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Yeah... considering the only time she really gets to see Izzy here is when something bad happens to Genny, or when she is the butt of the joke like that Fuecoco incident... "Yeah... I'm kinda over having you see me at my worst. No offense." Seeing as she could do it now, it led to a soft, small smile. Could.[break][break]

Mostly because the would part wasn't exactly easy to come by these days. But it was getting easier.[break][break]

Just a matter of getting used to it every day.[break][break]

With a solid inhale, walk and talk was the name of the game, a spin on her boot, as she looked down at herself. She should've changed into something more casual. Wait, was she thinking of taking a load off?[break][break]

That was more like her. "You were there for me. Only fair, right? Let's just do it not surrounded by whoever that is." Despite her being inches shorter than Isaac, placing her hands behind her back, and gently trotting along, to the end of the maze... to escape a reflection that looked battle-and-war-hardened, she would do anything. She didn't want to confront it right now.[break][break]

His question leaves her a little befuddled.[break][break]

"Honestly? I didn't even know the carnival was in town. Guess I've just been overworking myself." Sheepishly, she looks away, towards the mirror hall's exit, towards all the fun rides. It was... something. Something she wanted to enjoy with-[break][break]

... her heart hurts.[break][break]

"What about you, Izzy? Aside from getting lost in your own reflection. Kinda vain, don't you think?" A little jest. A little joke. Old Genny really was trying to poke through the cracks.

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Lam was always so open. But... the problem wasn't openness. At least, not right now it wasn't. It was how closed off she felt. In one night, twenty years go by. Twenty years without that. Holding on to her heart wasn't possible back then, and it wasn't be now. Closing herself off numbs the pain. Like drinks did.[break][break]

Drinking made her forget. She'd tried smoking once to help. But she coughed her lungs out, and promptly swore never to touch cigarettes again.[break][break]

Genny does, however, make a note of a deep, odd rumbling deeper into the cave.[break][break]

His worry for her does not fall on deaf ears. He was always here for her. Nothing wrong with an olive branch to him. So, she does something. She bridges the gap, but keeps herself on the other side. She goes into the trauma.[break][break]

"Outside this cave, Zamizenta and Zacian were being attacked by two very powerful Pokemon. Rocket was there too-" Her hand balls into a fist at that, and hazel eyes stare forward. She could never forget the face of him. Hitoshi Inoue. She scowls, and releases her fist.[break][break]

Right. Where were they?[break][break]

"I tried to help. Lady Bloom died protecting me... and we were sent to Galar. A long time ago Galar. During the monarchy." She looks towards Zagreus, reaching down to ruffle up his warm fur as he whines. "Ms. Clean died too within a Galar of ice and snow. Protecting me... I tried to help in Circhester. But I just slowed people down. Dr. Rhythm died because of me." Hazel eyes had a wide, wide stare forward. Like she was reliving it in heat flashes, and like that, she showed her hands.[break][break]

"And I was alone. For most of twenty years. I did everything to survive. I decided that I can't slow people down. That I have to be independently strong." The harrowing gaze of a woman who had seen the abyss stare back at her, and instead of breaking, reinforced what she had to become.[break][break]

That would just about do it. As she looked at the same green crystal Lam was on. Zagreus began to bark, and holding out her arm, Vanilla Ice and Pumpkin King floated at the ready.[break][break]

"Trouble."[break][break]

The beeps and boops of a robotic cyborg appear, two massive yellow hands floating to its side, and eyes staring at both Lam and Genny from a distance. A sensor detects the duo, and with deft hands, claps both hands together into an ELECTRIC TERRAIN.[break][break]

Go time.[break][break]

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Returning Frosty before long, once Nikolaj sat comfortably on his Steelix, it was already time to go. With it, hazel eyes fixated on the phone, playing that odd audio distortion, when Nikolaj leaned over. Letting the older gentleman see, she points to the structure itself to back-up her claim.[break][break]

"There were a number of reports denoting a mechanized castle. Like an artifact to time, I remember reading that inside were remains of human and Pokemon alike. A good number of those same reports... spoke of guards inside." But did any of them speak on audio distortions on her electronic devices? Nothing she did could shake that, until she muted it.[break][break]

If the audio was messing up, then there was no point in making this short travel journey painful for their ears. Unbeknownst to her that that deed stopped the song from reaching their ears... but not Oz. Oz had been flying back and forth constantly.[break][break]

Like he was dancing.[break][break]

"Oz? Can you move closer, little bird?" Genny smiles to her phone... but it's no use. Her Rowlet will not listen. Now, Genny was concerned.[break][break]

Really concerned. Some kind of wizard was taking hold of Oz.[break][break]

"We should prepare for combat, right Cap'n?" Genny presumes, already fiddling with the four balls she had brought with her. One lie empty, one with Frosty, and the last two for Wander and Ebony. A battle-hardened gaze from her two lovely hazels. She wasn't about to let another person get taken from her.

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If this were days to a week ago, give or take, Genny wouldn't have taken that teasing, but today, she gives her weaker smile. Both hands on her hips now, like her older self had done before many a time before, she stood with great posture as she responds almost semi-playfully. "I know that. It's good company." Tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear, looks for anything else to focus on.[break][break]

Anything.[break][break]

Walking through the hall of mirrors, getting lost in them, she attempts to make her way forward to find Isaac. Her cheeks are light with a little heat from embarrassment, but it honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. Still, as she continued to search through, hand to the mirrors, eventually...[break][break]

There he was.[break][break]

"Hi Izzy. Good to see you too." And then the moment gets away from her, and she pulls him into a small hug, before pushing herself away. "You look like you have a lot on your mind... you want to talk about it?" An olive branch he once extended to her, just the other day.[break][break]

He can hide it all he wants. She knows it wasn't just a reflection.

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Oh yeah, she appreciated that. In her own choice of travel companion, Genny hadn't brought along a Pokemon she could ride. So seeing Cap'n Volosenkov throw out a Pokeball, a massive steel snake appearing, she finds herself smiling, small as it is. "Well, that'll shave a lot of time off." Accepting the boost, the tiny redhead climbs onto the massive snake, and once she's fastened in, she, herself, pulls out a Pokeball.[break][break]

And with a release atop the mighty snake, the two-hundred pound shiny Abomasnow appears beside Nikolaj, happily grunting as Genny calls to him. "Frosty, please use Leech Seed to apply vines to assist Captain Volosenkov." It would make climbing much easier for the Captain, and sure enough, the Abomasnow obliges, patting over the side to assist.[break][break]

All the while, Genny keeps an eye to her phone, seeing the structure closely.[break][break]

"Oz is getting closer... it look like an old medieval castle. Hm..." Oz is getting a little too close now. Nothing seems amiss yet, but there's a bad feeling in the back of Genny's head that she can't seem to shake. And added to that...[break][break]

Static-y, and garbled by audio distortion... was that music? "Huh..." Genny reacts concerned. As quickly as it comes, it stops. She waits for Cap'n Volosenkov to give the order to his Steelix to go, hazel eyes fixated on the castle now.[break][break]

The heck was that?

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Honestly, Genevieve didn't want to come to the carnival. It was by goading of her big fluffy Lycanroc, Wander, that she even left the HQ. She had busied herself with working endlessly on cases, trying to make reports. She'd been working for twelve straight hours at Slateport HQ, drinking another cup of coffee to keep herself awake. Until she felt herself being apprehended by a needy pooch, and Serenity, the newly awakened Sylveon.[break][break]

Usually, new evolutions would be a celebration. And Genevieve, feeling more like her old self thanks to the combined efforts of lam logan, ollie morales, Isaac Merlo, Shion Uehara, Josh Devlin, and Nikolaj Volosenkov, she was slowly getting her smile back. The arrowhead she kept as a small trinket kept the memory alive, but like a candle burning slowly, it too was subject to fade the longer it burned.[break][break]

Oh well. Maybe she can relax and finally get some fun in the carnival... with a little TELEPORT magic from Venus, Genny found herself in Mossdeep, taking now the rest of the day off.[break][break]

Today was the carnival. Oh goodie. She winces. She really didn't want this right now. But, she walked about all the same, Wander the Lycanroc, Venus the Kirlia, and Serenity the Sylveon following behind. It was nice having them here, but she had grown more distant. She stopped drinking as much, but...[break][break]

Even Ollie can't stop her from the occasional shot.[break][break]

The first spot she finds is a hall of mirrors. It's an oldie attraction. She recalls it one or two days when a carnival came to Hau'oli in Alola. But it's not the hall that bothers her. It's the vacant look of a friend. And for a moment, Genny wants to turn and walk away.[break][break]

"It's none of my business." She takes a step... and taps her boot on the dirt path. Wander, Venus, and Serenity don't even need to say anything. The quiet tip-tap-tapping exasperates, and before long, Genny is turned on a heel, and heading inside.[break][break]

She's walking through the walls, seeing duplicates of Izzy, and... herself. Her shorter hair. The sleep deprivation. The depression hanging on her heart.[break][break]

"Izzy." She calls out for him. Hands on her hips, a hardass expression on her face, as she stares at a reflection of him.[break][break]

"What are you doing?"

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With a bark, and a roar, little Wander feels like the monkey in the middle of Puck and Eua's little chase. And the dog huffs out a breath of air, once again giving both of her little rivals her full attention, speeding herself up with another STEALTH ROCK staircase up a tree. They wanted to see what she could do? Oh. This will be good. Jumping branch to branch, she made a claim to both of them in her barking.[break][break]

She wouldn't touch the ground below, and she'd beat them in this chase race. She was that confident.[break][break]

The small talk was going well. Miss Uehara was opening up a little more, and the redhead smiled. She had no idea of what a yokocho even was, but Shion's explanation gave a clear idea. There was something like that in Alola once, she thought. One of her first ex-boyfriends, that douchebag surfer guy, took her to this fish market that was in alleyways. It made sense. But thinking back on it gave her a bad taste in her mouth. But she stifles that, and thinks on the positive.[break][break]

They were cooking coated rocks from the remains of Geodudes in the lakes, with other ingredients adding flavor. Suckle rocks. It was some kind of foreign cuisine where one sucks on rocks and throws them away, and while Genny wasn't really into it, she did enjoy the taste. Rich with minerals.[break][break]

"Alola had something like that. A yokocho you said? It's the closest thing I can think of." She's at least somewhat knowledgable of the locational style. "I can take care of myself, don't you worry." She had somewhere to go now, in the case of. Especially since she had been considering the move to Lilycove for a little while anyways.[break][break]

Did beg the question. Why was it so tough? But she shakes that off. Toughness was a wall to climb. And just like Wander, speeding across the tree line, every obstacle could be overcome with a little women's intuition.[break][break]

"I do appreciate the vote of confidence though, Miss Uehara." There's a blossoming kinship now, Genny is feeling. It's in her bones now. It's letting her breathe easier, and despite her lungs begging for oxygen, she'd slow it down to a jog again. Give her a moment to talk.[break][break]

She thinks about it a moment. "Next time I have a mission, wanna come along? You seem more than capable." It was an invitation to see her mettle. What she could do, how she could do it. Genevieve figured, why not? Officer paxton concordas did the same for her.[break][break]

... she should give him a text one of these days. See what he's up to. Have coffee.

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"Born and raised, huh?" Genny smiles, the jog starting to take its toll on Genny. Twenty years of muscle memory still didn't make her Supergirl anymore, even if she hoped it would. Just a memory now. But she had the energy to keep it up, and thankfully, so did Wander and Hazel.[break][break]

Orville and Wright, on the other hand, had to take five. They were new, and Genny couldn't blame them. Orville had run with a big handicap. Little bear needed rest.[break][break]

Shion's own question has her call back out in their jog. "Nope. Galar-born-" The name of the region ripes the smile away from her lips, tearing it like swiping away something she once saw as beautiful. "-but Alola-raised. Parents decided to hop to Alola when I was three. They're retired now."[break][break]

She ponders about Lilycove. She lived in Slateport herself, but her pay increase would let her think of moving to somewhere a little nicer. Not that Slateport was bad, but her apartment complex was...[break][break]

Well. The landlord was awful. She could afford a lease break fee.[break][break]

"Considered moving close to there. Any recommended spots to stay? Places to see?" Just some more small talk, as Wander jogged between them, the pup ensuring not to go as fast as the bowling ball that was Hazel the Chespin.

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Genny really doesn't want to talk about this. "Yeah. Ex." She's colder, a little more vicious in tone, like a venomous Arbok having been stepped on. But she lets it go. Lam didn't know. She just brought it up. It isn't his fault, the guy didn't know.[break][break]

Doesn't take that pain away though.[break][break]

The mission was simple, straightforward. And though the marvels of Tera Crystals abound were beautiful, majestic, and wonderous, it felt all the more hollow. A younger, naive Genny would look at this place and take in the beauty that it held naturally, excitedly grabbing Lammy's arm and happily calling out.[break][break]

This wasn't that. This wasn't her anymore.[break][break]

When she is close enough to one to see her reflection, she's locked in place a spell, staring at the woman who she is. The one she used to be. Her hand reaches out to the crystal, an oppressively depressing look on her face. A longing to go back...[break][break]

Then her attention is taken away, and she nearly swats her own hand to grabbing Lam's arm, before relaxing. And his questions confuse her. "What? No, you didn't. Why would you ask that?" she questions with perplexity. Lam did nothing wrong. Sure, he was late, but that didn't mean it was his fault. He had a reason for being late.[break][break]

It dawns on her what he's really asking about. Zagreus stepping in place a few times with another whine, as it hits her what was wrong.[break][break]

"You mean me, right now?" She turns her hazel eyes back to the crystal that showed a reflection so easily. Her face obscured. Impossible to tell what sat within. She takes a deep breath in.[break][break]

"The dog protection mission... that's what happened."[break][break]

It was easy enough. Simple, to the point. If he wanted more information, he can pry further. But when she turns away, she looks about, using her phone for a flashlight, taking pictures of the scenery.

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The lone lifeform of a tiny owl overhead in the lifeless husk of machinery that was the Mechanical Kingdom, the little Rowlet peering from above to gain all knowledge they could. They peered, they gazed upon, they took everything in that they could. A small contraption on the bird, a strap with a lens on it, peering below over everything. Steam pulses outwards, gears turn in a crazy machine, domes aplenty sit around.[break][break]

From down below, Genevieve holds out her phone, an app connecting them, and though static does cause a little trouble in visual comprehension, it gave a good idea of things to come. Near her, Nikolaj Volosenkov , Ranger Captain, would be able to peer over. She tilts her head back.[break][break]

"Giant structure in the far distance. It's a bit of a walk, but Oz is finding it well enough." she states, holding out her phone for him to look over, before gesturing towards paths on the screen, if he so happened to want to view.[break][break]

Genny could've done the parkour approach, but... she's young enough that she could bounce back from it. She was worried about the man nearby.[break][break]

She shoots him a very quiet, small smile. "Shouldn't take more than an hour to get there." she notes. A short, slower pace would be more attentive to the Captain.[break][break]

If she wanted to be Head Ranger, she had to impress all the captains.

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Being just a cadet, she feels proud the moment the Gogoat hits the ground. To the point where, she places both hands on her hips, and almost seems smug for a moment. Quick thinking really did get that Gogoat to calm down, and it's one of her best features.[break][break]

Hands on her hips, the moment Paxton gives that praise, she's smiling, heated cheeks on her face. To his order of cover him...[break][break]

She felt so useful! This was the part of the profession she adored.[break][break]

When Paxton balls the Gogoat for testing and asks how she is, she shoots a thumbs-up, almost too giddily. "I'm peachy, Cap'n!" Her bubbles and sunshine demeanor truly is one of her best qualities. But she quickly backpedals. "I mean... Officer. Sorry, old habits." She rubs the back of her neck, Akane pawing to her face, patting it as she stuck out a tongue and winked.[break][break]

Now for the next question. It was a big one.[break][break]

"Can... we work together again, you think?"[break][break]

She felt like she had potential. And Officer Concordas can help bring it out. She was really hopeful.

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The worst part of all, was that drinking helped the memories go away. They were fading. The memories in Galar. She clung to those memories, but in her blatant march towards death in drinking, they faded faster. A balance. Wanting to forget, but also wanting to remember it. Alcohol helped. It SHOULD help.[break][break]

The probable most hilarious part is, the shots she was doing were low in proof. She wasn't even getting that hammered. To a degree, it's merely psychosomatic.[break][break]

When there was a shadow overtaking her much smaller 4'11'' frame, she turns her head, and just... stares.[break][break]

For one, because in true drunk fashion, her courage was at an all time high. And two, because he was really, really hot. And as she felt his hand on her wrist, her face is slightly red, but she gets defensive.[break][break]

"Think tha's for me to deci'e." She pouts, hazel eyes looking away. Her glance is to the shot, and she doesn't find it worth it anymore. Because this guy is just too damn charming from smile alone. "Ye... I thin' I'm done." She tries to get up.[break][break]

And wow, she is a mess. She can't even get on her own two legs.[break][break]

Using the bar as a means to get stable, she has to ask. "How'o y'know my name?"

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