[attr="class","mimi"]what more could she say? the love for draconic heritage runs in her blood.

rather than answer him verbally, mimi makes an ok sign with her hand as she adjusts the mask on her face. she's ready to dive and swim around and watch the natural beauty of the route. she's not ready for the sight that'd greet them only moments later, however.

at first she thought it a big fish. a sharpedo, maybe. mimi hadn't brought any aquatic pokemon to her little escapade, but a sharpedo wouldn't have been that big of a problem. it becomes a problem when the appearance is that of two people with dubious, perhaps malicious, intent and water pokemon of their own.

she taps on lance's shoulder and motions towards the pair, a dewgong and a feraligatr in toe. her garchomp is freed from the constraints of her pokeball, and she hangs back in wait of the first move.

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[attr="class","mimi"]a small quake takes her off her feet. its source? a stomping rhydon up this side of the hill. mimi motions for her garchomp to steer away from the danger, and they continue their trek. tall grass rises in the near vicinity.

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[attr="class","mimi"]surprise isn't the right word. mimi has known him for so long that any qualms about his personality had long been accepted as they were. this uneasy feeling of being off-handedly told she should've gone off somewhere else, right after a confession like hers? she supposes it can only be labeled as dejection.

he says he's fine and he can deal with the dangers. that's what she was hoping to hear, except not really. he's capable, sure, but why would it be something he needs?

"i'm not sure yet. told my agent six months, tentatively," and she averts her eyes because that's a lie she doesn't want him to see. "in the meantime, i can make some time to help with the fires, pirates, and pokemon." this, on the other hand, is completely true. there is no length she wouldn't go to for her friends.

speaking of helping friends, that of course extends to their emotional welfare. "did you and ava get into a fight?"

the pair of pokemon that show up, one unveiled by the receding water and the other flying right past them, are forgotten under the severity of what she believes to be a marital fight.

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[attr="class","mimi"]mimi has to second-guess herself when she sees the splitting image of guimi's youth. the gabite is only passing by, and guimi herself offers an appreciative look before returning her attention to their path. meanwhile, tuanzi makes his last few steps of the morning. she beams, calling him into her arms.

"you did a great job, my little dumpling. your mommy will be so proud."

the jangmo-o's only job now is to climb into his baby wrap and enjoy the ride. the trainer urges her other pokemon on.

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[attr="class","mimi"]mimi shakes her head no. the tank actually isn't as heavy as she expected. she remains silent for a brief moment, while her mind calculates how long it'd take her to reach the hidden city from lilycove, later. "it's nothing, really. i did say i'm on vacation, but my agent mentioned something about the league looking for volunteers to help train dragon pokemon there, and you know what my passion is. i'll take a look at some point." she shrugs.

lance looks more than ready to dive in. after folding her clothes and placing a necklace on top of the small pile, she doesn't take long to follow.

"hey, you should tag along when i go to sootopolis if you have the time." the afterthought comes and goes as she jumps into the water.

[attr="class","seelie"]LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","mimi"]even while on a break from the battling scene, mimi could not neglect her personal training. every morning and every evening without fault, she'd take tuanzi and guimi on her jogs. today, it just happens to be the mountain path outside fallarbor. she'd read about and been personally told about the difficult trek and was very motivated by the challenge. however, the story is different when it comes to the youngest of her team.

"come on, tuanzi, we're almost there," she cheers him on. they have barely started their trek, truthfully, but the end of the jangmo-o's trek on foot is indeed near.

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[attr="class","mimi"]"you and i remember that day very differently." she doesn't press the topic, though. his laughter is reward enough for receiving the blame, just this once.

mimi listens intently to lance's retelling of his hardships in hoenn. before she has the chance to react, he changes topics and there's little she can do besides mocking offense. "what, you didn't believe me?" her face turns away from the wild pokémon looking at them from below. truthfully, she doesn't know if she'd believe herself, had she been at any other point in her life. "i am taking a vacation. realized i've been travelling to so many places without really seeing them. i wanted a change of pace." wanted, not needed. never needed.

"i'm glad i picked hoenn, though. i finally got to see you again, but..." her semblance sobers up, taking on a more serious tone. "are you okay? you've gone through a lot. pirates, you said?"

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[attr="class","mimi"]a proud nod rightfully follows. "not to mention you'll never hear the end of it from your mom. we've taught you well."

while lance equips his set, mimi takes a quick gauging look at the depth of the waters in their chosen diving spot. it's not that she doesn't trust his judgement, but rather she's looking forward to meeting the fauna here. her earlier attempt had been, after all, a little disappointing in terms of numbers. surely they'd have better luck under the sea.

"oh, please do," she says, eyeing the second oxygen tank. lance makes them look light as a feather, but her memory tells a different tale. with her back turned to him, she adds, "is sootopolis close, or have we passed it already?"

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[attr="class","mimi"]she laughs, wondering if she'd have followed him, had she known him to be here. no, she's certain. she would have come to visit him way sooner. unfortunate she didn't. just from getting a closer look at him, she can tell something troubles her old friend, even if she doesn't know exactly what.

"that time we rented a mantine and didn't notice the school of remoraid passing by until after it swam away and left us stuck on a small islet?" she asks, appealing to decades-old memories of two young, impressionable kids. "this is just like back then." she levels her gaze to him, a gesture reserved only for serious moments or for the sole sake of teasing him. the grin always gives her away. "your hair was greying even at that age."

satisfied, mimi scoops up the jangmo-o, by now sleepy from jumping around so much that day, back into her arms. "how has hoenn been treating you?"

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[attr="class","mimi"]blissfully ignorant of all the trouble ahead of them, mimi enjoys the feeling of the breeze in her face. a constant reminder that she can feel, she is alive. the cloudy weather is left behind in pacifidlog, and the horizon looks a lot brighter. with sun this strong, she's thinking a barbecue would be perfect. lance's suggestion isn't bad, either. she's always been curious about the region's famed coral reefs.

"enough for two?" she asks, standing up to look for the aforementioned diving gear. the shirt she's wearing comes off easily, and her short hair is tied up in a simple bun. "i haven't done this in so long. you better not let me drown, lance."

[attr="class","seelie"]LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","mimi"]curious, the jangmo-o leaves the comfort of his trainer's pats to meet the stranger. mimi lets him. tuanzi wouldn't know lance, having been born after the last time they'd seen each other. a couple of years back, she realizes. as inconspicuous as the wingulls high above, time does fly.

"is that so?" she hums thoughtfully, "i must have missed your welcome letter, then." regardless of who had arrived here first, or whether here was this spot in particular or hoenn, a different question hangs in the air: why had he left so suddenly? but, at least for now, it is not a topic she wishes to pursue.

at the man's own question, mimi can't help but lower her gaze. she'd always been a little too proud for both of their sakes. she wiggles to the side, nevermind that the rock offers plenty of room for both trainers and pokémon the size of her garchomp, and calls him over. "why don't you sit with me? i came to hoenn on vacation, but i did miss my rival, you know."

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[attr="class","mimi"]were the hoennian seas always this... restless? sitting atop one of the many rocks in a string that leads the way back to pacifidlog, a trainer and her jangmo-o watch the horizon in silence. the only audible sound is produced by darkened waters clashing against the rocks. in the distance, occasionally hidden behind tall waves, she can see the shore leading up to route 123.

"it's going to rain soon, tuanzi," the woman muses, looking up. clouds quickly approach their resting spot.

despite the imminent threat of a downpour, she closes her eyes, refusing to leave. it's not until after she feels the cold scales of the jangmo-o on her lap, a telltale sign that something or someone has caught his attention, that her eyelids snap open again.

it's a face she knows very well. older, rougher around the corners, but intrinsically the same nonetheless.

"lance," she greets simply, as if the sight of the man in front of her was an everyday occurrence. the decades apart collapsed to nothing and a small smile creeps up her lips. "you really are always just a few minutes behind me, aren't you?"

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