Percy's head snaps suddenly toward a bush on the edge of the route, moments before a shape bursts from the foliage to launch itself at the chimera.

"What the—"

Silvally seems prepared for the attack, angling its neck and forcing the other to slam headlong into its IRON HEAD. Its front claws dig into the earth and act as an anchor for its balance, the bug-type attack seeming particularly effective. Inserted into its head is a pink-hued PSYCHIC MEMORY. Percy issues a warning growl to the smaller Pokémon, fangs frosted with the promise of ice.

Orion's only just registering that holy shit, it's another one, and could it be Frankie? and a sudden stab of pain in his chest at the thought of his fallen friend Annie Mei when a younger man comes barreling out of the brush, screaming.

The councilman stares at him for a long moment.

"Is that... yours?"

[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon absol"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon silvally-psychic"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon espeon"]

Malamar, Gardevoir, Wobuffet.

Orion hated Lilycove.

There were memories around every corner, and so few of them pleasant. Yet here he was, because the commute to Lilycove was quicker than the one to Slateport and besides, it wasn't like his experiences with Slateport were pleasant, either.

He ducks into the quaint little café on his lunch break and tries very, very hard not to think about his parents, or his brothers, or of Kyogre rising from the deep. It's quiet here, but there's a song playing faintly that he can just about focus on if he tries. With a berry-blend smoothie held delicately in one hand and his laptop tucked under the other arm, Orion surveys the room in search of somewhere isolated to sit where he won't be recognized, preferably away from the windows so that he doesn't have to squint at each passing car and wonder if it contains a member of the well-respected Sakurai family.

His sweeping scan of the space halts on a somehow familiar, very attractive young gentleman and — sticks there, regrettably, because oh no, he's hot but also where have I seen him before?

His cheeks turn a noticeable shade of pink when he inevitably locks eyes with the stranger, and the furiously blushing councilman hurries to the nearest table as if to pretend that he hadn't just been caught staring at Cyril Alarie: famous Kalosian model.

Lilycove was the worst.

from lucky letters - x
Z-MOVE granted to SILVALLY.
3 PREMIUM GACHA - PSYCHIC to be rolled!
SHINY SWAP used on DECIDUEYE.

everything else has been added to my google doc for item tracking; will update PC to reflect it at some point.

LUCKY LETTERS ^[9]

MISSIONS ^[3]

HANDYMAN HUSTLE ^[3],

SOCIALS ^[4]

THE GRID; A RANGER'S RECEPTION ^[2], HOTPOT ^[2]

OTHER ^[2]

rolled for EGF (see Cillian Quinn's post), have a trainer card

ROLLS

pS7ndRvO

REWARDS

ROLL 1 you win 1x z-move access on one pokemon.
ROLL 12-17 you win 3x sparkling dusts.
ROLL 18-23 you win 3x level tutors.
ROLL 30-35 you win 2x type 3 evos.
ROLL 51-58 you win 5x pokeballs.
ROLL 71-76 you win 2x type 1 evos.
ROLL 89-92 you win 3x premium gachapon tickets.
ROLL 93-96 you win 1x shiny swap (make a pokemon shiny via site shop).

In the dead of what was laughably called winter, the harsh Hoennian sun bears down upon the swaying grasses of Route 120. Orion has taken refuge beneath the shade of a large tree, a visor emblazoned with the Rangers' logo shielding his gaze from the glare. Though he wears the garb of the Rangers, with appropriate patches signifying his rank within the organization, it's fairly evident he's off-duty.

A short distance away, an Absol spars with a hulking, white-furred chimera. The Silvally has come a long way from the angry, feral creature that Orion had created with Cotillard's instructions; now, Perseus and Altair seem to be enjoying themselves.

Sprawled across Orion's lap, purring, an Espeon has chosen to separate herself from the conflict.

Orion's lazy smile dies on his lips, resolving into a frown complimented by furrowed brows. In the midst of their play, the Silvally has gone still and canted its head to one side, as if catching scent of something on the wind.

[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon absol"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon silvally-psychic"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon espeon"]

confirming! ice memory came from adventours!

Caught off-guard by the other's forwardness, Orion takes several seconds to organize his thoughts. I don't even know his name!

So he decides to ask, for what's the harm in it?

The harm? 'Yours is - like - Oreo, right?'

The nickname hits him like a punch to the gut, driving the air from his lungs as he's assaulted by repressed emotion. There had been another, once, to call the councilman by that name — only he hadn't been a councilman, then, and Annie Mei had not yet been a headline in the news. 'YOUNG WOMAN KILLED BY FERAL POKEMON'. Orion's mouth opens without sound, and his eyes well with hot tears. He blinks them back and looks away.

"O-Orion," he manages, after a moment. His voice is strained, and his eyes still shine when he returns his gaze to leo del río. "It's Orion. I — sorry, I had a friend..."

He stops, shakes his head.

An indignant squawk alerts Orion to the presence of a Farfetch'd dashing through the house with a familiar daycare worker in tow. Luckily for avery jones, the boisterous bird is so focused on evading its pursuer that it slams right into Orion's thigh and falls back with a surprised, 'Fetch?'

"Hey, Avery!" Orion greets her with a warm smile; it's been a while since they've seen each other in person, but he always keeps in touch through e-mails and lets her know if he finds any cute Pokemon in his travels. "Need a hand?"

Before Farfetch'd can recover from its collision with the Ranger, he scoops the bird up and cradles it against his chest as it struggles to break free. It manages to strike him in the eye with a flailing leek, which feels not unlike being punched in the face. Expression scrunched in pain and displeasure, Orion adjusts his grip on the bird to gently pin down its wings and stop it from assaulting him further.

"You need — ow — to calm down, ma'am!" Though he scolds the Farfetch'd, he's smiling. "You were taking her outside, you said?" He gestures toward the back door with a nod. "Could you get the door for me? I'm afraid to let go."

Once they've escaped into the backyard, Orion navigates toward the koi pond at an awkward stagger, struggling to see over the petulant Farfetch'd whose crest-feathers obscured his vision. Eventually, he ends up with one foot in the water — at least now he knows they're in the right place.

"OK, relax, I'm putting you down now..."

TASK - DUCK HUNTER 2/2

Orion chuckles at her comment; little did she know that the councilman's attention was drawn more to the likes of Sénon Game than any of the ladies at the party.

"You're Sénon, right?" Though they'd never worked a job together, Orion was aware of the other Elite. Out of habit thanks to his day job in politics, he offers a hand to shake. "Orion Lykos; nice to meet you."

"Haven't been up to much besides work," he says as he turns back to Stormy Silph to answer her earlier question. His laughter is strained by the stress of the subject. "Drowning in it after the war, and all. How've you guys been?"

He indicates both Stormy and Sénon, not wanting to be rude in blocking the other from conversation.

Oddly enough, her own awkward interactions make Orion feel more at ease. It's far more intimidating to carry conversation with someone who was far more socially put-together than himself, but this girl seemed equally out of her element.

She introduces herself as @chloe, and Orion is quick to direct his gaze to the slumbering Vaporeon she indicates next.

"It's nice to meet you, too. And Lilly. He's Altair."

Sunlight catches on the Absol's horn as it turns its head to regard the girl with a red-eyed stare. Though Absol had a reputation as harbingers of doom and disaster, Altair seems indifferent at best. After a moment, he drops his head back onto his paws and blinks lazily at Orion.

Orion offers a stilted laugh as she trips over her words. "Oh, uh, no less than usual. Honestly, Ranger work is a nice break for me." As a councilman, he was still dealing with the fallout of the Three-Day War and the stress of an upcoming press conference he was expected to attend. Because he feels it's expected, he adds, "What about you?"

When she brings up the water, his response is a half-hearted, "They don't call it a hot spring for no reason, haha..."

Orion arrives late, lingering uncomfortably on the fringes of a party that had started without him. He was here only to support Laurence Anderson and offer best wishes, but the Head Ranger was nowhere in sight.

He's lost in thought, scanning the crowd for a familiar head of spiked hair, when someone bumps into him.

"Sorry," he says automatically, though it hadn't been his fault. He turns sharply toward the one responsible just as her voice registers familiar and his shoulders relax. "Oh, Stormy, hey! You, uh, didn't get me, don't worry."

He grimaces sympathetically as he realizes that she had, however, spilled all over herself. From the pocket of his suit jacket, he tugs free the decorative napkin and offers it to Stormy Silph with a sheepish grin.

"Have you seen Lars, by the way? I've been looking, but..."

He does spot a few other familiar faces (Raziel Beckett, in particular) and waves if he catches their attention.