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oh boy! a pokeball! that will come in handy! surely she won't find six more![break][break]

1EpThteX

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phoebe does a rather impressive flip off of her mantine and into the water. not the magikarp splash, but it was... something? no points, regardless. as she breaks the surface, sputtering and gasping for air, she sees the mantine circling back toward her, its usually calm eyes wide with concern. reaching out a hand, she pats the thing's head. "guess I won't be entering any contests with that move," she mutters, stroking the mantine's smooth, rubbery skin. "but hey, we gave it a shot, didn't we?"[break][break]

pulling herself back on, phoebe eyes an incoming wave. "alright, second time's the charm!"[break][break]

MAGIKARP SPLASH![break][break]

yD6Hlajn

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phoebe watches with genuine mirth as howard cracks open the case and places his sights on genuine space rocks. he really does like his rocks! "i promised i would!" she exclaims in response. "and phoebe vega does not break a promise."[break][break]

she leans back in her chair, allowing her eyes to roam to the distance, where the ocean laps gently at mossdeep's beaches. she loves space, this much is true, but it certainly imposes more restrictions. sometimes, it just feels good to stand in the sand with water around her ankles, to feel the breeze on her face, to set something down without being worried about it drifting away. howard makes it sound like what she does is so much cooler, and while it is quite cool, phoebe knows that nothing can really beat hoenn.[break][break]

"a lot of people go crazy in the space station," phoebe says with a smile, waving a hand. "eating rehydrated food for six months... never feeling sunlight on your skin... you gotta be real comfortable with yourself to live like that for a long time. don't sell yourself short. the ground beneath our feet has its own charm."[break][break]

phoebe leans forward, eyes sparkling. "but, hey, museum job! that's pretty awesome, howard. which one is it? i might wanna visit one day."[break][break]

howard slayte

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phoebe adjusts her diving mask, taking a deep breath as she prepares to descend into the clear, inviting waters off slateport’s coast. diving is a perfect mix of challenge and adventure, and she couldn’t resist the call of the ocean depths. with a final check of her gear, she signals to reggie, her minior, who floats beside her, ready to provide light in the darker parts of the sea.[break][break]

she takes the plunge, the cool water enveloping her as she dives beneath the surface. the world above fades away, replaced by the serene quiet of the underwater realm.[break][break]

UmtsS40y

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phoebe tightenes her grip on the saddle as the mantine beneath her glides smoothly over the ocean's surface. the waves are perfect today—rolling and consistent, offering just the right amount of challenge for the trick she's about to attempt. steadying her breath as a large wave approaches, phoebe prepares to put her skills to the test: surfing a mantine is just like flying a plane, right...?[break][break]

it's time... for the MAGIKARP SPLASH![break][break]

vQ2bT3r2

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the heat of the fiery path was nearly oppressive, but phoebe had long since adapted to the fluctuating temperatures of extreme environments. as she navigated the rugged terrain, the walls of the cave shimmered with the ambient heat, making the air feel thick and heavy. despite the stifling conditions, she felt a surge of anticipation. this wasn’t her first spelunking expedition, but the prospect of discovering something as rare and powerful as a mega stone added an extra layer of excitement.[break][break]

at her side, albedo, her porygon2, floated with mechanical precision, scanning the area with a faint hum. the digital Pokémon’s eyes glowed softly as it processed the data from its scans, ready to alert phoebe of any unusual mineral formations or potential hazards.[break][break]

“alright, albedo,” phoebe murmured, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead as she stopped to survey their surroundings. “let’s see if we can find anything worth our time. keep an eye out, okay?”[break][break]

albedo buzzes in approval, and phoebe nods. with that, she continues to lead the way, venturing deeper into the heated shade of the caverns waiting ahead of them.[break][break]

Asher Graham

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nimbasa is phoebe's true home, but mossdeep will always feel like a home away from home. while peregrination will always draw phoebe beyond her comfort zone, she can always return to the space center the next day, and get right back to work. the sea breeze helps, too. a fresh aspect of an otherwise tepid, tense region. she breathes it in deeply as she walks, relishing in the way the ocean's scent seems to fill her lungs. spending over a half of a year in space is just enough to make phoebe re-appreciate the aspects of life she had once taken for granted. it helps, too, that she'll be seeing an old colleague in the process.[break][break]

when she spots howard in the distance, sitting at a cafe that is, ostensibly, a tourist trap, the cosmonaut waves back at him, her hair bobbing over her shoulders. she picks up her pace, and soon finds herself slipping into a patio chair opposite of the archeologist. her eyes linger on the skarmory fighting with the man before her, and she quirks a brow. very similar to navy's. could it be a coincidence? "looks like you've got your hands full," phoebe teases, setting down a small, metallic case on the table.[break][break]

"well, howard, i like to keep my promises," phoebe begins, her voice warm as she slides the case closer towards him. "but you'll owe me a favor. took me a bit of sweet-talking to get them cleared for personal collection."[break][break]

she urges him to take a look with a nod of her head, and she leans forward to cradle her chin in her hands as she fixes howard with a bright look and a simple smile. "but, more importantly, how have you been? besides, you know, getting fleeced for coffee and fighting off hungry skarmories."[break][break]

howard slayte

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navy's exclamation draws phoebe back to where she came. boots clambering against the deck, the woman peeks past the opened door to peer into the bathroom, and there she finds glistening, sticky eggs superimposed atop an old-timey toilet. she cringes and falters. the clutch is primed to hatch, pulsating with shapes just beneath the amorphous, almost translucent shell, and the soft, squelching noises emanating therein makes phoebe's stomach churn. gross.[break][break]

even so, research is research. phoebe pulls her bag around to her front to search its contents for her sample collectors. "yeah, that's a good idea," she agrees.[break][break]

as she finally relinquishes a syringe from her bag, a truly undersized skarmory lands atop her shoulder, gleaming with latent energy and casting the cosmonaut's face in a stellar glow. phoebe's face immediately soars into an enchanted smile. "oh, aren't you just the cutest little research assistant?" she coos, gently running a finger along its head. "and mighty, too, if you'll be the one doing the burning!"[break][break]

with a laugh, phoebe ventures into the bathroom, and wastes no time in carefully piercing one egg's shell with the syringe's needle. drawing the cylinder up, the syringe fills with a sickly off-white liquid, almost green, until the syringe is around halfway full. with that, phoebe caps off the syringe and tucks it back into her bag, then straightens and completely exits the bathroom. she nods in navy's direction.[break][break]

"all done! go ahead and light it up."[break][break]

Navy

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and, just like that, something cool walks her way![break][break]

the cosmonaut's eyes beam as she lands her gaze squarely on a young, high-class lady and... a pokemon phoebe has never seen before in a stroller. a rabbit, a crown, and the nursemaid waiting on him. immediately, phoebe is distracted from her conversation with one of the curators, and she lays her full attention on the pair of new arrivals. the curator, recognizing that phoebe's already flimsy attention has been caught by something else, chuckles and wanders off.[break][break]

"oh wow," phoebe enthuses, leaning close to charles in wonder. "i've never seen anything like him before! charles, is it?"[break][break]

realizing that she has gotten ahead of herself, phoebe straightens, now fixing elise to be held aloft in her gaze. phoebe bows her head slightly. "sorry, i should introduce myself!" she apologizes. "my name is phoebe. what's your name?"[break][break]

Elise Calcifet

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phoebe adjusted her grip on the reins as she guided her skarmory, spectrum, through the narrow passages of granite cave. the rhythmic flapping of spectrum's metallic wings echoed off the ancient stone walls, filling the cavern with a soft, resonant hum. the air inside the cave was cool and damp, a stark contrast to the warm sun outside, but phoebe found the change refreshing.[break][break]

granite cave was one of her favorite places in Hoenn—a place where the ancient and the modern seemed to converge. the cave art, etched into the walls by hands long gone, told stories of a time when humans and pokémon had just begun to understand each other. every visit to this place felt like a step back in time, and today was no different.[break][break]

spectrum's claws clinked against the stone as they landed on a wide ledge deep within the cave. phoebe dismounted, running a hand along spectrum's sleek, cool feathers before turning her attention to the walls around her. she had seen these carvings countless times, but they never failed to capture her imagination. the figures depicted in the rock told tales of primal battles, legendary pokémon, and the bond between humans and the natural world.[break][break]

she reached out, her fingers lightly brushing against the ancient etchings. the stories these walls held were older than anything she could comprehend, yet they still resonated with her—stories of exploration, of discovery, and of the enduring connection between life and the world around it. being here, surrounded by these ancient murals, made her feel grounded, connected to the world in a way that was hard to describe.[break][break]

Josh Devlin

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phoebe's eyes sparkle as she watches navy gently push off into the air. yeah, she had imagined as much.[break][break]

gently, the cosmonaut does the same, gliding up in a similar fashion. "not too different," she affirms with a nod as she surveys the space around her. "like swimming without resistance. whatever atmosphere exists here is not very dense, but just dense enough to push through if you move enough. it helps that gravity is not very strong."[break][break]

the mention of potential danger gives the woman pause, and she nods, though her smile tightens. at this point, navy might as well be her commanding officer, and she's nothing if not a good follower of instructions. it comes free with her history in the force. she offers him a thumbs up. "yessir," is her only response, followed immediately thereafter by a sudden burst of firm movement as she begins to traverse the strange world they've found themselves in.[break][break]

up, up, up they go, phoebe grunting and straining against the limits of her body. while breathing at rest had been fine, breathing into exertion is another story entirely. though not visibly struggling, she tires easily as ample oxygen fails to fuel her muscles. a typical side effect, and one that phoebe ignores in favor of finally reaching the deck of the ship. what awaits her is, of course, nothing special. what lives below, however, draws a star into her gaze. she looks earnestly into the darkness waiting ahead of them, though stifles a laugh at navy's advice.[break][break]

"damn, so you're an experienced alien puncher?" phoebe wonders aloud as she begins to inch closer to the door that leads into the belly of the beast. "lucky. ground control never let me do anything like that, even though i asked really nicely."[break][break]

with that, phoebe opens the door, eager to get this expedition under way.[break][break]

Navy

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phoebe's always been the kind of woman to prefer a museum when considering things to do on a day of fun. inherently curious about the world around her, museums often draw her like no other, and she has been a regular to the slateport oceanic museum over many moons. her recent deployment into space has, of course, broken her streak of visiting, but she's finally returned. it's like being cradled in a warm embrace, like returning home.[break][break]

the woman is, therefore, inside, haloed against the shimmering blue light of the many aquariums, enthusiastically speaking to a member of staff, an elderly woman evidently familiar with phoebe. the conversation flows easily, and the two of them gesticulate animatedly, topics flowing like a rushing river forging paths through a delta. what new exhibits are there? how have you been? how has business been? has anything crazy happened since i left?[break][break]

occasionally, though, phoebe casts her eyes across the shadowed hallways of the museum, as if in search of anything interesting. she can't help it: always on the lookout for something cool! [break][break]

Elise Calcifet

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