Jennail made mental note of Josh's suggestion: a saddle from Verdanturf from a tanner that a Gym Leader favoured. She wondered if she could afford it on her income. Perhaps with a few skipped meals.
[break][break]As that thought crossed her mind, a wild Pokémon attacked Josh and Sidewinder, causing Jennail to stumble backwards. Faustus zipped about in the air, unsettled by the sudden attack and noise. Syris groaned with discontent, steadying Jennail from behind with its ghostly arms.
[break][break]While Josh squared off against the angry Metagross that had assaulted him, Jennail noticed other wild Pokémon creeping in with malice: perhaps they'd invaded their territory for too long? Taking inspiration from Josh, she called out to Faustus and ordered him to use Phantom Force against an approaching Sinistea.
[break][break]"The Pokémon seem rather irritated tonight..." She remarked, "Either way, I'll take that tanner's information. Being able to get around faster will help my work."
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin
[break][break]Catch attempt on Sinistea!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Syris floated over in his usual slow manner, handing Jennail her Pokéball: she'd caught a new Pokémon! It'd been so long. She couldn't help but cast an affectionate look towards her Cofagrigus as Josh spoke.

[break][break]"I've had Syris the longest, so he is quite capable and listens well." Her words were chosen carefully. She didn't want to delve into those times, "Space-time distortion? That must be what I encountered. Yes, Faustus came out of a strange--" She made an circular gesture with her hands, still holding the ball, "--dome of energy. He was the biggest Dreepy I'd ever seen, which is convenient for someone as tall as myself."

[break][break]Jennail and both her Pokémon looked on as the great big Jolteon was sent out by Josh. She'd seen many Eevee and Eevee evolutions back in Kanto, but none like this. Blinky was the size of a small horse! Perhaps she could acquire an Umbreon or Espeon of that size? It was too bad no Ghost-type Eevee variants had been discovered... yet.

[break][break]"Ahh--" At Josh's offer to ride his Dragapult, Jennail backed off. This was more social interaction than she'd had in months, and she wasn't sure she was ready for physical contact yet, "Thank you for the offer but I must decline for now, though, do you have any tips I could use for Faustus?"

[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin
[break][break]Pass!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Jennail continued to survey the area as Pokémon crept, floated, and skittered about: her eyes locking on a Froslass. She wondered if it was cold enough for the poor thing here. Plucking a Pokéball from one of her waist pouches, Jennail spoke to her older Pokémon, Syris, without looking to him:

[break][break]"Syris, Shadow Ball," A forward point was offered as instruction. The Cofagrigus slowly floated forward, shooting the ghostly orb at the Froslass once he was within range. Jennail's Pokéball followed soon after.

[break][break]"Yes, he is quite large, isn't he? It's why I caught him," a rare note of warmth entered her voice, "He stuck out like a sore thumb as a Dreepy. I hoped a Dreepy of that size could one day evolve into a Dragapult that could carry me."

[break][break]Jennail tilted her head to glance back over at Josh, "I've never tried to ride Faustus: I worried I'd hurt him, but you say he might be able to handle riding now? That would be convenient. Cofagrigi are rideable but not... fast."
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin
[break][break]Froslass Capture Attempt

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

As Jennail considered Josh's words, some wild Pokémon began to creep about: either investigating the noise or looking for food. An impressive Bronzong floated by not far from them while a Golett stared from behind a rock, seemingly curious.

[break][break]She met the little ghost's gaze, realizing-- along with Josh's words-- just how little she had interacted with the people and society of Hoenn. Josh mentioned someone named Alexei Ivanov which was wholly unfamiliar to her. Did she know the names of any of the Gym Leaders of Hoenn prior?

[break][break]As the Golett wobbled from sight, she realized she also hadn't caught any Pokémon in Hoenn, save for her Zorua, Blanche.

[break][break]Jennail looked back to Josh, "It... would be very handy to be able to ride on Faustus. He's much faster than Syrus, but he's not a Dragapult quite yet. But setting aside time from my work to learn the skills may not be feasible. I'm an independent researcher so I don't have a corporation or lab backing me. Time is money... and rent."

[break][break]Pass
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Jennail watched silently as the Flygon landed with trainer in tow: Syris pivoting slowly to face them as they touched down. She leaned forward, indicating without words to her Cofagrigus that she wanted to be let down from its ghostly palm. Ahh, when was the last time she spoke to another human? Last week at the grocery store?

[break][break]"Ahh- No," she glanced towards the rift as he gestured, "As curious as I am, I'm not equipped for that kind of work. No, I'm a researcher. I've been observing the Duskskulls and Shuppets."

[break][break]Jennail paused, doing her best to socialize, "I'm Dr. Doe, or just Jennail. A pleasure to meet you, Devlin. I can't say I've met any of the Gym Leaders in Hoenn."
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Hearing the delighted cries of her Drakloak, Jennail glanced about until she spotted the little dragon darting about with a much larger, albeit similar looking, pokémon. She tilted her head to the side as her eyes attempted to keep up with darting dragon duo: their speed mixed with the darkness of night making it hard to discern which pokémon Fautus was playing with.

[break][break]
It was at that moment she caught sight of another pokémon arcing through the sky in the direction of the playful ghosts: a Flygon with a trainer riding on top.
[break][break]

"Ah... be careful what you wish for, I guess."
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Jennail looked out over the valley below Mt. Pyre as it was dimly lit by the moon. She'd come to the mountain to observe the ghost pokémon within but she hadn't been able to focus once she spotted a Haunter. They always reminded her of the Haunter she'd had back in Kanto. She missed her and the sighting broke her train of thought.

[break][break] Nevertheless, Jennail tucked her clipboard and paperwork away in her satchel and sat upon one of Syris' hands. She'd let Faustus fly about for a while longer. The night air was cold but, with no wind and her winter attire on, it wasn't bitingly so: she could let the Drakloak have another half hour of fun. The sky was amazingly clear tonight.

[break][break]It'd be nice to enjoy it with someone besides my pokémon, for once, she thought in passing.
[break][break]

+ Josh Devlin

[attr="class","pokeclass"]