Andy Blackadder

The kid called off his Gengar, and Moana did the same with Sheru, gesturing for her to drop it. She complied quite literally, lowering her scythes as the rocks she had pulled from the ground fell back harmlessly.

The kid began to talk about shady business, and no harm done, and Moana felt a terrible rush of shame. God, what did he look like, standing in an abandoned alleyway with a Kabutops and a pistol? Granted, Sheru's intimidating appearance was no fault of either his or her own, but it was still sure to paint a terrifying picture for this poor kid.

"I-- ugh," he said, letting his hand drop to his side. "It's... no shady business. I wasn't really doing... I know this probably looks bad, but I'm not doing anything," he concluded pathetically.

Moana was sort of impressed at the kid's calm reaction. The Gengar's tense expression, though, was a sharp contrast.

And then, all of a sudden, it clicked.

"I-- I know you, don't I," said Moana. "From Mauville."

Why was he bringing this up? If the kid saw him as an adult or something, it would feel like blackmail. Even if not, it would be an unwelcome reminder at best. He should have just walked away from this encounter as soon as he could have, but it was too late for that now.

Or was it? What was stopping him, besides his own paper-thin excuses?

He wouldn't insult this kid's intelligence by telling him what he was going to say originally, which was that he shouldn't have been there. The kid didn't look that old, but he looked old enough that he probably knew that he wasn't supposed to be there.

"I'm glad you're okay," Moana said instead.

Sheru finally fully relaxed behind him.

Andy Blackadder 

Moana was over in his head. 

He didn't know who the man who he had bought this from was, but he had went ahead and bought it anyways. And why did he need it in the first place? His Pokemon were more than satisfactory for his self-defense, not to mention that they weren't illegal. 

At least he had possessed the sense to cover his face when he went out to purchase it. He didn't want the League looking for him just because he made... well, essentially an impulse purchase. 

He looked at the pistol in his hands, a weapon made to hurt others, and felt a sort of revulsion. Was this the past that he would never be able to fully rid himself of? Was he really the kind of person who went out and bought a gun for absolutely no reason?

He shook his head. He had it now. There was no point dwelling on the past. Unless he was willing to turn the gun (or himself) in, he would be best served moving on and making the best of his situation. God knew any bit of defense was welcome, after the Mauville fiasco.

Sheru clicked her jaws next to him, and he almost felt bad. But it wasn't like he was taking the gun over his Pokemon. It was just an extra precaution.

Then why did he feel so bad about it?

His repetitive musings were interrupted by a flash of something reflective in the shadows. Moana looked down to see... a pair of eyes, staring back at him.

He knew better than to scream, but he nearly leaped three feet into the air at the sight. He aimed his newly acquired pistol at it, but then felt stupid as he realized it was a Gengar. What would a pistol do to a ghost?

Sheru, though, was quick to react as well. Hissing, she brandished her claws, pulling rocks from the earth around her and preparing to fire the Ancient Power at the Gengar that had assailed them, but holding back. The move was simply a threat for the moment, not an attack yet.

Moana's attention, though, was drawn to someone coming, possibly drawn by the commotion. It was a kid.

Who had seen him, another kid, with a gun. Shit.

Could he pass himself off as an adult? Was this kid young enough to get fooled?

He decided not to take the risk. "Hey." He kept a cautious eye on the Gengar, still lurking in the shadows.

Moana chose, for the moment, not to dwell on the fact that he was back in Mauville, and the memories that came with that fact. The Kartana, dashing through groups of people and leaving severed limbs and punctured arteries in their wake. The Guzzlord, its tail slamming mercilessly past Keila's barrier. The Xurkitree, its monstrous, wiry body uprooting itself from the earth. The Naganadel, hissing and screaming as the attacks of his Pokemon knocked them dead. The Megalopolans, their screams and cries for help much more human than their toxic mounts.

And Groudon, roaring with the fury of a god as the earth erupted around it.

He shook himself. So much for not dwelling on Mauville. Now, he wasn't here as a fighter. He was here as a treasure hunter, interested in just whatever it was that the Megalopolans were digging for in their settlements.

He recognized gigi bae , but chose not to acknowledge that. Avoidance was not a perfect coping mechanism, but it would have to do for now, assuming she didn't bring it up herself.

The other two people here, though? He had no recollection of either of them. He supposed that was how it was in these adventours, though. Anyone could be anywhere. Hell, he'd considered signing up for Meteor Falls himself.

"I guess we're going with electric type attacks, then?" he concluded, smirking when Izumi Yamamura hid behind Josh Dragomir from her own Pokemon's attack. "I can help with that."

A moment later, Baffo the Barboach flopped next to the square of rock, battering at the wall with electricity coating his body, as Moana laughed. Who would've thought that he would be using a Barboach to dig?

---

USING SPARK, 65 POWER

Another Pokemon that was threatening the garden, but this one was a lot more threatening than the Vigoroth. The massive Mudsdale rampaged around, knocking over plants left and right as it snorted and whinnied.

Hoja, of course, wasted no time protecting his beloved plants. Leaf Tornado after Leaf Tornado assaulted the angry Mudsdale, knocking out the ground-type before it even got the chance to approach.

Moana chuckled and threw his Pokeball. Wild Pokemon should know better than to threaten Hoja's beloved plants.

Ruby Walker

His partner in the mission was a girl named Ruby. It seemed she was around his age. Huh, did all of Hoenn's adults really have something better to do?

Oh well. "Yeah, I'm here for the ghosts," he said. Ruby's two Indeedee accompanied her, which he remembered were psychic types. When he remembered that, it sparked a connection in Moana's brain. He'd seen this girl somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

"I'm Moana," he said. "Is it possible that we've met? You seem familiar." He shrugged. "Could be wrong, though."

The fact that the Indeedee were psychic types, however, presented another problem. "Will your Pokemon be okay?" he asked. "Ghost attacks aren't nice to psychic Pokemon. I dunno if there's really any ghost in here, but I'd be careful just in case."

The door swung open noisily, and Moana almost laughed at how stereotypically creepy that was. The Indeedee seemed to harbor no hesitation, though, as it held the door open to the both of them, showing the darkness inside the residency.

At Ruby's question, Moana shrugged and stepped forward, Sheru following him. He was a little nervous, but it was no big deal, really. His Pokemon, and Ruby's too, could probably handle any malicious ghosts in the building.

He reached for the light switch, and flicked it upwards. The ceiling lights flickered on for a moment, but then they immediately fizzled out, leaving the room in darkness once more.

"...huh. Got any Pokemon that can light up, Ruby?" he asked sheepishly, checking his own Pokeballs in case he had something that could help.

participating characters' tags: Moana Reyes, gigi bae, Josh Dragomir, Izumi Yamamura

location: New Mauville

any notes/comments: How come T-rex can't clap?

The man's concern and love for his Pokemon was admirable. Well, it wasn't really concern. They handled themselves just fine, effectively dispatching any intruders that came their way, and Moana wondered if that was what the difference between a trained Pokemon and a wild one was, besides the teamwork. 

This Corviknight was friendly, of course. Moana wasn't surprised, considering that Corviknight were used for taxi services in Galar, apparently. He wondered how the business would do elsewhere in the world.

There was one more pair of wild Pokemon that would attack the two of them, and Wali was on the job again, striking the moving stomach with Psychic when it coughed up Sludge at him. The attack was effective, and Wali defeated the Swalot without too much trouble, but Moana could see that he was a little worn out from the previous fights, especially the one with the Trubbish. The Gunk Shot had been pretty strong, he thought, as he threw a Pokeball at the now-defeated Swalot.

"It's been nice meeting you, Billi, but I should really get my Sigilyph to some healers," Moana said. "Thanks for introducing me to your Pokemon, though! They're really nice, and I'm glad I got to meet them."

Billi Marsh