The storms had drawn Ranger attention - and by extension, El's own. What was causing this - and what could it portend? Not wanting to risk exposing the flying-type Akero to electricity, they instead ascend with Ysera to investigate - the serene Hydreigon touching down at the peak of Meteor Falls. As the rain picks up in intensity, the duo are eager to shelter.

Entering the great cavern, El is not sure what they expect to find - but the Black Yin is certainly up there on the scale of unexpectedness. Recognizing the Legend from during the fighting against Kyurem though, El is able to swallow down the apprehension that nags at the back of their head as they step forward. "Is everything okay?" They ask, wondering if something had Zekrom agitated or upset, to make the storm.

But rather than an answer, a question was posed. A question of ideals. El blinks a bit - the booming voice of the dragon a strange sensation, even though they are used to their psychic pokemon 'communicating' with them with telepathy. They take a second to consider - to mull over the question...

"I mean... The easy answer, would be something like world peace, right? That everyone can work together, to better eachothers' lives - that no one has to suffer or go hungry... But that's not really something that's perfectly realistic, right?" El muses, visibly thoughtful. "Like... Human beings aren't always going to live in perfect harmony - as much as I wish we could. We're messy, in that sense. And it's not like we can exactly stop things like natural disasters or sickness from happening, or even half of the weird stuff that goes on here in Hoenn alone. But..."

There's something of a wistful smile to their expression, as they continue "I still would like to see a world where we can set aside our issues when trouble rears its head. Rocket, League... As far as a lot of the stuff that bears down on Hoenn cares? It's either indifferent to the fighting, or maybe even wants us to keep fighting. Fighting each other isn't going to stop Kyurem, or the Paradox Pokemon that come into reality, or whatever may come along."

"It's not like I can directly change it on a wide scale - I'm just one person, and I'm not like your friend, or my brother, or any of the others who have a god on their side, Avatar or not. But... I do hope that maybe, if I show enough people some kindness and talk to them, it'll get them thinking. About the fighting, about the things going on around us regardless of it... Yaknow?"

Smiling to Zekrom though, they'd remark "Even if I'm just one person... Surely, if I try hard enough, it'll cause a chain reaction among the people who hear me out - right? All it takes is for each of us to get a few others thinking about it, for an idea to spread."

For a few long moments, the silence hangs there - broken only by the crackles of electricity in the fog, and the storm outside. El seems to bask in the peace, at least, until another thought occurs to them.

"Do you... Know of that weird Galar dream, that a lot of us had?" They asked, voice soft, contemplative. "I guess some people had their own version of the dream, so it's sometimes hard to say if someone wouldn't understand, even if I don't have an inkling of who they are. But... I think that dream - even for all of the troubles it had - kind of... Gives a good picture of what I mean, by us setting aside Rocket and League to focus on what matters."

"Things were dangerous, and difficult, sure - and people still squabbled at first, but... It didn't matter who you were before you entered the dream, once we all settled in. All that mattered then, was that there were people taking up their swords and shields and pokemon to just.. Help. To help the villagers that relied on us, help eachother, and help Galar as a whole."

It was their hope, that... Perhaps someday, more people would understand the need to focus on the real threats out there.

Redeeming:

- Cool Ribbon (Behemoth)
- - Claiming the monthly 10 pd and rainbow shard

- Snowboy Pokemon
- - Snom (Powder Snow, Struggle Bug)

- Tera Ice Shard (2023 Snowboy)
- - Kiryuko gains Ice Tera

"Okay Haro - I'll want your help keeping track of the pokemon we find down here, okay? And don't wander too far from Baron."

-Ding Ding!-

At one of the many entrances into the crystalline cavern system that was Area Zero, El would be present - accompanied by Bibidi the Alakazam, Baron the Iron Valiant, and Haro the Porygon2. They were continuing their expedition of cataloguing the different pokemon present in this new place - albeit on foot rather than by air, given that caves weren't exactly open.

In coming down this far, El had become aware that this wasn't exactly the safest place. It was like that of a crystalline cave that Josh Devlin and they had delved into once upon a time - the pokemon here could terastallize on their own, and a number of them were keen on picking fights to establish their territories.

Thus, Baron and Bibidi both remained closeby - both pokemon more than ready to provide protection if any of the wild pokemon here got to agitated. For now though, things appeared peaceful - and El was ready to capitalize on said peace, to gather data for the Rangers back home.

67Pr9S2V
Elise Calcifet

There was a part of El that was unsure of returning to the Silent Icelands, after everything that had gone on during the Kyurem fighting. They weren't sure what the exact angle of it was - did it make them think of when Akero had gotten frozen? Was there a part of them a little afraid of Kyurem showing back up out of nowhere?

It was hard to say.

But what they did know, was that the aftermath had left an undeniable mark upon the land - a mark that came in the form of the Giant Chasm. It was a beautiful place, once one got down into it - warm, humid, a far cry from the icy cold above. There was an entire ecosystem here starting to bud, as Hoenn's native pokemon descended into it.

And as a Ranger, well... They wanted to catalogue everything the best they could.

Which would bring them to the present - El atop Akero's back, as the Togekiss gradually descended into the Chasm proper. From up here, they had a good view of much of the landscape - any fog or clouds brought on by the humidity being cleared by Defog, to keep visibility clear.

As Akero moved, El would catalogue any wild pokemon that they could spot - curious about how many pokemon must have made a trek through the icy wastelands above, to come to this verdant oasis below...

o0h9ISP2
DESIREE BLOOMS

EXCURSION SIGN-UP

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

WHICH EXCURSION?: GC EXPLORE PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: El Sunderland DESIREE BLOOMS
WHICH EXCURSION?: AZ EXPLORE PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: El Sunderland Elise Calcifet
WHICH EXCURSION?: AZ EXPLORE PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: El Sunderland Josh Devlin
WHICH EXCURSION?: AZ EXPLORE PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: El Sunderland Isaac Merlo

FROSTFIRE

El Sunderland's curry entry

[break]
thread summary: El and Toki Akiyama work together to quell a wildfire that breaks out on Route 104 - and when they discover the source to have been an injured and frightened Quilava, they work together to soothe and heal it.[break]

why is it important?: Getting a chance to let the two of them do actual Ranger-type work is great - and I also just enjoy threading with Connor. Toki's a good boyo, and I'm happy to have that added chance for the two to bond as friends some. =w=

El smiled as the Quilava seemed well enough to move. To give an additional helping hand though, they would let Amalthea out long enough for the little ponyta to give the fire-type a Heal Pulse. Between that and her Pastel Veil, it'd help give the wound a kick in the butt to heal fast and cleanly.

With the source of the blaze soothed though, there was only the fire left to handle.

And once the last embers were doused, El couldn't help but share in Toki's sigh with an exale of their own, sitting next to him. "We both did great!" They chirped happily - smiling bright. "Having Aigis around helped a ton with keeping the poor Quillava from freaking out." An injured pokemon tended to be more prone to fight or flight, after all - which could be dangerous if it didn't feel like flight was an option.

El's own pokemon would begin to gather as well - and with everyone in one place, they had the perfect way to help everyone patch up. Letting out Akero, the Togekiss would drizzle down a Life Dew for everyone - swooping overhead with joyful little whistles.

As Toki continued to speak though, El smiled to him once more - nodding in agreement. "You're already doing a lot of good," They'd comment with a giggle - helping stop a fire and tend to a hurt pokemon was great as it is!

The mention of malasadas, though, got El's eyes lighting up. "Oh heck yeah, let's go!" They responded - getting up onto their feet, leaning into their cane a bit. "And afterwards - your Valiant. Aigis, robot, I see what you're doing there~," They teased lightheartedly, snickering softly. They knew a fellow nerd when they saw one! "You oughta come to my place, and we can talk 'n play games!"

Eager to move though, El would take Toki's hand and charge on forward - looking forward to some sweets and downtime with a friend...

El's expression was one of sympathetic - empathetic, even - pain in seeing the Quilava. They weren't sure how long it'd been hiding here for, hurting like this, but any amount of time was too long.

As the two rangers settled down, El would gesture for Namielle to stick with Azura. The fewer people crowding the burrow, the better. "No berries, but I do have a few treats..." They murmured - reaching into their bag. They pulled out a couple of them - sweet-smelling biscuits, made for pokemon - and would lightly toss them towards the Quillava.

The fire-type would jump a bit as the biscuits landed nearby - and at first, its gaze would flick between the Rangers and the offered food. But, its stomach audibly rumbled - and as it took notice of the smell, its nose began to twitch as it sniffed the air. Slowly, hunger won out over fear - and carefully, it'd shuffle a bit closer to take one of the biscuits and crunch down on it.

"If Aigis is like my Iron Valiant, they might be able to help," El murmured softly to Toki, adding "They might not be Psychic-type, but they have similar abilities to the Gallades and Gardevoirs they resemble." Empathetic and telepathic, surely able to help soothe the Quillava.

Either way, with Toki's help to keep the fire-type calm, El would begin a careful shuffle forth - scooting forward on their knees, to avoid having to stand. They'd use a bit of the bandages to protect their hands from the edges of the trap as they slowly managed to pull it open.

And once the leg was free, they'd set the trap aside so that they could use the potion Toki provided. They began spritzing it over the gashes that the trap had left, and would wrap some bandages around it to keep the wound clean.

Toki Akiyama

For El and Yggdrasil's first real performance, the stage would be set up like that of a martial arts display - a number of boards of varying materials and thickness set forth. El stands at Yggdrasil's side, smiling bright to the audience. "Drednaw are known for their powerful bites - having large jaws that can break through even the largest of boulders!" They'd begin, eyes lighting up with visible joy in getting to nerd out a little bit about pokemon. "It's the one thing they're known best for - but they aren't the only pokemon with a scary bite to them."

Here, they now turn and gesture to Yggdrasil. "Lots of turtle pokemon - particularly those that come onto or are primarily suited to land - can deal a good bit of damage if they bite down on something, and Yggy is no different. Her own powerful jaws were but one of the weapons she used to fight off the horde of Paradox pokemon, who emerged from the chasm that Kyurem tore into the earth!"

And as El spoke, they'd gesture to Bibidi - eager to demonstrate this. The Alakazam, using Telekinesis, would lift the boards up to Yggdrasil one by one - whereupon the large Torterra would bite down with Crunch to split it in two! First wood, then stone - Yggy was eager to show off her strength to the audience in splitting each of the materials in twain.

The only ones that gave a bit of potential trouble was the thicker metal pipes - but even those, Yggdrasil would saw through with a little elbow grease. And as she split them, she'd briefly shake herself out to let off her excess energy, before letting out a spirited bellow! She thrived in showing off to the audience like this!

El smiles as Toki praises Namielle. "He's a good boy, for sure." They agree.

The praise and attention seems to get a tiny, shy, smile - but an appreciative one nonetheless - from Namielle, who nods softly in response.

Toki's talk about teams, too, would get a sheepish laugh from El. "I just, uhm, been wandering a ton. You sometimes can't really be choosy about the sorta pokemon you find, but... If you ever wanna go look for a specific variety of pokemon, I'm happy to search with you." They offer with a smile.

But, as the duo approached the origin of the blaze - not too far from Petalburg Woods, though technically more in Route 104 - a lot of the chatter would die down. El listened carefully as Toki made his observations, to which they agreed. There weren't any distinct tracks amongst the foot traffic from the fleeing pokemon, and there wasn't any feathers, or tufts of fur stuck in any undergrowth....

... But as they moved, even if there was no pokemon in sight, there was one thing that El found - and the sight jolted their heart. A broken chain, attached to a long post driven into the earth. Around the site, gouges in the earth, displaced fallen leaves and torn grass, traces of food... And patches of dried blood.

"A poacher's trap, I think..." They murmured - there must've been something at the other end of the broken chain, but... Where was it? The answer, perhaps, would be in the blood trail - which led into the undergrowth. The tracks here looked as though a limb was being dragged along, as whatever pokemon moved...

El's expression twisted into that of deep sympathy. They had their suspicions of the state the wild pokemon might've been in... "... I don't think the poor thing is far from here - but it's probably hiding..." And the question now, was where..?

Toki Akiyama

It doesn't take long to find a place for El to sit with their pokemon, amongst the numerous Snowboys that people had created. With the evening coming in strong, the dimming lights would be brightened with each flash of color that the fireworks provided.

And as El watched the beauteous display, they'd lean against Bibidi, humming softly. Moments like these were so nice, and really... They were happy for more of this, in the coming year.

More moments of peace that one could share, with the people they loved.

While preserving Akero's stamina by following the flow of the wind was probably the right call - it was safe to say that the plan had been thrown a bit off-kilter by the presence of other obstacles.

The two would dodge out of the way of another boulder even as it was split - El holding tight to Akero's reins all the whilst, leaning low against her to keep themself safe. However, in the process, Akero would brush up against a sharp rock that was hovering in the air - which scraped at her feathers, drawing out a startled and pained keen from the Togekiss!

"That's..." That looked like Stealth Rock, right? Did that mean that the boulders that they were trying to dodge past was a Rock Tomb or Rock Slide?

Were Akero's moves not forbidden, a Defog or Reflect would've surely helped a bunch... But, they had to make do with what they had - which for the Togekiss, was stamina and maneuverability.

As the two had to bank out of the way of another boulder - this one having come flying from an awfully odd angle - El would lightly tug Akero's reins to bring the Togekiss back on the 'path'. "Focus on weaving between the Stealth Rocks - I'll try to watch for boulders," They told her.

Akero whistled in affirmative, beating her wings a couple of times to slip between a few of the levitating stones.

El could only hope that this would be enough to make it out of the storm alright...

MOS6IOXE
Alexei Ivanov