Information is Liberating

♟ --  “Is that a keystone?”

          His eyes went wide with ill-concealed excitement- he’d never been able to extensively study Spiritomb before, and he certainly wasn’t about to let this chance slip through his fingers.

♟ --           He hadn’t been paying attention, too busy jotting down notes to notice where he was going, and who he was walking behind.

          So it really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise that he would bump into someone- his notebook and pen went flying as he knocked into the older man; not with enough force to knock him down, but enough that he was sure to get some kind of negative reaction, and that was what he was bracing himself for.

♟ --           Oh dear!

          He'd been caught red-handed, so to speak. Taking notes on someone else's Pokemon; certainly he looked rather bizarre, or even like some kind of stalker!

♟ -- "Oh dear..."

Well, he'd certainly done it now. He'd been good about sticking to the map for the most part- that was, until a distraction presented itself; a flock of Pidgeotto, and hidden among them, one specimen who's feathers shone with gold. 

He'd chased after that shiny Pokemon for a good twenty minutes- not to catch, but study. A few good notes he got out of it, and he was feeling rather pleased with himself until he realized that in his haste, he'd run off the path that ran through the forest he was currently exploring.

Not all was lost; he could let out Stannis, who would surely lecture him but at least get him back on the path. Or perhaps there was another option, one that presented itself in the form of a trainer approaching through the trees.

"Hello!" he called out- talking with strangers wasn't his forte, but it was worth it to avoid that talking-to from his Alakazam. 

☮:How they keep calm

☠: Their worst habit.

☮: How they keep calm.

♥: How they show affection.

♕: Their most prized possessions.

★: Their favorite celebrity.

☼: Favorite season.

☁: How they feel about cold weather.

☻: Person who could without a doubt make them happy.

☹: A thought that makes them sad.

♫: Favorite music genres.

✍: A langauge they can speak.

✖: A trait they despise in people.

△: Views on lgtbq issues

ツ: A guilty desire of theirs.

♟ -- Most would be bothered by the temperature- not he. Having grown up in Sinnoh, he was already used to cooler climates; in fact, he favored them. The cold kept his mind sharp and alert, while heat slowed him down, causing sluggishness and irritability. He would suffer through any conditions for the sake of research, of course, but that didn't mean he didn't have a preference.

Of course, the reason for his visit to Mt. Silver was not simply to enjoy the weather. Though he rarely ever sought interaction with other people, Atticus was intent on finding this very specific trainer. A Champion, to be exact. Not to battle- no, Atticus had no interest in fighting. However, he was sure this Champion would have valuable insight and knowledge on Pokemon; oh what he wouldn't give to pick his brain! 

It seemed this would be more difficult than he had thought, however. Mt. Silver was said to be a treacherous place, and he'd almost been denied entrance due to his lack of gym badges. Now that he was at the base of the mountain, it seemed he had no choice but to go up- well, no time like the present. 

♟ -- Atticus was not typically one to initiate conversation. As a researcher, he preferred to observe rather than engage, and the lack of confidence he had for his social skills certainly didn't help. 

Rare then, that he would call out to someone, but so he did. 

♟ -- Olivine really was a charming place. The port town was not one Atticus had expected to become enraptured with, yet here he was, staring out at the sea and for once not obsessively going over every bit of data he'd collected that day.

Perhaps it was the time of day; the sun had just begun to set, bleeding pink and yellow into the sky and casting radiant reflections upon the water. The sea breeze ruffled through his hair, lifting it from his shoulders in a tangle behind him, and with the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below, Atticus couldn't remember a time he'd felt more at peace.

A peace that was soon shattered as footsteps broke him out of his trance. The sudden disturbance had caught him quite by surprise, and embarrassment struck him when he realized he'd jumped a few inches in the air as a result. And had that short yelp been his as well?