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The sight of the Drampa sent a brief surge of panic coursing through Victor. His last encounter with the species had been less than pleasant, and even with it's affable and kind appearance, Victor couldn't help but feel a wary hesitation. However, much of the feeling dissipated upon seeing Josh embrace Valoo with such love and affection, and when the dragon gave Victor a kind bump on the cheek, any remaining bit of fear almost instantaneously evaporated, [break][break]

“Nice to meet you, Valoo,” Victor replied with a light chuckle as he stroked the affectionate dragon on the head, “Sounds good. I'm sure Valoo will be considerate of a beginner like me.” [break][break]

Victor listened to Josh attentively, nodding in acknowledgment of the next dragon he was introduced to. Resheph was the second Pokemon Victor had met that Josh had had since his youth, though it struck him as odd that the Dragonair had not yet evolved in all those years. Deciding it would be rude to point this out, Victor pushed the thought aside as he climbed aboard Valoo. As he got himself seated on the Drampa's saddle, he turned back to Josh, [break][break]

“Any particular difference between riding a serpentine dragon as opposed to a non-serpentine dragon?” [break][break]

With his attention focused on boarding Valoo, Victor didn't notice that more wild Pokemon had come to greet the new visitors to the Pillar. Even if he had, however, the glowering stare of the lingering Spiritomb would have been sure to ensure that any smaller Pokemon would keep their distance from the older man.

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Just when Victor thought he finally had his shit together, the devastating, earth-rending stomp of the monstrous dragon pulled him from his thoughts. The ground quaked, the yawning maw of earth splitting wider into a toothy grin of crystal. Victor screamed as he fell onto the snow, his body rocked by the shifting earth. He was convinced that his heart was going to give out, until he saw a bounding shape leap from over the chasm. [break][break]

Victor wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't the small form of the sprightly Keldeo landing before him. His eyes widened in recognition of the creature; Unovan legends spoke of the Pokemon, a Sword of Justice, a defender of Pokemon-kind against the folly of man. Victor blinked once, than twice, to make sure he was actually seeing the legendary Pokemon standing before him. The Pokemon seemed to take a moment to assess his condition, eyeing him with a stern but kind gaze. Nodding resolutely, the Keldeo offered a cry of acknowledgment to Victor before bounding off once more. [break][break]

Victor's heart soared. He had actually run into a Pokemon of legend, here, and it acknowledged him specifically. The bit of COACHING the Pokemon offered was enough to spring Victor to his feet, the Espurr still tucked securely against his chest. He looked around, trying to find an opening by which to escape. Now he had to survive; he couldn't just curl up and die after meeting a literally legendary creature. The question now was just where to go.[break][break]

hgrJrfvP[break]

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Hanging on for dear life, Victor found he didn't have much time to break down and cry as the Pidgeot whirled through the air. He felt his heart leap into his throat as the bird dove and dodged, avoiding any obstacle that could impede them on their journey to safety. Victor barely registered the ground peeling open like a hungry maw until he was safely deposited back onto the ground. He eased himself off of the bird with great difficulty, his whole body trembling with a nauseating mixture of fear and adrenaline. [break][break]

Victor also didn't realize the kind gesture that the Pidgeot had offered until he felt the crumpled fabric of a scarf land in his hands. He stared back up at the bird, tears obscuring his vision, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude completely overtaking him. He gave the Pidgeot a gentle pat and bundled up the fainted Espurr in the scarf, [break][break]

“Thank you,” he choked out breathlessly, “Please stay safe.” [break][break]

His words came out in shaky rattles; it felt impossible to think, to breathe. So Victor, realizing he was at least away from any immediate danger, took a moment to steady his trembling heart. Breathe in, breathe out. One deep breath after the other. The icy air stung his lungs with each gulping, shuddering breath, but the discomfort was a reminder that he was here, he was alive, and he still had a chance to make it out. [break][break]

jSzgdzq7[break]

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As he neared the entrance of the Sky Pillar, Victor paid no heed to the Ghost Pokemon that had begun to flit in and out of the building. He considered Josh's words; getting to ride a dragon Pokemon first would be a good experience to have, but what if he actually was biting off more than he could chew? Victor shook his head as though to will the unpleasant thought away. No, he had to do this. He turned back to Josh and nodded, [break][break]

“Sure, I'd like to give it a try. It'd be good to get a feel for it.” [break][break]

With a flick of the wrist, he sent out one of his own Pokemon to accompany him on their journey. A Spiritomb emerged from a flash of red light, hovering slightly above the ground. She flashed Josh a crooked grin, though Victor was unsure if it was of genuine friendliness, or if it belied the mischief and malcontent often associated with ghost Pokemon, [break][break]

“This is Karitei, by the way,” he offered in introduction.

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The giddiness that had overtaken Victor was undercut by a growing trepidation. What brings you to Hoenn? was a more loaded question than Caleb probably realized. Victor's brow furrowed as he quickly formulated a response; he had to make it succinct and leave no room for further probing that would hurt too much to handle. Taking another sip of coffee, Victor began, [break][break]

“Got displaced like a lot of other folks leaving Kanto during the takeover. Couldn't go to Johto, so Hoenn was the next closest place.” He paused and regarded Caleb for a moment with poignant sincerity, “I'm glad to see you made it out, too.” [break][break]

Victor assumed that Caleb was probably in Hoenn for similar reasons. After all, why else would anyone voluntarily come to this chaotic hellhole? Surely he hadn't come here looking for trouble; from Victor's recollection of their school days, he was a good kid. A star athlete, but kind to Victor. Looking around at the fossils himself, and realizing that Caleb was accompanied by a Pokemon, Victor chimed in with a question of his own, [break][break]

“What brings you here? I mean, like, here here, not Hoenn as a whole,” he clarified with a gesticulated sweep of their immediate area with his coffee-holding hand.

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The sound of the descending Flygon was not quite enough to make Victor jump, but after running into Josh's Garchomp in passing during their riding lesson, Victor had known to expect something similar when the Gym Leader arrived. He watched as the Flygon darted around the tower and smiled when he noticed Josh riding upon the dragon's back. He offered a wave in return as the Gym Leader touched down, [break][break]

“Hey Josh, thanks for meeting me out here. And nice to meet you, Verte,” Victor offered in greeting. [BREAK][break]

He felt a surge of sheepish embarrassment when Josh questioned his intentions for coming to the Sky Pillar. Yes, there were certainly places with easier to raise flying Pokemon, but that was only part of Victor's reason for being here. On the other hand, he couldn't just unload his pathetic sob story onto Josh; at best, it'd just make the younger man uncomfortable, and at worst, it might dissuade the Gym Leader from helping him at all. So Victor shrugged his shoulders in what he hoped looked like a casual gesture of confidence and replied, [break][break]

“I wanted to push myself, is all. Can't get any better as a trainer if I just let myself stagnate.” [break][break]

It wasn't entirely honest, but it certainly wasn't an outright lie either. Victor just hoped that the Gym Leader wouldn't call him out on it.

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Traveling to the remote Pacifidlog Town was not something that Victor would have ever considered doing in years past, but recent events had convinced him that this was something he needed to do. [break][break]

In the last couple of months, he had found himself constantly thrown about in the whirling currents of fate, rescued by other, more capable trainers in the region several times over. He'd felt useless as he was bailed out of trouble time and time again, from a low stakes encounter with an injured Pokemon to matters of literal life and death. Victor felt a weariness that struck him to his core, a sickening sense of helplessness that was eating him from the inside out. [break][break]

So that's why he was here at the Sky Pillar, waiting outside of the structure for the arrival of someone he had quickly begun to consider a friend. He hated to impose on the Gym Leader, especially when he was dragging him out so far from Mauville, but Victor needed someone he could lean on one more time until he had the strength to truly stand on his own two feet. And besides, after his recent Pokemon riding lesson with the guy, the Gym Leader had been the one to advise Victor to get a flying Pokemon in the first place. So that's what he would do; find a Pokemon to carry him through the skies, and one that would be strong enough to keep Victor from ever finding himself a victim again.

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Victor Haas needed a god damn vacation. [break][break]

It had been an eventful couple of months, between meeting new people, acquiring new skills, and the cyclical looping nightmare he found himself trapped in just this past December. His brain was rattled, his body ached, and he wanted to find a cozy little cottage away from civilization to just decompress in for a while. [break][break]

So that's what originally lead him to Oldale Town, a quaint rural community on the western side of the region. He'd found a rather inexpensive place he could rent that looked like it would fit the bill perfectly and he was eager to check the place out. Now that he was here, though, he was beginning to realize exactly why the place was so cheap in the first place. [break][break]

First and foremost was it's proximity to the macabre graveyard now known as The Silent Icelands. Victor was technically getting what he wanted, a place outside of any city, but he wasn't expecting something quite this remote. In the distance, he could see the icy silhouettes of frozen Pokemon, a harrowing sight that often had him drawing the curtains and averting his gaze. Then there was the second consequence of staying in a cheap, remote cabin; the large, infuriated Drampa now rampaging just outside of his front door. [break][break]

When Victor first saw the dragon trudging around in the snow, he thought the Pokemon looked rather cute. It was just so dang fluffy, with it's voluminous tail and the little arms tucked against it's chest. Victor had half a mind to catch it, until he watched the Pokemon split one of the dead trees lining the edge of the property in half. [break][break]

The creature, at present, had begun to rampage through the treeline, lashing out at anything in it's immediate proximity. Victor realized with horror that the dragon was rapidly approaching his cabin, so here he stood, back pressed against the cabin door in a futile attempt at barricading it should the dragon set it's sights on him. The Galarian Mr. Mime that accompanied Victor stood next to him, similarly braced against the door. The two exchanged fearful looks, and Victor swallowed hard; how the hell was he going to get out of this one?

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Glacial boulders of ice whizz past Victor, and he finds himself stunned for a moment in nauseating terror as one narrowly misses crushing him. He wanted to scream, to cry, to just curl up and accept his fate, until the sounds of exploding ice shards pulls him out of his fearful reverie. He looks up in time to see noah faber 's Hitmonlee deftly crush the oncoming shards with earth-shattering kicks. Victor hears the voice of the Pokemon's trainer call out in protection of him. It's enough for Victor to pull his head out of the sand; there are people out here fighting to protect people like him. If someone were to get hurt, or god forbid die because of him, he could never live that down. [break][break]

So when Eko Darling urges him to board the Pidgeot, Victor does so gladly. He braces himself as he clings to the massive bird's feathers, Tegan tucked against his chest, as the Pidgeot takes a few mighty wing beats and sends them soaring. As they take to the skies, the Pidgeot nimbly annihilating any flying shards of ice with an AIR SLASH, Victor murmurs a silent bit of gratitude for Josh Devlin . Were it not for his lesson with the Gym Leader's own Pokemon, Victor is certain that he wouldn't have the courage to ride the bird off into the skies. The little Espurr pressed against his chest clings tightly, and the air begins to shift around them with a curious aura as the little Pokemon conjures a REFLECTive barrier to shield them on their way. [break][break]

But something in the little cat seems to give out, and Victor begins to realize that something is terribly wrong as the form of the Espurr goes limp against him. His heart swells with panic as the barrier around them fizzles out and dies. Tears start to sting the corners of his eyes as he slowly begins to comprehend just how fucked his situation really is. [break]

30RHcoyo

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Victor didn't register the flurry of flapping wings and scarves until the young woman and her Pidgeot were practically right on top of him. His heart soared with relief and trepidation in equal measure as she approached. Victor tried to shakily stand, calling out to her over the winds, [break][break]

“Is there enough room on your Pokemon for both of us?” he tried to bellow over the winds, but was unclear how much could be heard over the blizzard. [break][break]

Victor took a couple of trembling steps forward, impeded by both the thick snow and the sheer panic that gripped him. He'd attempt to board the flying-type Pokemon if permitted, eager to get out of this god damn nightmare.

[break][break]
SW3gA4oB

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As Josh helped him off of Pazuzu, Victor realized he was literally trembling from the rush of adrenaline surging through his veins. In his exuberant and exhausted state, it took him a moment to properly register what the Gym Leader had said. Victor smoothed down his frazzled hair before responding, [break][break]

“Liberating almost sells the experience short. God, it was... incredible,” Victor chuckled breathlessly. [break][break]

His neurons were entirely too shot for him to think of anything coherent to ask Josh. Victor vaguely considered the Gym Leader's suggestion at a follow-up course, but he'd have to get his roster in order first. So he just shook his head, somewhat dazed as he replied, [break][break]

“No, this was a very educational experience. Thanks for the lesson, Josh.”