[attr="class","icon"]

"right, yeah, not great."[break][break]

it fills him with guilt to hear but he has to remind himself that this is needed. to acquire knowledge, sacrifices must be made at times.[break][break]

"i'm not too sure how strong they are but it's said they were made to deal with ultra beasts, which seem to be increasing in numbers due to the rifts."[break][break]

his duraludon lumbers forward to ROCK SMASH an aggressive magneton, rendering it unconscious for a pokeball to swoop it up.

[attr="class","bottom"]Shalin Nariya[break]
elec/steel[break]
catching magneton![break]

"foodie, huh? are you the type to have a blog as well?"[break][break]

he always likes reading those, less so if the reviews are bad, but those are quite rare. it's mostly locals who review his parent's restaurant anyways, and the neighborhood is small enough that everyone knows each other.[break][break]

"i haven't ventured much into alto marean food. do you know how to make pasta?"

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

[attr="class","icon"]

after brief exchanges with her roommates, james disappears into her room where they are allowed their privacy to study and talk and...[break][break]

that's about it. or at least that's all james is expecting.[break][break]

"your roommates are nice."[break][break]

he comments over a chuckle as he glances around.[break][break]

"cute room."

[attr="class","bottom"]Rory Faust[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

"okie dokie. let's go, then! back to your place."[break][break]

surprisingly, james is able to walk okay. he does stumble every now and then, but not to the point where he's close to falling over.[break][break]

eventually, they do make it back to em's place, and it's familiar enough despite having only been inside once.[break][break]

"where. are. your. rats."

[attr="class","bottom"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

these past few weeks have not been the easiest for james. as someone who takes pride in knowledge and discovery, he knows that sometimes those things come at great costs.[break][break]

the reality of having to put Shalin Nariya's pokemon through all that doesn't sit well with him but he sees no other choice. to further investigate ANOMALIES and to connect all the dots, this is something he has to do.[break][break]

for AEOS.[break][break]

he will have to catch FERNANDO SILPH up to speed with today's udpates later.[break][break]

"hey, shalin!"[break][break]

his tone still sounds cheery, though a bit forced.[break][break]

"how are you today?"

[attr="class","bottom"]Shalin Nariya[break]
elec/steel[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

it reminds him of the dates they used to go on as well, which obviously hurts even if he pretends like it doesn't.[break][break]

he hands the gun back to the attendant before peering up at the many prizes.[break][break]

"well, i wanted to win a prize for you, so you can pick."[break][break]

looking back at her, he smiles.

[attr="class","bottom"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

james always loves bringing friends over to his parent's restaurants. one, it's good for the business, and two, it's sweet to see different parts of his life come together.[break][break]

"new recipes? can you cook, then?"[break][break]

he picks up another gyoza and dips it into the homemade sauce.[break][break]

"you gotta show me some of your recipes."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

[attr="class","icon"]

"am i good to travel?"[break][break]

he leans away, then stands only to start swaying. he steadies himself against the counter.[break][break]

"i don't think so..."[break][break]

fumbling for his credit card, he quickly pays off their tab.[break][break]

"i'll crash at your place if that's okay?"

[attr="class","bottom"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

the way she handles the gun makes him think that this isn't her first rodeo. it would not surprise him if so but it's not like they ever discussed festival games before.[break][break]

"rigged indeed! ha! so it isn't just me."[break][break]

but he does not give up easily. when she's done, he goes again, and this time, he hits it! it tips, falling backward.[break][break]

"maybe not so rigged..."

[attr="class","bottom"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

the vile snack? it's literally the best flavor.[break][break]

"gummy worms it is."[break][break]

he's not nosy so he doesn't take a look at the caller ID. he focuses on the galvantula, interested in it only because it's an electric-type.[break][break]

manectric's QUICK ATTACK lowers it enough for a pokeball to snap it up.[break][break]

"o-oh! okay. i'll see you soon!"[break][break]

where is she going?

[attr="class","bottom"]Rory Faust[break]
elec/steel[break]
catching galvantula![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

first dibs on the stalls means one thing! the basketball stand with the impossibly small hoops and large balls that just don't make sense but somehow works.[break][break]

"don't judge me too much...i don't usually workout."[break][break]

the only thing he does is run, and even then, it's infrequent.[break][break]

but on his first attempt, he sinks his shot, then another, and then the third, winning them a prize.[break][break]

"okay, that was...lucky! see? i told you i'd win you something."

[attr="class","bottom"]Rory Faust[break]

they should be better! these were made with love and care while the ones em usually orders from are just...deep fried garbage.[break][break]

but james is biased.[break][break]

"heh. if you're ever in ever grande, let me know. i think you'd love my parent's restaurant."[break][break]

that has always been a backup for him if he ever failed at his work. he can always go back to take over the restaurant.[break][break]

"i can teach you how to cook more stuff if you want! later, i mean. like in the future."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]