of the tree. It reemerges out from the Pikachu's black silhouette afterwards, poking its ear from behind before swiftly sinking back in again with a teasing chuckle.

MISSION + Caprice Isaac

☉

He'd expected her to shift into the stern, professional personality he'd come to expect of all nurses and doctors. Mixing business with pleasure, especially under these circumstances, wasn't something most in her line of work dared to do with the likes of men such as he.

As it turns out, however, Cade is beginning to realize he should expect the unexpected from Evelyn Vespera instead.

"No, I suppose we can't," He smiles past the initial surprise, then attempts to stand from the bed on his own two feet, only to stumble and grab the side of its headboard for balance. When the embarrassment fades, the one-eyed blonde puts aside his pride and reaches out to her with a single gauze-wrapped hand.

"It's not as if I have choice, anyway." He morosely chuckles— happy, at least, that he has such a beautiful woman tending to him in such a weakened state.

MUMMY GAUZE + Evelyn Vespera

☉