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After the encounter with the Delibird, Victor set off further into the preserve, Jaakko keeping close behind. They were nearing the center of the park now, and Victor found himself at the edge of a decently sized pond. He stopped at it's edge and Jaakko dipped his head low for a drink. He found himself staring into the pond, spacing out more than anything, when something caught his eye. [break][break]

In the murky darkness of the water, glimmering in it's depths, a star was brightly shining. Victor squinted, brow furrowing. Was that... a Staryu? The shape was the same, but the colors were so... different. There was silver where there should have been gold, and sapphire at it's center instead of ruby. Victor's heart raced at the realization that it was an example of a rare and coveted shiny Pokemon. Had he'd ever seen one in person before? If he had, the memory of the event escaped him. As the Star Shape Pokemon began to slide closer to the surface, arms pulling itself across some large rocks to the right of him, Victor shot Jaakko a conspiratorial glance, [break][break]

“Hey buddy, do you think you can land a Hypnosis on that Pokemon without startling it?” he whispered, somehow afraid that the Staryu would hear him. [break][break]

Jaakko huffed in response, lightly stamping one of his hind legs. Victor wasn't sure if that was an affirmative or a negative response until he watched the deer take a couple of quiet steps towards the wild Pokemon, eyes locked on the gently blinking blue center of the Staryu. He stopped just a few feet short of the starfish, which now was so tantalizingly close to dry land that Victor could have swore that he saw one of it's arms extend from the water. [break][break]

After a moment of apparent concentration, a peculiar light radiated from the deer's antlers. It was vaguely... purple, maybe? But it was something else, something less tangible, as the Stantler's psychic energy warped the air around it in much the way that the space above an asphalt road would warble and distort in the heat of summer. Victor blinked groggily and yawned, then hastily tore his gaze away at the sudden realization that he probably shouldn't be staring right at Jaakko while he was launching his attack. So he instead turned his gaze back to the Staryu and hoped this would be enough to incapacitate the creature for capture.

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Victor was, in fact, noticing some similarities between Din and Jaakko. One thing he was coming to appreciate from both Pokemon was the relatively smooth ride each provided. It was an altogether different experience from the bounding gallop of Josh's Ninetales, and while he did feel himself move a little to each side when riding either deer Pokemon, his tailbone was noticeably less sore. Between this and the little bit of praise from Josh, Victor braced himself as he urged Din to a trot. He was determined to get good at this, [break][break]

“I can imagine!” Victor replied, “I bet moves like that come in handy for Gym challenges, though. But man, I imagine it'd be one hell of a wipeout if you crash into something while using an attack like that.”

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Suddenly, Jaakko looked up, eyes fixed on movement in the nearby treeline. Victor tensed, ready to command Jaakko to action should their newfound company prove dangerous. But the tension was immediately deflated as the two of them watched a red and white bird waddle out from beneath tree boughs sagging under the weight of snow, it's shuffling gait leaving a dragging trail behind it. It brought to mind some sort of Christmas story he'd seen on TV in years past, and of scene involving a man dressed in garb evocative of the Delibird forcefully kicking a child down a slide. The mental image made Victor chuckle, which in turn seemed to catch the wild Pokemon's attention. [break][break]

The Delibird waddled it's way over to Jaakko and Victor, stopping just in front of them. Reaching into it's sack-like tail, it produced an Oran berry and extended it out in offering to the two, [break][break]

“No thanks, little guy. You probably need that more than we do- Jaakko!” [break][break]

While Victor had taken the route of modesty, Jaakko had done the opposite, happily bending down to eat the offered food. The Delibird clapped it's flippery hands with delight, and after a final wave to the both of them, began to waddle off back into the treeline from whence it came. Looking back at Jaakko and his muzzle stained by Oran berry juices, Victor could only sigh and pat the Pokemon on the shoulder. He supposed there was no shame in accepting a gift.

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It was rare that Victor found himself in this part of the region, much less with the funds to actually visit the Safari Zone. He sipped some hot coffee as he lead Jaakko into the preserve, snow crunching under hooves and feet alike. Victor figured it would be a nice distraction from a holiday season that would be uncharacteristically lonely this year; no presents, no milk and cookies put out for Santa, no one to spend it with but his Pokemon. Jaakko leaned forward and began to try and nose his way into the pocket of Victor's windbreaker, [break][break]

“Hey! Stop trying to eat my cigarettes!” he shouted with exasperation, shoving the deer's head away. The Stantler huffed with indignation and seemed to leer at him. This was sure to be an interesting outing.

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The Gym Leader's earnestness was heartwarming. Be patient, and there's no heart you can't open the door to. Victor supposed that one didn't become a Gym Leader and Pokemon Ranger without having such convictions, but still, it was certainly not a sentiment that all trainers shared. There was also another part of Victor, maybe selfish and maybe just professional, that thought that'd make a rather good quote if he was writing for any publications worth reading, [break][break]

“You got that right,” he smiled, “Jaakko's a good boy. I'm sure he'll come around.”[break][break]

Even though he knew it was coming, he couldn't help but flinch slightly at the shrill whistle used to summon Josh's next mount of choice. He also couldn't help but be taken somewhat aback by the flurry of hooves and sparks as the Pokemon dashed up to them, all eagerness and electricity. As the Zebstrika happily greeted it's trainer, Victor looked from the Pokemon towards the northwest from whence it came and back again. Jaakko snorted and shook his head. Victor got the impression that neither he nor his Pokemon were interested in traveling at such speeds. [break][break]

Since there wasn't a mounting block in sight (and Victor greatly doubted his ability to take the leaping jump onto Din that he'd seen in countless online videos), he accepted the Gym Leader's offer of assistance in hopping onto the Sawsbuck. He listened intently to Josh's instruction and took a deep breath as he secured his grip on the larger deer's reins. Nodding, he gave a gentle squeeze of the Pokemon's sides to urge it to a walk, taking note of Jaakko following behind, [break][break]

“Agility, huh? Are there any other Pokemon moves that are useful for riding?” [break][break]

The conversation was partly out of genuine curiosity and partly out of Victor's desire to distract himself somewhat as he rode Din. Since his attempt at riding Jaakko had been less than impressive, he was determined to make up for his perceived shortcomings. Victor kept his back as rigid as he could, but found himself continuously having to bring his elbows back to his sides as he swayed slightly on the deer's back with each step. Talking also helped him to remember to breathe, of all things, as he was quickly beginning to find himself holding his breath involuntarily while he used as much willpower as he could muster to pilot the Sawsbuck.

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Josh had given him a lot to think about as Victor slipped off of Jaakko's back with the Gym Leader's assistance. For one thing, there was the matter of the free saddle voucher. Victor wasn't sure exactly what the gym membership might entail, but the prospect of free stuff did get the old gears turning. But, those thoughts were quickly dashed when he considered his relationship (or lack thereof) with the Stantler he was trying to ride in the first place. As if reading his mind (and who knows, the Pokemon might be), Jaakko leaned over to nibble at the sleeve of Victor's thin windbreaker. His brow furrowed as he gently shoved the deer's head aside. Victor didn't consider himself much of a trainer; he hoped just being a kind traveling companion would be enough to win the cervid over as time went on, [break][break]

“Ah, that's fair,” Victor acknowledged, a little downtrodden and a little bashful. But there was no point in lamenting his shortcomings; at least, not when there was something proactive he could do in the moment. He piped up again, [break][break]

“Some more practice sounds good. I'm sure riding Din'll be just fine.”

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Victor snuffed out his cigarette and involuntarily straightened himself. The woman's words about his wife were very kind, but there was a sort of psychological whiplash at the mention that she was the niece of the Arceus-damned queen of Galar. And, quite frankly, Victor had little reason to doubt her. She conducted herself with a serene grace that Victor now realized was likely reinforced by years of living on a royal estate, and her attire, which he originally took to be merely eccentric (especially the little fascinator tilted to the side like a gothic tree topper), was richly colored and immaculately tailored. He'd been blabbing to her, asking curious questions about her personal life, without realizing she was part of the fucking aristocracy.[break][break]

He found himself at a loss for words; why would a royal be mucking about with the common folk? Why in Hoenn, a place he personally considered to be one of the most dangerous regions to live in? Burning questions to be sure, but he kept them to himself. It was best to be as polite as possible, or else risk some sort of international incident, [break][break]

“I, uh, imagine that must be rough. For your dad, I mean,” Victor replied, trying (and failing somewhat) not to trip over his words too much.

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As he made his way down the mostly empty sidewalk brilliantly illuminated by the streetlights above, Victor started to get the feeling that he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder to see no one, and a sweep of his gaze over his immediate perimeter produced nothing. He paused, stopping under a particularly bright streetlamp in front of a small luxury boutique. Victor looked down at his feet, and noticed something that brought a broad smile to his weary face. [break][break]

Under the almost direct light of the streetlamp, he saw a small blob of shadow beneath his feet, and a longer, trailing shadow leading off to the right. Staring into the penumbra of this longer shadow, Victor called softly, [break][break]

“Hey buddy, cool trick.” [break][break]

The penumbra of the shadow broke into a pair of glowing red eyes that regarded Victor with surprise. The shadow uprooted itself from the sidewalk, molding itself into the shape of a Gengar. Jumpy though he may typically be, recognizing that his pursuer was a familiar species from back home and not a potential mugger had put Victor's mind at ease. On top of that, this was just the friend he was looking for. The Gengar continued to stare at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment at not having been able to properly startle it's would-be victim, [break][break]

“Do you wanna come with me?,” Victor offered, producing a Pokeball and holding it out to the Gengar, “I won't force ya or anything, but I know someone who'd be happy to meet you.”

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“You hear that, boy? You're doing great,” Victor chuckled, taking one hand off the reins just long enough to give Jaakko an affectionate pat. The Stantler snorted and shook his head. Victor was already contemplating what sort of treat he would reward the deer Pokemon with once this was all said and done. [break][break]

But they weren't out of the woods yet. At the mention of the downhill portion, Victor could feel himself involuntarily tighten his grip on the reins. He hadn't done any research on this part of riding Pokemon, and wasn't sure what exactly to expect. It certainly wasn't the increase in speed as Jaakko was carried by the descent, or the odd sensation of the deer Pokemon's loping gallop as they went. It was like the Pokemon was struggling to get his footing, despite the surface of the track being even and flat, his front legs almost seeming to bow out to each side with each bounding step. Victor found himself starting to slide forward from his seat on Jaakko's back as he was carried by both the speed and the angle of the slope, [break][break]

“Woah, easy Jaakko!” Victor called. He forced himself upright and leaned back, tugging on the Stantler's reins, if for no other reason than out of the fear that he was going to slide right off of the Pokemon's back. [break][break]

Maybe it was because they'd finally reached the bottom of the hill, or maybe something about his positioning had helped, but Victor felt Jaakko's gait slow down and sort of... even out, and become steadier, if that was the right way to describe it. Victor slowed the Stantler to a stop and gave him another affectionate pat on the side, [break][break]

“Sorry big guy, don't think I handled that very well,” he muttered in apology. The Stantler turned his head just enough to look at his trainer from out of the corner of his eye and huffed. Victor wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one as the Pokemon turned to face forward once again.