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nova twitches her tail when howard gives her a look. she gives him a look back before being forced into a first-class seat of their spontaneous two-man show, improv choreograph and all. she doesn't get all this fuss, but at least they're not making a run for alina's suitcase. the aerodactyl was friendly, and nova liked her so far. her trainer, though? she's not so sure. [break][break]


"bathroom's all yours if you -" alina steps out of her make-shift changing room, cutting herself off upon noticing the vastly different attire. of course he went ahead and changed out here. the woman had a sneaking feeling that this wasn't going to be his last childish act of the day, but if rolling with a few of these was going to get her to slateport tonight, she'd humor him. she'd play, even. [break][break]

alina rejoins them in a few large strides, her previous attire hung loosely across her arm. even from the backside, the vibrant lileep shirt seemed to fit howard better than the suit did, although she kind of doubts that she would've deemed him trustworthy as easily had he had this on instead. [break][break]

"so efficient of you. we'll be getting to slateport in no time!" she remarks, leaning over to give nova an affectionate head pat. the ampharos coos softly underneath her touch. [break][break]

she straightens again, peering at the dewpider closely. she wasn't a huge fan of bugs, but she had to admit that this one was pretty cute. "and this must be the star of the show."

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alina has never been one for the spotlight. she stays in the sidelines, happy to be the dark night sky to someone's shining star. besides unwanted attention, however, one of the other things that she's equally terrible with is turning others down. [break][break] especially when they're pulling the whole puppy-eye act. [break][break]

the pink-haired girl with her agrees to his request, and alina feels herself caving in as well. "okay, bu-" she began, but the coordinator was too excited to let her finish. "oh, perfect, thank you guys soooo much! you guys don't know how grateful we are." he gushes, practically prancing off his feet. he gestures for the two girls to follow him, and begins weaving his way out of the crowd towards backstage. [break][break]

alina closes her mouth, fiddling with one of her pokeballs. but my totodile isn't all that trained. [break][break]

there wasn't much she could do now besides accept her fate. wordlessly, she trails after the coordinator, wondering what she got herself into. depending on how her totodile was feeling today, well. they would either save the day or make news for the worst show ever. [break][break]

he opens a door, ushering them into a lively room adorned with changing stations and racks of mermaid attire. the energy in this room was no less chaotic, both coordinators and pokemon frantically getting finishing touches for their big moment. [break][break]

"wow. you ever done anything like this before?" alina says, gaze shifting from the commotion to the woman besides her.

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alina once knew what it was like to have something precious to protect and to feel fulfilled by its mere safety. the lighthouse had been this object of affection for a long period of time, and when she concentrates hard enough, she recalls the genuine joy she felt witnessing her townsfolk' safe return. humans had a tendency to cling onto things dear to them too tightly, however, and alina was no exception. soon the lighthouse began to crack under her hold, and any happiness she had accumulated slowly seeped out of its crevices. [break][break]

"oh, yes, i met josh when i went on my first mission. he was incredibly helpful and taught me how to ride pokemon, although i should probably put more practice in." alina says, proceeding forward once both of their capsules put their new captures to ease. she falls silent, their soundtrack the mere crunching of their boots for a few long moments. "that's brave of you to stand right in the frontlines, though. you must love your city and job very much." [break][break]

the young woman hopes that one day, she rediscovers that passion and direction for life as well. [break][break]

up ahead, a shell rustles around the bushes, oblivious to the crowd heading its way. nova, despite not being the most confrontational pokemon, must have been inspired by her counterpart as she steps ahead to unleash a dragon pulse without prompting. alina glances at the ampharos, surprised, but gives her a complimentary head scratch.[break][break]

"what made you want to become a ranger?" alina ventures out after a moment of hesitation. personal research, if you will.

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there is a sort of casualness to howard that alina is not too acquainted with. upon closing the distance, however, alina is surprised to find that this kind of lightheartedness sweeps her off her feet, encouraging her to go where the wind takes her. [break][break]

so that's how she finds herself, following a random man in some random town to some random boat, all to save the home of some random corsola colony when her own accommodations were still up in the air. [break][break]

the buoyant structure below her tilts and shifts as it adjusts to her weight, and her suitcase rummages noisily behind her. its wheels strike the grooves of the bridge harshly, and it's an unwelcoming accompaniment to the ocean lullaby. [break][break]

nova stays closely behind, pausing every so often to peer at the occasional fish that glides by. alina catches a glimpse of what she thinks is a finneon, and is momentarily in awe of how the town's infrastructure allows human and wild pokemon to thrive in such close proximity. she feels even more like an intruder with her obnoxious suitcase. [break][break]

finally, they leave the logs to steadier ground. the boat is charming - more reliable than she expected, honestly. howard's plan, though? she could not say the same. [break][break]

"a dewspider bubble?" alina echos, staring at the man like he's the one with eight legs. out of everything that had spun her way today, this may just hit the jackpot for most ridiculous. she's not sure how one even stumbles upon this solution in the first place, but, well, his confidence is selling it. "alrightttt. i guess i'll be having the pleasure to witness this for myself today." she says at last, dumbfounded, but an amused laugh escapes her.
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yet. somebody has been abusing that company card, huh? she feels another chuckle bubbling up, but she swallows it and crosses her arms. "nah, i'll save you that trouble. how devastating would it be if your boss's final straw was a scuba suit." she says, the faintest ghost of a smirk across her lips. she's nearly positive she has a pair of shorts that the ocean would be more forgiving with. if not, well, guess that card may have to get cancelled after all. [break][break]

alina pauses, gaze intently scanning the area around them before they rest on a portable toilet. she jerks her thumb towards it. "i'm just gonna take a sec to change."

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in alina's new life, where she is constantly putting out fires left and right, berry-picking was a breath of fresh air. she was relieved that she was tasked to something that was slower-pace for once, and it was awfully nice being able to go into something knowing that she wouldn't accidentally fuck it up. [break][break]

 at least, she hopes it would be smooth-sailing. alongside the young ranger was her dragonair and totodile, both prancing happily as they enjoyed the crisp autumn breeze. her dragonair she had no concerns about - but the totodile, ronan, was a wild card. last time alina had took him on a mission, he attempted to make a feast out of the tirtougas that the young ranger was supposed to be saving. berries were much less consequential if he chose to have a feast again, however, and alina hopes that exposure therapy to new environments would do the young reptile some good. [break][break]

as she steps into the berry grove, she is greeted by more figures than she expected, only one of them human. alina surveys the rest of the crowd before relaxing back into her gait, relieved that the pokemon present all loomed over her totodile in size. he may still be an annoying little brat and nip around, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about him eyeing any of them as his potential next meal. [break][break]

"xuying? it's nice to meet you." she smiles softly, blue and gold orbs meeting their gaze. "i'm alina, and they're kai and ronan." she waves lightly towards the two creatures in her vicinity, each proudly sporting a different blue hue.

[break][break] "i'm here to help with the berries. i'm going to apologize for my totodile in advance, though. he's a bit young and tends to stick his snout where it shouldn't." as she speaks, ronan wanders off behind the trees, sniffing around the ground curiously as he nears the porygon-z. thankfully, kai slithered by him closely, temporarily tracking him on her trainer's behalf as she makes conversation. "i'll be keeping an eye on him, and honestly, he's a bit short to be bothering your pokemon, but i apologize if he ends up troubling them anyway." [break][break]

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simple, he says, and then proceeds to tell her that putting too much pressure on her mount would result in them flying at over 30 miles a hour. great! alina swallows nervously at the mere thought, stopping herself from wiping her hands against her pants. she knows this is what ranger work was about, handling new situations on the fly, but oh, how she wished she had a handbook or something that she could've studied prior. instead, she weakly attempts to rapid-fire the information in her brain. maybe chanting the steps in her head would magically translate to her body...[break][break]

ultimately, though, she gives josh the nod of confirmation. "okay, buddy," alina says quietly to the feline, gently patting the side of his neck. she takes a deep breath to still herself, and squeezes her legs to initiate movement. [break][break]

the pair starts off at a slow trot - trot was generous, really. it was more of a fast walk, if you will. alina glances at the veteran ranger a little sheepishly. she wants to pick up the speed more quickly - she'd hate to keep josh waiting - but she can't. her legs seem to refuse to budge closer to the pyroar at a faster rate, no matter how much she wills herself to. instead, it takes the young woman a few minutes each time before she musters enough courage to apply more pressure, and she catches herself muttering multiple sorry's and thanks for waiting's in the process.[break][break]

by the time alina was properly feeling the wind skimming past her cheek, it felt like an eternity had passed. she glances towards josh again, eyes more confident but nevertheless still apologetic. "i'm sorry this took me so long," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the thumping paws. "gosh. i've got to have the record for longest hiker rescue ever, huh?" the woman tries to joke, gaze flickering back towards their main path. 

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knowing when it's worthwhile to be afraid. [break][break]

a tirtouga is engulfed by a particularly harsh tidal wave, and alina thinks it just may be one of the unlucky ones of the night. she holds her breath, seeking for another glimpse of its' silhouette. five long seconds later, the pokemon emerges victory from the depths once again, and she releases the breath that was gripping her chest. [break][break]

as she continues to watch over the tirtougas, nick's words echo softly but unwaveringly in her head, a layer that only she can hear complementing the simple marine song. these are words she wished she had ten, eight, or even five years ago. she'd like to believe that her parents would have bestowed them to her if they were still around. [break][break]

alina moves to the next turtle in need, the repetitive sensations of sand and water a steady anchor as she lets the words settle in her. it feels nice that there doesn't seem to be a need for an immediate response with the older man. by now, the younger ranger has met a decent amount of people, and with most of them there had been an uncomfortable desire to fill the silence with words, jamming the wrong pieces into a puzzle. this is not like that. she enjoys being able to leave the puzzle alone, waiting until she has the right words to say. [break][break]

she claims to be someone that has two feet planted firmly on the ground, but was she really? sometimes alina thinks she has fooled herself into thinking that she was standing on solid earth. in reality, she was trapped in quicksand, where even shifting a foot feels like drowning. before she even realized what she was doing, she had stopped moving at all, and found herself stagnant for the last twelve years. [break][break]

her impulse move to hoenn had been her first tentative step, although the sensation of sinking has prevented her from taking any more of them. if only nick's words could drag her out the quicksand through their sheer impact. [break][break]

the tides crash against them dramatically once again, sputtering seafoam against the edge of alina's cheek this time around. briefly, it feels like even mother nature wanted to enunciate the weight of this brief exchange. [break][break]

she releases yet another tirtouga before lifting her head to speak. "you sound like you speak from experience." she ventures out at last, breaking the consistent melody that had been swooning around the pair. [break][break]

she is grateful that ronan has yet to ruin this moment of serenity. she prays it will stay with them a little longer.

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bittersweetness tinged the air as howard laid out his request, and alina's guard softened, exposing its first major crack of the day. she may not be the type to ask a favor from a stranger, as meaningful as it may be, but she could respect the one-eyed man for doing so. her initial skepticism of him seemed so shallow now, and she returns a soft smile back as their eyes meet. a quiet sign of understanding and warmth, but also a silent apology of sorts for her apprehension. [break][break]

luckily for howard, alina was a case where the stereotype rang loud and true. "look at you, two good guesses in a row." she said, leaning back against a log herself. her fingers tap against the bark slowly as she thought over his offer. diving wasn't necessarily her expertise, but she was a decent swimmer, thanks to a couple of summers of part-time lifeguarding that polished her into tip-top shape. moving a ship out of a reef couldn't stray too far away from pulling people out of the ocean's ferocious wrath, right? [break][break]

"i'm open to it," she says at last, tilting her head ever so slightly as she keeps his gaze. "but we're not exactly equipped to go diving right now." alina gestures lightly between the two of them. she may be better suited for the activity with her lighter wear, but eventually the water weight would still be a burden for her. "and how are you getting me to slateport? you got your own private boat, or something?" [break][break]

truth be told, alina would have most likely helped the guy out, even without the offer of a ride inland. after all, what kind of person was she if she refused to help honor the deceased's memory? 

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team rocket, project sapphire. besides leveling up her physicality lately, alina had also been busy brushing up on her regional knowledge. hoenn's turmoil was not something that was easily covered within a few weeks, however, and there was still so much more for her to understand. now seemed as good of a time as any. [break][break]

as she parts her lips to venture deeper, a wild prinplup wanders into their vicinity. alina hesitates, glancing at her ampharos. she should probably use this opportunity to refine their battling tactics, a skill she imagines she would only rely on more in the future. for now, though, she digs into her pocket, pulling out a couple of berries to toss at the newcomer. the penguin perks up at the sight of a raring delicacy in the cooling months, leaning down to peck at the scattered food. the woman takes this opportunity to attempt a capture. [break][break]

as the prinplup challenges its impending fate, alina turns back towards elise. "i can understand that. he does seem like a tough one, though, and i'm sure you guys put up a real good fight." she said, eyes flickering towards the shard. "truth be told, i'm still doing my best to fully understand team rockets' activity in hoenn and the ranger's role within it all....as a ranger captain yourself, what are your thoughts? would you say that you frequently engage with rocket conflict nowadays?"

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alina studies him as he spoke about the deceased, noting that behind the light-heartedness in his words, there was a layer of something else peeking through. respect, or fondness, maybe? she wasn't sure what it was exactly, but had an itching feeling that howard was more affected by the death than he was letting on. grief is messy, however,, especially when tangled with complicated relationships, so she says simply, "he seems like someone that was deeply respected." [break][break]

a small, amused smile trickles across alina's features as howard began to ramble about the delicacies of olivine cafe, and she is suddenly reminded of her own aching stomach. since this morning, she has not had a single bite of food, too stressed about the newfound knowledge of the ferry's closure. she is almost relieved when he cuts himself off. if he had spoken about his experience for any longer, she was going to have to prioritize finding a restaurant before a hotel. [break][break]

introductions were given. she parts her lips to reciprocate, when the man abruptly proposes giving her a lift to slateport in exchange for a favor. [break][break]

an eyebrow is quirked. he had a way to get inland, even when public transit failed to do so? what was he, an ex-pirate, or something? the eye situation would certainly explain itself, if a little cliche. that seemed ridiculous, however, and while she was inclined to be skeptical of such an odd offer, she was tired. and desperate. and she already had money invested in a week's worth of accommodations at slateport. strange one-eyed man seemed to be her only viable option. [break][break]

"it's alina, and that's nova." the woman says at last, hand waving lightly towards the mammal. the least she could do is to give him their names before entertaining his offer. "and what would that favor be?" [break][break]

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although alina was probably more well-versed in ocean than she was human, she liked to think she was still relatively perceptive with the latter. thus, even with the man's flatter intonation, she feels a wave of relief wash over her and subtly relaxes in stance. she releases the breath she didn't realize she was holding. drops her shoulders. loosens her jaw. [break][break]

"nick." she echos softly, blue and gold orbs following him as he shows her where the baby tirtougas roamed in the sand. he was a steady presence amidst the unexpected chaos, and it was an energy she missed dearly in her own life. it seemed so long ago when she was also the cool and collected one, with two feet planted firmly on the ground. lately, she felt lucky if she even had a toe skimming the surface. [break][break]

alina immediately gets to work upon his guidance, slowly shifting her weight across the uneven ground. "ronan, you can play over there." she tells the totodile as she leans down, pointing towards an area a few feet away. the reptile scowls at his trainer in response before wandering into the waves begrudgingly, but alina knows him well enough by now. it won't be long before he attempts to hunt for his next meal again. [break][break]

her fingers dip into the sand to collect one of the many newborns, some of the egg shell fragments slipping away from her touch. the tirtouga seemed so frail even within the palm of her hands - how could it possibly survive out in the ocean, relying on pure instinct alone? alina could not imagine what it is like to navigate the world with such effortless, naive confidence, but it brings her a sense of peace knowing that this creature has the capability to do so. it is proof of its possibility. maybe one day, alina would get a taste of it too. [break][break]

cautiously, the woman approaches the shore, keeping her hands level as she lowers the baby tirtouga to the water, gifting it a final moment of steadiness. "i hope so, too. it is not always so kind." she says, her eyes following the creature as it fights resolutely against the waves. she knows first-hand how brutal the ocean it can be, watching it take just as many lives as the ones it gave over the years. she would like to believe that for this clutch of tirtougas, it was more tender than it was cruel. [break][break]

"it's admirable how brave they are, really. the way they launch forward without a second thought, despite not knowing what's waiting ahead of them." alina remarks quietly as she turns around to help another turtle. she's normally not so sentimental upon first meeting, but perhaps setting lives free amidst a hazy orange glow did that to people sometimes. [break][break]

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alina smiles meekly at the gym leader as he tends to his pride, biting her lip out of habit as she tries to temper her nerves. the young ranger had been so ecstatic to carry out her first mission in field, finally practicing what she learned in the classroom. she had assumed it would be a low-stakes task of rescuing the common injured hiker, as it didn't seem likely that HQ would start off a rookie with anything hard-core. upon reaching her destination, however, she was greeted with four majestic felines that each towered over her a little more than the next. suddenly, things didn't seem so low-stakes anymore. [break][break]

she leans over to catch josh's words amidst the rumbling purrs of the pyroar, making sure to not invade into its personal space. despite the anxiety that threatened to chip her away, alina knew how important today was - it wasn't everyday that rookies like herself had an opportunity to watch and learn from one of the most experienced rangers on the grid. it was vital she made the most out of it. [break][break]

"sounds good." alina says as she steps back to analyze the pride. each of the three pokemon looked overwhelming in their own respective ways, but after taking a few moments to herself, she steps closer to the second pyroar: kion. he seemed the least intimidating out of the bunch, but little did she know what he was capable of. [break][break]

taking a deep breath, the ranger braces herself and swings her leg over the feline. okay, that was easy enough, she reassures herself, the tension loosening its grip on her chest. alina redirects her attention back towards josh. "thank you for accompanying me out here today. i've heard a lot about you and am sure i have a lot to learn."

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by the time he speaks again, alina had a good idea what his response was going to be. once she shifted her attention from her phone to her surroundings, the casual and free-flowing attire did not escape her. she assumes they were tourists dressing their part at first - she's seen a handful of them herself every summer. the longer she waits for the scattered crowd to pass, however, the more she realizes that they were not the outliers here. [break][break]

despite this, his next words still manage to catch her off-guard. "oh. i'm so sorry for your loss." alina says, her posture visibly softening. the last funeral she had been to was over a decade ago, yet the grief that engulfed her then still quietly haunts her to this day. she could only imagine how the stranger was feeling after such a fresh loss, and wished she had something more meaningful to say even though they've only talked for a few minutes. [break][break]

upon being called a tourist, she says nothing. the young woman was actually moving permanently to hoenn, and while there was a stronger sense of camaraderie after the stranger revealed his own purposes here, she wasn't going to start spilling unnecessary details about herself. not yet, at least.[break][break]

"good guess - i'm from johto. olivine city, to be exact." alina says instead as she watches the two pokemon. nova was sniffing the prehistoric pokemon back in reciprocation and her tail began to wag slowly, red orb blurring against the azure blue backdrop. the ampharos was lonely, alina knew, and she hoped that there would be more opportunities in this new region to meet other pokemon. "we're mostly known for our port and lighthouse. have you heard of it?"

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