"Haven't been over that way myself yet," he admits, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. The night was still young. "Besides, I'm trying not to make myself too obvious."

Unfortunate as it was, his public position as a councilman and what fame he'd accrued as a ranger made him enough of a recognizable face to be worried about drawing the suspicion of the vendors if he simply hopped from one stall to another in rapid succession.

He's glad, at least, that Josh understands.

"The Magikarp seem really healthy," he says, leaning over to watch one of the rare golden-scaled fish expertly dodge a woman's hook. She seems disappointed, but in high spirits. "You can tell by the luster of their scales, see?"

Altair was a bit of a quiet one.

The purple-furred Braixen certainly seemed content to walk alongside his trainer, sharp eyes picking out movement in nearby brush and large ears twitching, but there was also an evident distance to the Pokemon.

Orion suspects it's been hurt before — by a trainer, no doubt. Not for the first time, he wishes he could communicate properly with his companions. All this would be so much easier if he could just ask them what was wrong.

In absence of that, they walk the Safari together.

They aren't alone: Orion's Type: Null plods behind them, a looming and silent shadow. After the events of the New Years attacks, Orion was vying even harder to understand his chimera. Perhaps if it witnessed the ranger's kindness toward others...

"I'm glad you decided to trust me," he says, and knows the Braixen is listening when its ears twitch in response. "I won't let you down, Al."

---

~

Having lived in the Hoenn region since birth, and never having traveled beyond its borders, Orion's never had to deal with customs before. The way Josh speaks about it, Orion doesn't ever want to.

Truthfully, he'd thought there was something different about the man's accent, but he'd been unable to place it.

Curious, he asks, "Where are you coming from, if you don't mind my asking?"

A bitter laugh escapes him as they discuss other people; if only Josh knew that Orion could often be the problem. He's socially awkward, not a communicator, tends to clam up when it comes to more personal relationships... he decides to keep all of this to himself, and simply nods in agreement.

The appearance of a Braixen is a welcome distraction, only...

What are the chances?

They'd only just been talking about the rarity of 'shiny' Pokemon, and here one had appeared in the flesh! He spins his branch-wand around in his hand, adopting an aggressive stance against the Rockruff. Orion isn't deterred.

"Hey, bud, we don't mean any harm." He lifts his hands as if to prove it. Nyx is growling, uncertain, and she keeps looking back to Orion for assistance. He whistles her over, scratching behind her ears to help her relax. "I imagine a lot of people give you trouble trying to capture you, but we're not like that." Josh has relocated to deal with a Grimer, but Orion includes him in that we. "I'm not looking for a fight. I'd love to have you as a part of my team, but only if you wanted."

He pulls out a pokeball, and Braixen stiffens, growling low in his throat as the wand glows with fire.

But Orion simply rolls the pokeball across the ground toward the purple fox, then lifts his hands once more.

"This kind of thing should be your choice. But if you do want to come with, I promise I'll protect you from anyone who tries to come after you for the colour of your fur."

---

befriend/capture on braixen!
Josh Dragomir