He practically gawked at the sight of all the pokemon out and about, standing as if they were ready to bolt down a racetrack at any given moment. It was almost a little funny, too, given that Wren was out with a couple eevee of his own. Like looking into a glimpse of the future of what they could eventually evolve into–just like these. Suddenly, Josh was teleporting alongside him atop his espeon. The abruptness of the move startled Juno, who tumbled back against his foot with a yip.[break][break]

Wren’s brows furrowed at the response, confusion filtering into his expression. Had something happened in the time between now and their last interaction. A sheepish laugh was quick to follow, and Wren pushed a hand through his hair making downy silver tufts stick up like baby ducklett feathers. “Ah, admittedly I haven’t. Between training and my online courses, it’s sorta like I’ve been living under a rock the last month.”[break][break]

He stooped down between the two eevees as he spoke, offering some treats. “Did something happen?”

[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin | m: bond bridge

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren was at a bit of a loss. He felt he’d tried everything to get the eevee he’d saved in the safari zone to come around, but nothing seemed to work. Though he’d yet to officially gift her to Levy Alinsky , he’d presented her to him with the promise that she’d be transferred after just a little more recuperation.[break][break]

She’d lost her hind leg to injury, ultimately. And this only furthered her lethargy and wariness. He’d wanted her to be in good shape before he gave her to his best friend, but not even his own eevee, Juno, could manage to coax her out of the shell she’d constructed. Nor did wandering the routes near Slateport in an attempt to help her get used to the change in her pace.[break][break]

In fact, they’d walked nearly the whole route to Mauville by that point today, so maybe it was no wonder he saw a familiar face just outside the city lines.[break][break]

He hadn’t seen Josh since their failed mission on the outskirts of Slateport. It still gnawed at Wren sometimes—how useless and powerless he’d felt in that moment. It’d felt like a disservice to have dragged things down the way he had with his inexperience. Especially since he’d known Braver was fast enough to have caught up with that Persian. It had been him who hadn’t fit into that equation.[break][break]

That was a negativity he tried to swallow down, though. Especially now—running into the gym leader like this. He lifted his hand in tentative, sheepish greeting. “Hey Josh,” he called across the short distance. Despite his internal conflict, his smile was wide and friendly. Maybe a little hopeful. Juno circled around his feet, attempting to entice the other eevee into playing with her by poking and pawing at her. The healing eevee remained resistant, however. “How goes?”


[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin | m: bond bridge

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren hadn’t even really considered or realized that Kieran was technically late. He was too busy enjoying treading water and making sure that his pokemon were settled and prepared for their leg of the migration. The corsola herd had come so far already, so ensuring that they made through that last bit of their migratory route to their destination was super important. It wouldn’t do them any good to be caught up by hunting pokemon when they were so close! And the last thing Wren wanted was for the group of them to scatter, either.[break][break]

He didn’t have to worry about waiting, though, because the stranger proved to be Kieran Roth, and that was exactly who he’d been told to look for. “Yep! That’s me! Hope it wasn’t too difficult to find–” His attention drifted away, ever an easy feat.[break][break]

The school was nearby, he knew that much–particularly when a smaller one seemed to have strayed closer to the docked boat. It bumped into his arm, and Wren twisted in the water. “Oop, you better go back that way,” he said as he tried to navigate it into turning. “Grover, herd it back?” The poliwhirl floated closer, better able to communicate the message, and circling it gently until it was no longer at risk of getting caught up by the boat motor when it was eventually started up.[break][break]

“Sorry! Got distracted.” Wren let out a sheepish laugh, paddling closer to the dock so he could pull himself up the old wooden ladder. “Thanks!” He beamed–his roster wasn’t all that big yet, but he was proud of the pokemon he did have. “That’s Juno, and that’s Winston.” He pointed at the eevee in the boat and then his psyduck. “The poliwhirl is Grover; your serperior is so regal! I’m super excited for this project- corsola are so cool. Ah- sorry, I ramble a lot.”

[break][break]

+ Kieran Roth     | m: corsola conservation

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

As they clipped the edge of the building, Wren felt his leg scrape against the brick exterior and he himself winced. But they were both too focused to really slow down just yet. Still, he reached out to pat the back of Braver’s ruff in apology for not steering the turn as well as he could have as the arcanine raced forward. Just another little thing to add to the guilt pile for later. Golden eyes watered against the wind as Wren grit his teeth and tilted into the momentum.[break][break]

Soon enough, he re-merged with Josh and Mystic as they pursued the smuggler on their persian. The feline darted in and out of traffic with fluid ease, and the heavy paws of the arcanine kicked off sparks as they struck against the tarmac while they wove in and out of traffic to the chorus of heavy, blaring horns screeching tires. For a moment, something hopeful swelled up in him when it seemed like they were gaining on their target. The pace was enough to shorten his breath, unaccustomed to it as he was.[break][break]

Just a little more edge, and maybe he could make it. Just a little more speed, and…and–[break][break]

And he couldn’t do it.[break][break]

It was too much. Wren couldn’t handle the EXTREME SPEED as it began to kick in, and he waffled the reins in his hands as he tried to keep them both on course enough to skirt around to overtake the persian and cut them off. It was much too fast to handle, and though they’d been dodging cars relatively well, a small oncoming work truck felt like just a bit too much to slide by. Pulling up on the reins, Wren pulled Braver back and skidded to a slowing stop before he potentially caused himself and the arcanine to collide with the truck body.[break][break]

The contact, of course, slipped by and continued forward down the road until they could dart out of traffic entirely. The truck in question honked its horn at them until Wren could maneuver them to the shoulder, a shake in his breath and his expression pitched in a frown over his inability to succeed in their task. Still, he scratched at Braver’s ears as he waited for Josh to rejoin them, quick to praise the canine quietly despite his self-directed disappointment and frustration.

[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin | m: prevent

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren chimed his thanks as Josh made sure that he was fitted properly to the saddle on Braver’s back, because…yeah, there was no way he was about to know which strap went where. And knowing him, he’d do it all incorrectly, or too loosely, and he’d tumble free like a total dork. Which would have been wildly embarrassing. But he tried to shove all of that to the side in favor of paying attention to Josh’s explanations. “Cool! Sounds like she’ll be super useful.”[break][break]

His hand lifted as they drew closer, cupping over his eyes as he tried to squint for a better look. His eyes immediately went round, understanding Josh’s exclamation immediately. “Woah. Me either.” That could pay off all of his college fees easy, which was wild in concept. And they were just handing it off like it was nothing. Anticipation built like static in his system, and on the command he coaxed the arcanine to surge forward with his EXTREME SPEED as Resheph did her thing.[break][break]

“Right, got it!” Wren called back, nodding as he urged Braver to wheel off and split from Josh to pelt around the side of the building. He leaned close, hair whipped back by the wind as his eyes squinted in focus. “You got this, buddy!” he encouraged the arcanine, and one hand slipped down to his belt, at the ready to grab the pokeball for his poliwhirl to call forth in the case that they were actually able to cut off the renegade target.[break][break]

“Aw, no!” he lamented. Crashing around the side of the building, they didn’t quite make it in time to bar access to the smuggler’s path to escape. “Don’t stop! Keep going,” he commanded, spying the tail of the persian in the short distance. “Maybe we can catch him.” Despite being strapped in, Wren felt poorly suited for this–like he might just vault off the arcanine’s back, carried by the wind and pushed by force and momentum until he was left in the dust. That wasn’t gonna happen, though, and he badly didn’t want to fail, no matter how uncertain he had felt about being tasked to this mission. Still tucked close to Braver’s ruff as the canine sped up, Wren chanced a look back over his shoulder, looking for any sign of Josh rejoining them.[break][break]

Maybe if they were lucky, the older ranger and gym leader had circled around and was waiting up ahead to stop the assailant in their tracks.

[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin | m: prevent

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren looked over at him, head tilting as his brows knit together. Only for a split second before he nodded furiously. “Yeah, I know I don’t! I wanted to.” And that was true too. He probably wasn’t doing very good at being convincing that there was nothing wrong, but really Wren had been planning to give this gift anyway.[break][break]

Though he’d helped the eevee contained in the little safari ball, and even though Wren was typically so good with pokemon (which was one of the reasons why taking on training as a ranger had appealed to him,) this one seemed resistant to his efforts. She wasn’t mean to him, or aggressive. But the distrust was evident. Or maybe it was shyness. And it was sort of that sullen ability to hold herself at arms length that had sorta reminded him of Levy. Somehow he’d wormed his way under Levy’s defenses, but it just seemed like maybe his friend would do better with the eevee. Like called to like, right?[break][break]

And Wren didn’t even mean all that in a bad way! He appreciated how different Levy was from him. He kept Wren focused and grounded. Probably more than he even actually realized he did. And honestly, Wren didn’t really know what he was gonna do without Levy nearby and readily accessible to pester and demand attention from. But Wren, once again, tried to shove the thought away as he waited for Levy to appear with their drinks, knee bouncing under the table. Juno had settled herself under her chair, comfortably ready to snatch anything dropped.[break][break]

“Oh! Yes, they are! I forgot too!” His eyes went round as he spied the cakes as they were set down, and it was almost enough to temporarily distract him from the everything he would eventually have to say, but nerves churned too furiously in stomach for it. Enough so that when Levy returned for good, rather than take his drink and get to it, he just started babbling.[break][break]

“Okay, so like. I was out in the safari zone the other week, practicing for– well..just practicing, and I found this,” he held out the small ball across the table as a nervous laugh bubbled up. “She doesn’t really like me much, and well, I already have Juno, so…I thought maybe you’d do better with her.” That said, his eyes moved between Levy and the pokeball, intently waiting for him to release the little canine.

[break][break]

+ Levy Alinsky | cuties :c

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren continued to wait, occasionally pulling his phone from his pocket to see no notifications and then stuffing it away again. He felt fidgety and unable to hold still. He sat himself down on the staircase, then stood up again. Walking down the few steps, then back up. No one really paid him any mind given the fact that the party was in full swing. Everyone was either already blasted or well on their way to it. Maybe this was a bad idea? Naw, it couldn’t be. Parties were generally fun! And…it wasn’t like Wren wasn’t a bit of a party person. He might’ve looked sweet and unassuming, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like the thrill that came with attending.[break][break]

But now that he thought of it–had he really ever attended any of those parties with Levy? Would he hold this against Wren? Would he hold it against him for dragging him to something like this, then leaving a little bit afterward? His eyebrows creased together in thought, and without realizing it, his hand had lifted to chew at the corner of his thumbnail–a lifelong bad habit.[break][break]

All that changed, though, when he caught the flash of a wave, and the arm connected to the familiar face of his friend.[break][break]

“Lev! You’re here, you came!” Eyes bright, wide sloppy grin. He didn’t mind that Levy was late, just that he’d showed up. “It’s fine! Are you okay?” Wren felt a little breathless with the relief that he wasn’t being ditched. Because then he’d be at this party, and he wouldn’t really be in the mood to party, but he’d feel obligated to stay because what if the host noticed he wasn’t there (irrational, yes,) or what if levy did show up and he wasn’t there??[break][break]

These were all pointless thoughts because his best friend was here, now standing beside him, and Wren didn’t have to worry about all of that. “Your costume is cool!” He yelled over the din, gold eyes flitting over the zubat accessories. Internally, the distinct thought of cute as his stomach flipped over itself. But Wren kept this to himself, uncertainty staying that honesty. But it didn’t quite keep Wren from reaching out and finding Levy’s hand with his. “C’mon!” He tugged the other’s hand lightly, to lead him in–further into the thick of the party, while determined not to lose sight of him.

[break][break]

+ Levy Alinsky | m: a little party never hurt nobody | he’s NOT ALLOWED TO DIE!!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren perks up further (if that’s even possible.) “Really??” His eyes are wide with amazement that there’s actually a similarity to be drawn between the two of them, when Wren feels so…small and different in comparison to the more experienced ranger. “I don’t know about that, though. You seem like you’ve got a handle on things.”[break][break]

Wren, meanwhile, would probably lose his head if it wasn’t attached to his body.[break][break]

He grows a bit sheepish at the questions posed to him, and Wren kicks at the dirt with the toe of his shoe. “Welllll, not as much as I would like to, I think. Enough to have worked with some for botany projects, but…yeah.” His head tilts, frowning a bit as he ponders. “Rangers…work to keep the environment and pokemon safe and preserved, right?” Or at least, he thinks that's what he’s been told. Though there’s obviously more to it. Surely.

[break][break]

+ ollie morales         | m: commitment: act i

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren had always loved the water.[break][break]

In the short amount of time he’s been staying in Evergrande, he’s found that the area accommodates that preference quite nicely. The water surrounding the city was warm and comfortable, and it felt natural for him to work on catering to the environment and pokemon within the area. In short, he was well suited for the terrain. Even the more difficult areas proved to be a nice challenge.[break][break]

Maybe he’d actually toughen up for once.[break][break]

For today, though, and maybe for a few days in all actuality, he got to stay seaside. He should’ve probably just waited in the boat (which was tethered to a small dock,) for the addition to his assigned task but it was just too warm and nice out. And he couldn’t just leave his pokemon to wait for a dip in the water. So he’d released both his psyduck and poliwhirl, then hopped in water with them.[break][break]

Juno, to her credit, chose to wait in the boat. Curled up and napping on Wren’s rumpled up towel.[break][break]

To his understanding, the ranger joining him today was a newer recruit like him–pulled in from elsewhere to get a better feel for water-based excursions. This suited Wren fine. And maybe it was a little bit of a relief too. This way he’d maybe feel a little less self-conscious like he tended to be around the more experienced rangers he’d met since joining on.[break][break]

And they got to work with the corsola migration, how cool was that??[break][break]

He was floating in the water when he spied a figure approaching down the dock. His hand shot up out of the water to cup around his mouth as he shook excess droplets from his hair and called out. “Hi!! Are you Kieran?”
[break][break]

+ Kieran Roth     | m: corsola conservation

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Wren’s nose wrinkled as the arcanine assailed him with puppy dog kisses, a laugh slipping loose as he patted at thick cream and ginger fur. “You’re friendly, huh?” Managing to pull himself away from Braver’s affectionate greeting, he looked over toward Josh again. “Yeah! I think so. We’re gonna do great, right Braver?” He scratched under the large canine’s chin for good measure. There was still a twist of nervousness in his gut, but the friendly nature of the large arcanine did well to help soothe some of it. Even if he had little experience in ride situations, with an enthusiastic partner, what could go wrong, right?[break][break]

Pulling himself up, Wren settled in the saddle with only a little bit of difficulty–so far so good! “I’ll do my best, thanks,” he answered, hands curling into the provided reins. He watched the dragonair emerge with obvious awe. Though his head tilted in question as Josh elaborated. “How’s that? Is she going to be watching from above?” He tried not to blanch at that last bit. A hundred mph?? Wren hadn’t even reached anywhere near that speed in a car let alone on the back of a pokemon. His lips pursed in a thin line, and he nodded as he tried to slip into a more focused mindset.[break][break]

“Got it.” The trip to the abandoned grocery store was more or less uneventful. Quicker, now that he was actually on the back of Braver, who listened well and kept quick pace. The hope was that they’d beat the smugglers to the drop point, but as they neared the back of the building, there was a sink in the pit of his stomach. “I think they changed their time frame,” he called out quietly, pointing ahead to the guard now standing by the back entrance. Likely on the lookout for any interlopers looking to halt the deal going on inside.


[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin | m: prevent

[attr="class","pokeclass"]