“I meant no harm in misnaming you, Navy. I apologize.” said promptly as he looked to the Elite, then back to the Greninja as it began displaying its words through smoke.

it makes his heart skip a beat as the pokemon used it own smokescreen to beautifully craft a display of its words. Sevastian is diligent in his viewing, brow furrowing as he attempted to decipher the sayings in real time, all to no avail.

only when Navy speaks it out did it all come together, the interviewer feeling a slight twinge of shame at his interpretation skills being calling into question by himself alone. it makes him all the more grateful for Navidson’s help.

he writes down a few notes after the explanation, silence as he made small impressions on the paper.

“Well said.” Sevastian states as he finishes his note-taking, a smile settling on his features.

“Have those feelings forced you into situations where you feel the need to overcompensate at any point?”

Navy

with his umbrella unfurled, Sevastian had been making his way through the ash, eyes squinted as to scrupulously look into the distance. it was only when he noticed a silhouette coming closer that he picked up the pace toward them.

it’s near immediate that she takes his arm, and in that same moment does he angle the umbrella down in a swift motion, first behind her head and then over it, his free hand catching her hat in the same moment the umbrella settled over her.

before he could offer it back, she had already spoken and begun dragging him back towards the trail.

he can only chuckle as he was led forward.

“Who’s leading who here?” Sevastian joked passively- tensing his arm, when needed, to allow her to use it as a support to make it up the incline.

Charlotte Sakuragi  | Sandstorm Spirit (II)

he couldn’t help but crack a smile at the woman lecturing him on facts surrounding a dark type in any nature, but not everyone is bound to know another's story.

“That’s a very interesting point. I’ve heard about the Flamethrower thing before, it’s a very unique trait for a poison type to be able to do naturally.”

the Mightyena and Mabosstiff come to sit on either side of himself, quiet observing as Sevastian continued on.

this could be interesting. lets see how far we can go.

“When you say good runners, do you mean this with or without you on-board? I imagine with the added weight of a person it has to impede their speed, no?”

Shalin Nariya

a little snack was just what he needed after all that. maybe they’d have those nanab crackers he had at that one shoot in Fortree, those smacked. that with a la croix would go HARD.

as he walked to the concessions a goofy smile appeared on his face, imagining how good something to eat would be at the moment; a deep swallow keeping him from going a step beyond into drooling.

it was only when he heard his name called out that he snapped out of his stupor, the smile settling into a straight line across his face as he turned to the crowd, and then into a different smile- one practiced- small but calm.

a fan. and a very main-character-in-this-thread-looking one at that.

he puts a hand in his pocket as he walked towards the stranger, taking out a sharpie and giving a toothy grin as he motions his hand towards the hat, as if he was meant to sign it.

“who am I making it out to?”

howard slayte

todays fit for the shoot is as follows.

for the jacket: a double-breasted slim-fit suit in virgin wool. this is a dark blue business suit, tasteful and elegant yet stylish and forward. the sharp features of the suit make it so you look professional while also staying stylish, the stuffy design of that same hum-drum blazer unstandardized with fewer buttons and a sleeker appearance. one of the major benefits of this specific suit is its dust-resistant fabric.

for the shirt: a slim-fit button up in printed stretch cotton. this white shirt betrays the standard of business wear by displaying a pattern of small squares across the entirety of its surface. even with this, it still comes across as professional. in this shoot there is a mix of casual and professional, so the top few buttons are often unbuttoned and collar occasionally ruffled. even despite the mild abuse, the shirt doesn’t easily lose its ironed out appearance nor the original shape of its collar, making it stylish and functional.

for the pants: regular-fit trousers in wool serge. the dark blue matches the business suit perfectly and the pleat of the pants doesn’t hit against your legs awkwardly. these lightweight pants find a way to feel comfortable yet contort to your proportions nicely. they also feel nice to lounge around in, so even if you’re in them for hours on hours, you won’t feel trapped in a pair of pants that keeps sticking to your leg; or is too hot, causing perspiration and ruining your nice shirt.

for the shoes: suede double-monk strap and cap toe. dark blue, like the jacket and pants, honestly they're a little too bottom heavy. they’re comfortable to wear and when walking in them they do feel solid, but at times when you put your foot forward to walk, you might have to catch yourself. the cap toes also sometimes get caught on surfaces like carpet making you trip a little. despite these grievances, when you get used to them they absolutely feel like something you’d want to wear again and you may even make an effort to make it a certainty that they end up back on your feet once more.

for the accessories: a watch, a belt, and a document case.

the watch: a black link-bracelet with a tonal dial. this fully black multi-eye watch is accentuated with gold for the hands and the hash marks. the beauty is in it’s simplicity as and elegance, not too boastful but still bold in its accentuation. the black-plated steel link bracelet keeps your wrist cool and fits nicely on either wrist, never clamping on too tightly in any orientation its placed in.

the belt: a kalosian-leather belt with plaque monogram buckle. for this shoot we placed a faux mega key stone into the plaque area as well as the companies logo. the belt is not much on its own so there isn’t much to really comment on it, what really makes it special is the plaque but it’s also kind of tacky to place a mega stone on a belt. if i have free reign, and we were not to look business casual slash professional, it could look good if it was more on the hip than towards the crotch.

the bag: a zipped document case in kolosian leather with embossed (hugo boss) logo. it’s a spacious black case with multiple compartments for storing documents or other needed items such as pokeballs and other baubles; theres even a waterproof bag and specified location for an umbrella. it’s kind of boring but its practical and nice to look at, and the natural weight is light so even if it filled up, you won’t have to worry about the bag itself adding to that total weight.

---

the photoshoot was to be a display of this particular brands versatility. there was already a shoot made with another colleague in Sinnoh at Snowpoint, and another in Orre across multiple cities, so snow and sand was covered. ash was and is a lesser explored natural effect, but when there are multiple cities in Hoenn that are affected by it, it isn’t such a farfetched medium.

in any case, while displaying the fashion forwardness of this particular company, a certain natural element that was being advertised against had decided to come into play; a sootstorm to be exact. it wasn’t exactly uncalled for, but usually these things would be forecasted before they happened, today was different.

one moment there was the normal amount of ash falling from the skies, Sevastian posing for the cameras with his umbrella to the ground, and the next, a violent torrent of ash began pouring from above; completely clouding the hubris of humanity that is lavaridge.

as the crew struggled to hurry and pack up their gear, careful not to damage any of the expensive equipment set out, Sevastian aided citizens and previous onlookers of the public shoot towards the nearest source of cover.

releasing two pokemon, a Mightyena and a Mabosstiff, the man instructed them to continue escorting lost citizens into town while he made an effort- despite the current cinematographer’s warnings not to- to head further up the road so people could have someone to direct them through the smog.

Charlotte Sakuragi  | Sandstorm Spirit (II)

“On god?” he mouths in somewhat astonishment at the confession. sending such a risqué text to two of leagues big hitters takes a lot of guts.

“How brave.” Sevastian mutters as he tucks the voice recorder back into his jacket.

“To hear that such a stoic has a mischievous side is humbling to say the least.”

a chuckle follows as he jots that tidbit down into the open notepad.

adjusting the positon of the glass, he takes another sip from the whiskey, pushing it a little further away from himself as to pace and not overindulge.

“Reliability is a another is one of the most valuable things shared between a pokemon and its partner. I only have two pokemon myself. I trust them with my life and they do what they can to make it easier, but they’re still a lot to manage. I can only image how stressful it must be for one who is at the forefront of this war, of sorts, to be put into so many life threatening scenarios alongside those you love and trust.”

he hovers the pen over his notepad paper and looks to Greninja as he takes a breath and then continues.

“Which begs the question: how do you keep your cool through it all? Is it due to Michael’s training? Is it because of your own personal experiences? Natural talent? Please, enlighten me.”

with this the interview had begun, one leg crossing over another as a flash of the blue sole pierced through darkness before pointing itself towards the bar counter. his full focus rested on the Greninja, giving it the attention he would a human in the interviewee position.

Navy

the fit for the current moment is what he dressed himself in before he had arrived to the studio.

the shirt: a dior charm relaxed-fit sweatshirt, fully whit. on the back is a logo of dior emblazoned in a light blue font. it’s basically a large billboard for the brand, but it’s also kind of a humble brag in the same instance, showing that you have the money to buy a sweatshirt that’s more than some peoples paychecks. i wear it just because it’s a cotton fleece that feels extremely comfortable in the somewhat cold studio environment.

the pants: cannage bermuda shorts, blue silk twill. now I know what you’re thinking, “a sweater that you say you’re wearing because its cold, but you’re still wearing shorts?” I know, I know. but to that same respect, people wear t-shirts and jeans on a warm day, so why not the opposite with a sweater and shorts? trust the process.

the shoes: b57 low-top sneakers, light blue and white calfskin. not much to say other than it’s stylish and the light blue matches with the rest of the outfit. they’re also extremely comfortable to walk around in with couture hi-socks.

the accessories: dior and parley cap, blue and white. it’s a nice alternative to sunglasses for the walk here, though it’s taken off almost immediately after entering the studio.

other than that, the luxury balls that house his pokemon. he plans on doing an outfit swap a little later so anything he needs is in his dressing room.

---

the location chosen for their meet was a Vanta's own home studio, located in Lilycove. Elise Calcifet had been nice enough to answer his summons for an interview so that the citizens of Hoenn can get a better idea of what counts as fashion for an ambassador.

this wasn't anything Sevastian hasn't done before, but it always felt a little weird to put people like this into a the spotlight of something that they really had nothing to do with. he never felt that it was a bad thing perse, as he got to speak to people that were of a different lifestyle than himself, but it felt kind of... psyop-y?

well... as long as it doesn't impact him in a major way, he can't really complain.

a rap at the door signals his arrival, Sevastian stepping into the entryway to the production studios guest room a few moments after ensuring his guest was decent. leaning into the frame, he gives a pleasant smile to Elise before he begins to speak.

“Have you been properly taken care of Miss Calcifet? I hope our assistants have given you the adequate amount of attention you deserve.”

checking his phone, he eyes the time for a second before sliding it away, taking a step into the room and placing both hands on his hips.

“So, how we’re going to do this is we’re going to have a two-part interview. The first will be us in our current outfits just chatting, I’ll be asking you questions until I get down a good feel for you. Then, after a quick outfit change, we move into the next part; which will be a photoshoot slash interview. Basically, you hold a pose while cameras snap photos and we talk, half is looking at cameras, half is looking at me. It’s semi-awkward for the first question but after that you just get used to it.”

giving her one look up and down he asks her one final question with a soft smile.

“Do you have any questions for me before we step foot into the metaphorical frying pan?”

Elise Calcifet

as the whiskey is placed before him, Sevastian nods in appreciation to the man, taking it into his hands with his index, middle and thumb to take a sip from the glass before placing it back onto the bar.

a grimace follows before his features soften, his tastebuds not yet acclimated to the strength of the amber liquor. “... First sip is always the hardest.” he whispers before opening his mouth to speak aloud, only to hold his tongue with the materialization of the Greninja.

taking out a notepad, he flips to an empty page before setting it onto the bar, clicking a pen twice before setting it next to the open jotter.

“Nice to meet you Hattori, I’ve seen and read of your endeavors and can’t help but find myself impressed and astounded by the magnitude of your feats.”

Sevastian’s eyes turn to Michael’s, his own hand placed atop the pen and paper. “Have you taught Hattori how to write? It would be nice to have the interviewer and interviewee able to properly communicate, but if not, it’s no problem.”

he produces a high quality voice recorder, placing it in the middle of the two men, a little closer to Michael than himself.

“If need be, we can record everything and have it properly transcribed later.”

Navy

the fit for today is warm-weather essential, cool and comfortable.

the shirt: a striped lisle crewneck, deep blue and teal. its made of pure breathable cotton and fits snug enough to feel as if you’re not wearing anything at all; perfect for a days walk out in this summer heat.

the pants: gregory hand-tailored twill suit trousers, a pure white. not exactly great for a walk, as the white does tend to stain, but it is very appealing to the eyes. it fits nicely around the rump to accentuate curves as well, so that’s a major plus. but…

the pants, part 2: 5-inch mayfair swim trunks, swapped out due to the breathability. a pattern of white squares coats the fabric so it’s stylish and fun. it fits just as nicely as the suit trousers do and also shows off a healthy amount of leg. much nicer than the previous choice due to the fact that won’t get dirty around the ankles and there’s a built in strap so theres no need for a belt; a tucked shirt looks all the better for it.

the shoes: bosworth monogram canvas espadrille, white with a rubber sole that gives off the impression of tweed or thatch, depending on how you look at it. now this one might have you wondering why i changed from white pants only to have a white canvas shoes. and to that I simply say, “ I felt like wearing them.”

the accessories: a medium steel white dial. this stainless steel, horseshoe shaped, watch is extremely simple and elegant and goes with any outfit its paired with. its black calfskin wrist strap is thin and doesn’t draw much heat either, making it perfect for the tropical climate of hoenn.

and finally, a black heritage leather messenger bag, big enough for the essentials and doesn’t feel like it will encumber you. in it rests water, snacks, pokeballs, a digital camera, a notepad, etc… and continues to be stylish all while its at your side. it’s the second thing that can be called into question due to it drawing a lot of heat, but, it looked damn good with the outfit so it’s yet another sacrifice to make in the name of fashion.

---

today was a day of rest, nothing on sevastian’s menu other than to work on his photography skills. recently one of his submissions didn’t meet his own standards. it was acceptable, but when his job is to capture the beauty of a certain pokemon, acceptable isn’t acceptable.

a walk, that’s what he needed, and being accompanied by his pokemon would help to clear his mind even moreso.

he’d been enjoying it, you know; the evening air, the sun on his face, the delight of watching his Mightyena and Mabosstiff play with one another, hopping in and out of the path and play fighting with one another. these are moments of peace that one doesn’t realize they need until they have them.

but the need arose for him to come to a stop, as on the opposite side of the path walked a Skuntank with a woman on its back.

while resting a hand on his bag, he waved the woman to stop as he approached slowly, waving the dogs behind himself.

“never, uh, never seen a skuntank carry someone like that. it’s very… interesting… is the skuntank okay?”

Shalin Nariya