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If Victor didn't feel like a fish out of water before, he certainly did now. The opulence of the estates they passed was obvious to him, but the extremely elevated statuses of it's residents certainly outshone Victor's initial expectations. People not afraid to drop a million bucks with a single click. He couldn't even fathom having enough money to do such a thing in the first place, much less enough to treat a million as a pittance to gamble away. Contemplating this, he eyed a particularly lavish home across the street; in doing so, he could have sworn that he saw a singular, pulsating red eye leering at him from somewhere behind a Phanpy-shaped topiary. Deciding that he wanted absolutely none of that, Victor urged the Kantonian Ninetales he rode to a canter. He tightened his grip on the reins; he could practically feel himself bounce out of the seat with each stride, but Josh didn't need to know about the mild discomfort Victor now found himself in.[break][break]

But he did himself a little intrigued at the mention of Josh's own finances and his reference to the Fortree Sanctuary. He made a mental note to revisit that subject at some point, whether it was in discussion with Josh or elsewhere. [break][break]

Returning his attention to Josh proper, he nodded, “I was actually gonna ask you about that; anything I should be looking for when choosing a Pokemon to ride? It's something I'd like to look into, but hell, I don't know the first thing about riding.” Victor was less willing to admit that his knowledge of Pokemon training and battling was only slightly better. [break][break]

His ears perked up again at the mention of food, and he desperately hoped Josh hadn't heard his stomach growl. Oh, he'd kill for something to eat right about now, [break][break]

“A Unovan place sounds great. You think they have any burger joints around here?” he asked. Maybe that was a dumb question, but hey, the heart wants what it wants, “Though with our luck, in a place like this, it'd be one of those restaurants that serves deconstructed meals; they'd give you a slab of ground meat on a plate, lettuce and tomatoes on the side, and the ketchup and mustard would be 'artfully' splattered somewhere underneath it all.” [break][break]

He slowed the Kantonian Ninetales to a slower walk and looked around; after getting turned around on Route 117, he was no longer confident in his ability to properly identify cardinal directions. Plus, it also gave his increasingly sore tailbone some rest. As he looked around, he noticed the boughs of a tree from a neighboring estate reaching over the sidewalk, nearly shadowing the street. This wasn't particularly remarkable in and of itself; it was the angry, bird-like chattering coming from the dense canopy that had really caught Victor's attention. [break][break]

Suddenly, a flurry of feathers and bird feet descended upon him; Victor loosed a rather unbecoming EEK! as he was set upon by whatever avian Pokemon he'd managed to piss off, [break][break]

“Honoka, help!” he shrieked. The bird Pokemon, a Trumbeak apparently, backed off enough for Victor to get some breathing room from his assailant, “Use Confuse Ray!” [break][break]

If Victor didn't know any better, he could have sworn that his own Ninetales rolled her eyes at him before launching a dizzying barrage of colorful lights at the bird. They encircled the creature, whirling around in dizzying patterns. The Trumbeak, fixated on the lights, tried to follow their paths with it's own gaze, but only succeeded in twirling about in a disoriented haze, only barely managing to keep itself airborne. Well shit, now Victor just felt bad for the bird. Maybe he could get it to a Pokemon Center? He dug out one of his few Pokeballs from his pack and tossed at the Trumbeak; it popped open, clicked shut, and Victor watched with anticipation as the ball shuddered back and forth.

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Victor heard Sterling command their Pokemon, but he wasn't entirely aware of what was happening until he turned to see the teen holding the rectangular bug like some kind of insectoid cannon. He blinked, a little stupefied. Maybe this was some kind of Ranger technique? At least, that was his initial internal explanation, until he heard the shrill cry of a writhing Wingull trapped in a layer of sticky webbing. Victor looked at the Wingull, back to the teen, and back to the Wingull once more. He wasn't sure what exactly what their comrade was planning, but Victor knew the name of the game; crowd control. [break][break]

Victor took a deep breath to ground himself, determined to help as much as he could without getting in the Ranger's way. He looked around and faced the direction opposite from where Sterling was aiming their Charjabug, noting a new swarm of Wingull beginning to descend upon more and more little Tirtouga as they emerged from the sand. [break][break]

“Solomon, use Swift on that flock of Wingull over there!” Victor commanded, pointing forward. The Espeon hastily complied, loosing a dazzling barrage of stars towards the group. The goal wasn't to knock out every single one of these rotten birds – if he could just keep them away from the sands long enough for the newborn turtles to make it to the water, that would be enough. Victor silently hoped that the attack would distract enough of the birds to make a difference.

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Victor felt a twinge of panic at Josh's response, and a new flush of embarrassment. He'd expected Josh to have some preference or knowledge of where to go; Victor had only recommended this part of town in what was now turning out to be a rather misguided attempt to impress him. Well shit, how did he pivot from here? Maybe some transparency would be a good start,[break][break]

“Ah, seriously? I figured that a big shot member of the League like you'd be a regular in a neighborhood like this,” he sighed. As the procession of foxes made their way down the street, ambling past pedestrians at a leisurely pace, Victor vaguely noted a particularly lavish fountain in a lot off to their right. A Primarina sang a gorgeous tune to a teary-eyed Azurill, each note echoed in voluminous bubbles that it conjured with the power of it's voice. But no, wait, this wasn't the time to get distracted. [break][break]

“If I'm being honest, this neighborhood is a little ritzy for my taste too. Nice place for a stroll though,” Victor continued, “And the ride's been pretty comfortable so far. Maybe we can just keep our eyes peeled for the first place that looks good?”

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The sonorous chime of the Heal Bell soothed Victor's aching muscles and burning lungs. Finally able to catch his breath, he chuckled bashfully at Josh's acknowledgment of his sorry state, [break][break]

“Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just didn't want to be late,” he admitted. When Josh offered a ride on the rather large Kantonian Ninetales, Victor was happy to accept the offer. It was relatively easy to get seated on the large, golden-furred fox Pokemon, and this time Victor was mentally prepared when Mystic rose to their feet. On the other hand, Victor's own Ninetales stared at her Trainer and the much larger version of her kin that he was now riding upon. She seemed to glower at the both of them, though Victor couldn't tell if it was out of jealousy or some other flavor of disdain. He shuddered when he recalled stories of the species being able to inflict thousand-year long curses, and resolved to find a way to bribe his way back into her good graces later. [break][break]

Noticing that Josh was now saddled upon his Alolan Ninetales, Victor spoke up, [break][break]

“So, where to?”

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Victor let out a sigh of relief when his brain finally registered that, yes, this kid is in fact okay, as he watched Sterling release and command their Kirlia. But Victor had to get his bearings, and fast. More Wingull were beginning to descend upon the beach as he watched the newly-hatched turtle Pokemon emerge from the sand. Man, they were really cute, the way they dragged themselves along with their little flipper-hands, tiny babies sliding along the sands towards the safety of the sea. All the more incentive to protect them, Victor resolved. [break][break]

Another Wingull swooped down, trying to snatch a baby Tirtouga practically out from under Victor's feet, [break][break]

“Solomon, use Psybeam!” Victor commanded, though this time without the fury and desperation of before. The Espeon, standing a little further down the beach, made a leaping turn towards Victor. He fixed his eerie, feline gaze on the bird and fired a radiating, pulsing beam of psychic energy from the jewel in his forehead. It made contact with the Wingull, knocking it out of the sky, and the bird came down in a rather ungraceful, tumbling fall onto the sand. But there's so many more flanking their every side; Victor wondered how he was supposed to keep up with all of them.

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Oh no, oh shit, oh fuck, Victor was running late.[break][break]

After Josh Devlin came to his aid (and to a hurt Poochyena's) on Route 117, Victor had become intrigued by Josh's stories of Pokemon racing and was eager to pick his brain for more information. Not that Victor was the sportiest guy himself, but hey, he was always deeply interested in people excitedly discussing their passions. It was the sort of thing that got him into journalism in the first place. [break][break]

But now he was running late meeting up with the Gym Leader, because of a debacle with his bank when he checked to see if he could somehow scrape together the cash to get lunch at a place far more upscale than he normally frequented. But it's not like Victor could just get lunch with the guy at the local Burger Kingler; Josh was part of the region's Pokemon League, an elite Ranger, and an accomplished athlete to boot. Victor was sure he'd look like a schlubby bum if he didn't at least make the effort to try and go somewhere befitting Josh's status. [break][break]

So that's how Victor found himself, a little disheveled and definitely winded, his Ninetales Honoka trailing behind him, when he finally made his way to Mauville Hills and found Josh. He offered the other man a wave, but was too busy trying to catch his breath to offer a proper greeting. But oh hey, he also had a pair of Ninetales with him, though they still dwarfed Honoka significantly. What the heck was this guy feeding his Pokemon?

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“That's fascinating; so even the Pokemon you use for channeling come from a specific lineage,” Victor contemplated out loud. This was incredibly intriguing; he half-considered taking notes, but that would probably be rude when the woman was offering this insight in good faith. The connection to the 'Divine Rainbow One' also caught his interest – she most certainly was referring to Ho-Oh, though Victor was only tangentially familiar with that legendary Pokemon's lore. [break][break]

But his train of thought switched tracks at the mention of his wife. Ah fuck; he was trapped by the concept of reciprocity. Even if it was a little bit of a sore subject, it would be improper to ignore the question when this young woman had been so courteous in humoring his own curiosity. So he fished out his pack of crumpled cigarettes, lit one up, and took a very deliberate drag, careful not to blow any smoke in the direction of the woman or the Pokemon around them, [break][break]

“Ah, yeah, you could say that,” he began, “Her more so than me, if I'm being honest. I used to write for a paper back in Lavender Town, specifically covering stories of alleged occult phenomena. Found a lot more schlock than I did anything compelling, but Naomi was always fascinated by it all.” [break][break]

Victor took another drag, and exhaled the smoke through his nostrils, [break][break]

“No matter how ridiculous it was, she would always get so excited whenever I told her about the newest story I was working on. She said it made her feel like there was still magic in the world. I'm not quite that starry-eyed anymore, but I do still like learning about those kinda things. Really gives you insight into people, humanity, you know?”

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Victor nodded politely at the three Eeveelutions as they were released from their Pokeballs and introduced to him. Solomon, on the other hand, narrowed his rather large eyes at the larger examples of his kin and looked like he was making an active attempt to keep his distance from them. His Espeon's opinion notwithstanding, Victor thought that the gym leader had rather good taste, though his curiosity was further intrigued when Josh mentioned he wasn't a native of the region. [break][break]

But Victor's attention was soon pulled away from that particular thought and was instead drawn to Josh's answer to his previous question. Huh, this guy really was full of surprises. Though Victor didn't follow sports himself and rarely lingered in one place too long in the region, he couldn't help but find himself enraptured. There was something a little romantic about the idea of one man being so passionate about racing that he found a way to share it with a city entire, if not the whole of Hoenn. Maybe this is how the sports columnist back at the old Lavender Town newspaper always felt. [break][break]

Before Victor had a chance to respond to Josh, he began to see the outskirts of Mauville City come into view. He'd almost forgotten about the little Poochyena they were bringing back; intrigued or no, the Pokemon's health came first, [break][break]

“Maybe we can find some time to chat after we get the little guy checked out,” Victor responded, “Only if you've got nothing else going on. I don't wanna intrude, but I do love a good story.”

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Victor listened intently to Josh's explanation, trying to absorb the information as thoroughly as he could. He grabbed Kamuy's reins as the Umbreon rose to it's feet; it all seemed rather simple, but putting it into practice would be another thing entirely. [break][break]

He gave a gentle, tentative squeeze of the Umbreon's sides with his legs, and the Pokemon began an even trot forward. Victor nearly gave a rather unflattering squeak of surprise as the Dark-type started it's gait, but the Pokemon dutifully slowed to a gentle walk when Victor found himself involuntarily relaxing the pressure on the Umbreon's sides. Kamuy was exceptionally mindful, he found, which made him relax the white-knuckled grip he had on the reins. He squeezed again, the Umbreon starting it's trot once more, and he steered the Pokemon back towards the direction of Mauville. Solomon easily kept pace alongside, occasionally looking up at Victor like he'd grown a second head, [break][break]

“Hey, this is pretty easy. I could see myself doing this kinda thing more often,” Victor remarked with a smile, turning to Josh, “Out of curiosity, how'd you get into Pokemon riding?”

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Huh, Victor had never really thought of it that way. A Pokemon to travel across the land, another for the sea, and another for the air; damn, that would be a lot more economical than having to pay the fare for a ferry every time he had to get back and forth from places like Dewford or Slateport's beach. And visiting places like Lilycove were often out of the question outside of seasonal discounts. Not to mention he could completely circumvent some of the more treacherous legs of some of his treks by just flying over them. Victor didn't consider himself a particularly gifted or even serious Trainer, though; could he handle the responsibility of corralling that many Pokemon? [break][break]

His thoughts were interrupted by the large Umbreon's approach, and he felt a small bit of panic when the reality sank in that, yes, he was going to be riding this especially large feline-canine Pokemon. But his feet hurt, and Josh was being extremely polite, so there was really no good reason to turn him down, [break][break]

“Uh, yeah; I've never ridden a Pokemon before,” he responded as he cautiously got on the Umbreon's back. He wasn't really sure what to expect, but Kamuy seemed like a gentle enough Pokemon.

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Victor felt an immediate pang of pity for the other man. An inability to taste sounded positively dreadful; some of the most inexpensive and satisfying comforts in life came from enjoying a good meal. He thought it'd probably be rude to mention that, though, so he instead eyed the skewers of meat the other man was holding. Well, he knew better than to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, so he nodded. [break][break]

“Hell yeah, I'd love to,” Victor replied, reaching for one of the meat skewers, “What about you; are you enjoying yourself tonight?” And even if they were just two strangers making a bit of conversation, Victor sincerely hoped the other man was. After all, sharing a tasty morsel of food was a genuine act of generosity, especially when it was food as tasty as this.

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Oh hell no.[break][break]

Victor immediately cursed himself for not reacting more quickly as he watched Sterling get tackled by one of those stupid, evil devil-birds. Something about Sterling's cry of pain immediately set off a fury that felt a little alien to the normally level-headed Victor; he wanted to rip that Wingull in half for hurting this poor kid, [break][break]

“HEY!” he yelled at the bird, throwing his Espeon's Pokeball in it's direction, “Fuck off!” [break][break]

Solomon emerged in a dazzling burst of red light, large eyes blinking a little blearily. He'd probably been napping before being so aggressively called upon.[break][break]

“Solomon, use Psychic on that stupid fucking bird!” [break][break] Victor barked. The feline Pokemon responded immediately, sensing the urgency and anger that punctuated his Trainer's voice. Purple waves of psychic energy radiated outward from the jewel embedded in the Espeon's forehead, and immediately surged towards the Wingull in an attempt to knock it out in one strike. Meanwhile, Victor dashed towards Sterling, his shoes struggling to find purchase in the sand, [break][break]

“Hey!! Are you okay?”

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There's an immediate spark of recognition at the mention of Ecruteak. Johto, his wife's home region, always held a special place in Victor's heart. He couldn't help but smile a little at the mention of it, his mind momentarily filled with fond memories of days spent together there. But the mention of spirit mediums also immediately caught Victor's attention; a whole maternal lineage devoted to the practice of communing with the dead? Ghost Pokemon being used as a part of these sacred rituals? It was all absolutely intriguing. He wanted to press the young woman for details, but Victor wanted to make sure he was tactful about doing so; they'd only just met, after all. [break][break]

“Ecruteak is a beautiful city.” he started, “My wife and I were actually married at a venue just north of there.” [break][break]

He felt his chest tighten as the memories of that beautiful day began to surge to the forefront of his mind. No, not now, I can't handle it. The last thing he wanted to do was to get emotional in front of a stranger, so he swallowed hard and continued, [break][break]

“Can you tell me a little about the spirit channeling, though? That sounds... well, quite incredible, if I'm being honest.”