The carnival that Johanna Joy managed to put together seemed to be a success. He had plenty of fun during his time in Lilycove, so seeing that it popped up in Mossdeep seemed like another chance to enjoy what the carnival offered. This time he chose to go solo, eager to try some of the games that The Magnificent Funtasia offered. As he caught sight of the MAGIKARP FISHING GAME, Sven immediately took to it. Some kids were in front of him, but he kept his patience.

Once it was time for him to cast the little fishing rod they gave him, Sven immediately went for the plastic Magikarp that had a green color on its stomach. That color signaled a large prize, so he figured if he could swipe that up, then he'd be golden to get one of the large Smoliv plushes they had. Since the pokemon sprouted up in Hoenn, people really seemed to take to it. When he reeled in the Magikarp, a grin came to his features.

"I'll take the Smoliv!"

The person in charge of the stand shook his head and tapped at a sign. He needed to catch five green-marked Magikarps to get a big prize. Sven groaned loud and sufficed for a smaller prize in the form of a plastic samurai sword. (A shame, maybe another time. He just didn't plan to spend all of his money at one game.) He twisted the neon green hilted plastic sword around in his hands as he scanned the carnival to see if he could pawn it off to anyone. But as he searched the carnival grounds, he caught sight of an all too familiar face.

"Hey, Josh!"

Sven reached an arm up and waved at the gym leader. It'd been a while since the two crossed paths. He made a mad dash towards the self-proclaimed master of faster and offered the man a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Good to see you! I see you're taking in the festivities too?"

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Josh Devlin

Excitement met his eyes as he practically lept over the table and grabbed Melody's hand for a firm shake with both of his own. Perhaps he was just thrilled to share his gratitude, or he was truly excited to get out there and see some magic happen, but his gratitude shined through above all else.

"Deal!" he exclaimed. "I'll get it filed for you and send it out!"

His smile grew from ear to ear as he plopped back down in his seat. Her assumption about him loving pokemon was indeed correct. Words were met with an enthusiastic nod of his head. Each member played a key role on his team, and he wouldn't take them for granted in the slightest. Sven took a napkin from the table and a pen from his pocket before he jotted his number down to offer to Melody.

"Here, so we can keep in touch a lot easier."

After he slid the napkin her way, Sven took the last bite of his muffin and balled up the paper that surrounded it. He figured that if she wanted his research, it'd be best for him to run along and go searching for where he kept his papers. While he dedicated plenty of his time to science, he wasn't exactly the most organized fellow out there.

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Melody Miro

His Sprigatitos seemed all too eager to enjoy a fun day at the carnival. Indica sat in his arms as Sativa made leaps and bounds around his ankles as it weaved its way through. The younger of the two was much more excited to see what the carnival had in store. Sven nearly tripped over the eager grass cat and couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't upset at the slightest, aware of how Sativa could be.

"Hey hey, calm down, we're almost there!" he offered with a hearty chuckle.

Maybe the younger Sprigatito was excited over the fact a playdate was in order. But it seemed the cat eased up as it came to a happy trot beside Sven. He gave the creature a nod of approval as he himself picked up the pace. Sven maneuvered Indica a bit in his arms as he fished his phone out of his pocket. He'd recently had a chance to speak with someone else and organize a playdate with their respective Sprigatitos. The pair agreed on Lilycove for their get-together. If he remembered correctly, there were flyers all about from the Ever Grande City gym leader's travelling carnival. It seemed like a stupendous idea given how Hoenn really needed some joy brought back.

As he looked up, Sven saw the gates to the carnival. His eyes sparkled as his mouth fell wipe open in pure gusto. Here, he felt like a kid again. Eager fingers tapped away at the screen of his phone as he shot Elinor a message.

Hey! I'm at the gate right now! I'll meet you by the TAURUS-RODEO GAME!

With a map of the carnival in hand, Sven searched for the quickest path to the rodeo game and made haste. Sativa managed to keep up without breaking a sweat, which he was grateful for. The carnival was teeming with people, so he wouldn't forgive himself if the Sprigatito got lost. It seemed he'd been the first to reach the destination, so he simply waited. But it didn't take long until Sativa took off towards a stranger.

"Wait!"

It wasn't long until the Sprigatito hopped up on the leg of the stranger as if it smelled something familiar. Maybe it could smell the other Sprigatito? Sven caught up with Sativa and gave a sigh of frustration. Once he looked up, he caught sight of the similar face he'd come across on AmiGo. Quickly his disposition changed from frustration to something chipper. He stood back up and offered a free hand out to shake, his other used to hold Indica, the older of the two Sprigatitos in his collection. The one in his arms simply yawned.

"Oh! You must be Elinor! I'm Sven, pleased to meet you!"

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Elinor Anderson

"...And I noted while I was with one of Rustboro's rangers and a Galarian ambassador that the Regirock of this realm is composed of a multitude of minerals. We couldn't collect any samples because it fled deeper into the desert."

Sven had attempted to fill the head scientist in on his own discoveries while in the desert. This time he came a bit more prepared with lighter attire and a supply of fresh water. Perhaps it would have been better for him to submit his findings as a report, but he had a good feeling that it was better for the two to do their own searching. Somehow he'd found Eva at a perfect time. (Was it really perfect? He wondered how the head scientist had time for herself with all the work presented to her.) If it weren't for some things he wished to discuss with her directly, he would have tagged along with someone else.

"Hey, thanks for tagging along, I know you're busy, but I just...," he paused as he attempted to gather his words over the overwhelming excitement that bubbled beneath the veneer of a serious researcher. "There's something about this place I want to figure out, and I need a keen mind to do that."

He had the experience while Eva had the expertise. Maybe the two of them could figure out the inner machinations of the desert. Particularly how and why the desert seemed to 'flip' at random intervals. Before he could ramble on further about the desert itself, he felt around on his belt for the pokeball that he chose to search for. Once he found it, he released the Iron Valiant he managed to find in his search. The creature stood firm cried out before it took to Sven's side. The brunette flashed the Gallade-esque pokemon an eased smile as he reached up and placed a hand on the pokemon's shoulder.

"I also found this... Well, this thing. I'm not sure what it is, but I figured you might have some answers maybe? I mean it's super strong! But I guess my main concern is why it found me."

Was he being humble or simply putting himself down? Sven didn't think he was all that special to have some interdimensional being form a bond with him. The Iron Valiant seemed willing to take his orders, and perhaps that's where his concern fell. It felt dangerous to have something like this creature, he knew that much. Perhaps that's why he didn't use it all that often. This was technically the second time it saw its way out of its pokeball, the first time being a prior traverse through another rift.

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Eva Morales

When Axel stated he didn't wish to push himself any farther than he had, Sven gave a firm nod. He could respect it. With the help of Marco, he managed to gather all the supplies and followed the teen down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, he made sure to push the door up as to close off the attic from the lower stories of the house. It took some balancing brooms and bags to manage, but he somehow did it.

"This was actually kinda fun," he admitted. "If you need anything like this again, feel free to give me a shout! You've got my number, right?"

He didn't leave it at that, as Sven took it upon himself to help put some of the supplies away with Axel's guidance. At least then he'd know where everything was supposed to go. Plus, he felt wrong just leaving the post-cleanup for the other. Once it seemed that was over with, he flung the garbage bag over his shoulder and made his way to where Axel and his sister kept the trash until trash day.

"If that's everything you need from me, I'll be out. Pleasure to meet you, Axel!"

Sven raised his hand in a polite wave before he took to the door to leave. Absalom seemed like a nice kid, he hoped the Alolan could adjust to the fast pace of Hoenn.

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absalom steel

An invite from the Ranger Captain of both Oldale and Littleroot would have seemed like a formality to anyone else. Though Sven knew Kolya for years. The man was more like a second father than an authority figure -- not that he didn't feel the man deserved respect. He was just a lot less formal with him than most. Maybe that's because the Volosenkov patriarch was really just a big old teddy bear deep down around the right set of people.

"Hey, papa Kolya," he greeted at an even volume as not to disturb any potential pokemon that swam in the radius of the man's fishing lure.

Sven raised his hand as he balanced on the back of his Dewott. He seemed to remain rather carefree about the waters -- nothing had popped out at the pair yet, so there was reason to be at ease for the scientist. With careful precision, he maneuvered onto the boat with careful steps as not to upset it. He was quick to approach the larger man and give him a quick hug from behind, arms looped loose around the shoulders.

"Thanks for the invite, how have you been holding up? Sasky told me about your recent promotion, congrats."

He released his careful hold on the captain and took a seat on the opposite end of the boat and carefully dug his own fishing rod from his bag before he began to snap it into place and cast his own line.

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Nikolaj Volosenkov

He nodded in firm understanding. While he'd decided to give the whole therapy thing a whirl, he did find speaking more frankly of his own anxieties helped ease them just a bit. Sure, thoughts still lingered but it's not like they consumed him. And he had Zain to thank for that despite the fact that it was technically part of his job. Gratitude was gratitude nonetheless. He flashed a quick thumbs up when the blonde managed to snag the Gallade -- as much as he would have loved to add it to his team, he felt it suited Zain a lot more. Though before he could make any sort of comment, a Baltoy began to spin its way towards Sven. While his Cranidos readied itself to charge at the spinning psychic type, Sven motioned for it to wait.

Although the Baltoy looked at him curiously while it kept itself balanced with a sway to and fro, Sven motioned for it to go ahead and make its way through. The wild pokemon took the offer and continued on its merry way.

"But there are times pill-based medicines are described to some patients. Do you think that takes away from therapy? Or helps further?"

Sure, he knew that Zain didn't have the authority to prescribe medicines, but perhaps his insight could help Sven down his own path. While he was able to keep his own anxiety at bay, it wouldn't hurt finding something that would take the edge off a bit. So rather than do two things that counteracted one another, he figured it better to ask.

"I know it's hard to accept that you might need help, but I want to keep my options open. I guess I want to try to get better for my sake and the sake of those around me."

He flashed an uneasy smile at first, but slowly warmed into it. It felt like a relief to get those words out.

skipping

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@zain

The compliment came at an inopportune moment as he took another sip of his drink. So the moment she made the remark he was interesting, Sven was quick to sputter around a bit as he reached for a napkin to wipe away the excess matcha that threatened to spew out of his nose from the way he practically choked on the drink. Once he got his bearings, the scientist waved a dismissive hand to show he was fine, but as well as to counter Melody's words.

"I wouldn't say interesting, just curious," he spoke frankly. "I feel exposure to a powerful, untamed force will be more beneficial for research purposes. We can understand what it is that allows a legendary beast to choose whom it partners with -- what qualities do they look for? Naturally they'll all be different, but to witness it would offer us one step closer to discovering what their motivations are with Hoenn, and perhaps the world, as a whole."

His monologue probably made no sense to an outsider, or came off as uninteresting, but he wanted to try and help Melody understand where he was coming from in terms of offering his help. Little did he realize how he'd simply assumed that he could and would be there to witness the bond. A breath out at that realization came with a shudder of his shoulders and apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I think the better question would be: would you mind the company of a stranger in such an," he paused and moved his hands in an attempt to grasp for the word he wanted. "Intimate matter? I know the bond a pokemon and trainer share is one thing, but a bond to form avatarship must be something completely beyond comprehension. I'd like to witness it from the outside."

Sven himself had no motivation to intertwine his own fate with that of a legendary creature. This fell in the fashion that he didn't understand the ramifications that would come with it. What dangers would come to whisk away a creature of creation or a creature of ruin. It was best not to personally interfere with the matter of gods.

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Melody Miro

The brunette flashed her a quick thumbs up when she mentioned that amigo also meant friends in Paldean. His own Paldean was rusty but he definitely remembered that at the very least. But it was her next few words that caught him off guard and forced a groan from his lips as he covered his face in shame. It was such a cool picture, but the app flagged it and forced him to change lest he wanted his account locked. He remained hunched over in the chair for a moment before he finally looked up to Saskia with a frown.

"I did, but they made me take it down! Said that the weaponry went against their terms of service, and I wasn't gonna fight it."

Instead, he flipped his phone around to show her the picture he had to replace it with. His disappointment was practically palpable. Brows furrowed together as he lowered his phone with a slight pout. But his disappointment quickly subsided before he looked at his own profile and gasped loudly.

"I think I specified but I hope none of the people who swiped got the wrong impression!" he panicked before he heaved out a sigh of relief. "Not that it's a big deal I guess? I just figure that stuff will happen naturally if and when it does. Let destiny find me."

In other words, Sven didn't seem to have any interest in the idea. But he flashed Saskia a thumbs up to encourage her to do whatever she chose with the app. He had a hunch that Kirin would be an excellent wingwoman. Then it hit him.

"Oh! You could share pictures of your pokemon too! Kirin's just too photogenic not to," he beamed as he reached to give the Wyrdeer some scratches behind its ears.

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saskia volosenkova

Tsareena were such haughty creatures to begin with, but to see them in a swarm? It caught him off guard as he saw a few of them fighting. All he could think was, 'THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTINGGGG.' But the lithe way they carried themselves even in the midst of battle felt impressive. Legs long and flexible, whirring around to meet the face of a rival Tsareena. The way the territorial pokemon clashed felt as though he was watching some manic three-year old thrash her Barbie dolls around. They were relentless and he'd be damned if he were caught in the crossfire of it. So Sven stood back and watched the fight unfold.

It was a shame a couple Bounsweets that bounced around ended up whirring through the air like beach balls when the buff-legged Barbies kicked. Sven had to cover his mouth as not to laugh at the poor pokemon's misfortune.

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@tsareenaswarm

With the Elekid snagged, Sven charged over to go pick up the ball. However it was Chomper's turn to protect its trainer. The croc charged forward and leapt onto Sven's shoulder, then landed square in front of him before it shot a Flamethrower at the attacking Charcadet. It matched the intensity of the wild pokemon's Incinerate and left for what could only be described as a true firefight. The two clashed in a way that could only be described as a dance -- Fire Spin met with Fire Blast, sparks were sent flying. Once the two seemed burnt out, the Fuecoco did something unexpected and breathed in before it let out a Yawn.

Sven reached up to cover his ears while the croc let it out. The Charcadet seemed to stumble a bit, as though fatigue had hit it like a freight train. As much as it tried to shake free of the overwhelming feeling, it soon made one final stumble before it hit the ground. Sven threw his final safari ball at the incapacitated Charcadet in an attempt to catch it.

"You guys really went at it-- Shit!"

Before he could finish his thought, Sven let out his Dewott in an attempt to put out the flames that had caught on some of the folliage around the safari zone. He had been too occupied by the fight to notice what got caught in the crossfires. But he supposed he could do some rudimentary firefighting before the warden called him and his team back.

catching charcadet!

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@safarizone

With his Fuecoco in proper shape, Sven gave a sigh of relief. The poor thing had plenty of spirit to it, and it worked as a double-edged sword. Sure, it was fine, but he didn't want to see the croc tire itself out for his sake. Before the pair could properly recoup, static flooded the air. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he moved to tackle his own Fuecoco out of the way. In the split second that followed the impact, a streak of electricity shot past the pair. His quick thinking saved his Fuecoco from paralysis. The Elekid that stalked out of the trees let out a sound that seemed frustrated that its attack hadn't hit. Sven hopped to his feet and helped Chomper stand back up. Once the croc was back on its own feet, he sent the pokemon forward.

"Chomper! Fire Blast!"

Once more, the croc charged forward at its opponent. Though as it ran, it seemed to dig deep for its fire. Flames built up in the creature's maw as it lunged foward and shot out the flames towards the Elekid. Heat crashed down on the electric type and seemed to do the trick. But Sven wasn't completely done, as he heaved yet another safari ball at the Elekid.

catching elekid!

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@safarizone