Picture Imperfect

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“I’m fine” Though the moment he felt his companion had his footing more weight was put onto him. What had felt like a minor bump and scrape to his head ended up being worse than he had previous taken note of. Adrenaline was still causing his mind to force back the pain and keep moving forward. The blood on his face would eventually become apparent as their eyes adjusted to the newfound darkness.

If only they had a pokemon who could light their way and guide them through.

“I’m glad you’re safe. As long as we are both in working order then getting out will be short work.” His job to protect and guide the researcher would of been a failure if he had been the one to take the direct hit. It wouldn’t be wrong to believe he was more sturdy than the other.

He didn’t quite believe the warden’s words to be honest, especially once he felt more of the other’s weight resting on him. He could tell, because he was guilty of doing that himself. He’d always tell the professor he was fine on numerous occasions when he clearly wasn’t. Anything so he didn’t have to spend too much precious time cooped up in the medical ward doing nothing..

But this was different.. He honestly didn’t know how Ingo kept going after taking a hit like that, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he thought he could see something dark trickling down his face. This man needed a doctor and fast. He let out a shaky breath but then puffed his chest. He had to step it up, and pay him back for all the help he’s given him before.

Melli simply smiled at the note taking, pleased. It was always nice to be taken seriously.

The camera was given as good a look over as Melli could manage from where they were standing. It definitely wasn’t something he had experience with. Heard stories, yes, but nothing personal. It looked strange. A smallish little boxy thing. He wasn’t certain he trusted it, but would give it a pass for now. None of the people whose pictures appeared outside the building in the village seemed any worse for wear, after all. And the stories he had heard from his Kalosian grandfather seemed innocent enough. The technology had apparently been too pricey for his family before they left, but the news had spread wide. And stories of a device that could do in minutes what normally took hours had made pleasant bedtime tales. Still, that was all they had been: stories.

“The camera? No. But I’ve seen pictures taken with them on the rare occasion I go to the village.” He gave them a once over. “It looks like you’ve put yourself in some dangerous positions for your art. You haven’t hurt any of the Pokémon needlessly, have you?” It was best to make sure. “Not with the camera, I mean, though I’d like to see how it works. In your efforts to escape.”

He couldn’t help but puff his chest as the warden looked the camera over. He held a certain pride for what he did, and sometimes it was what drove him forward beyond his desire to learn. Sure the camera wasn’t exactly his but hopefully it might be someday if Laventon felt generous enough.. he has become quite attached to it. 

“I’m pretty familiar with Dagero--he’s the one who runs the photo studio back in Jubilife. He’s nice enough to let me use his dark room so I can actually develop the photos I take. It was certainly a tricky process to learn but I think I’ve got it down quite well now.” He grinned a bit sheepishly, realizing he’d gone off on a bit of a tangent. “Listen- if there’s anything you ever want to know about this stuff, you can always ask me about it! I’d be happy to share, because honestly they’re quite amazing pieces of technology.”

However at the indication that he’s put himself or the pokemon in danger, he quickly shook his head. “Oh no of course not-! I have ah.. gotten quite good at making a swift escape without too much injury. But I never try to harm any pokemon if it can be avoided. If things get particularly risky, I usually ask my companion bronzor to use hypnosis so we can get away easier.” He rubbed his neck with his free hand, almost seeming somewhat embarrassed. It didn’t last long however before he continued enthusiastically. “But-- I’ve accepted whatever dangers might come with my line of work, so that part doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s hard to learn about pokemon if I can’t get out here and see them for myself, you know?”

“I can thank Lady Sneasler for that. She resided here long before I came to call this place my home. Unfortunately we will not be able to rely on her assistance this time as she can only carry one person at a time.”  While true, it was also a somewhat polite way to tell him she would not accept him. Not that she would strike him but she would refuse to allow him in her basket, most likely just ignore his existence all together.

“This will not derail us. I know plenty of paths for us to take so there should not be any issue in gaining a significant amount of information for your pokedex. Though you’ll have to forgive me, my specialties are that in battling and taming pokemon. The research end will have to be on you.”

He turned to face the mountain range, arms that were once behind his back moved to point one outward the other shooting to his side and pointing down. 

“Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody s—!” Those, those were not the words he meant to say but for some reason they came out as fluidly as the hand motions he had been quite known for. 

These words did NOT belong to him.

A memory? A voice in the back of his mind had shouted them out and in turn he himself did. Who did it belong to?

“We should be off.”

“Oh? Unfortunate, but understandable. I hope I might get to meet her at some point in the future though.” He’d love the opportunity one day to be able to study one of the nobles that the clans protect so dearly, but.. he knew how important those pokemon were to them and he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries in that area. He gave a confident grin. “Good to hear! Of course, I don’t require any assistance on that end. I’ll trust your guidance going forward, and I’ll handle the documentation.” Battling and taming pokemon.. that wasn’t something most people in Hisui could claim. Perhaps the specialty was tied with his mysterious origins, along with his strange way of speaking.

Then to his surprise, the other man suddenly posed in an odd way and belted out some unfamiliar phrases before he stopped suddenly. His head tilted in confusion at the display, even more intrigued than before. What rules did he mean? Driving? What sort of schedule? “Are you quite alright?” He almost seemed unsettled by his own outburst. 

Gin simply hummed along with the other’s explanation, a bemused but vacant smirk on his face. He remained silent, mostly because he did not have much of value to contribute to the discussion that wouldn’t feel both redundant or mean-spirited. Surely they could both agree this professor fellow had been right to advise Andrei to find a guide…

But now, Gin wondered if his travel companion was just extremely unlucky as of late, or if he really was just that careless and only survived up until now out of sheer luck. At once, Gin realized he did have a way to assess exactly that. Because if the other truly was completely unable to fend for himself, the poet knew he wouldn’t sleep well at night after they inevitably parted ways.

He brought a hand to the belt of beads at his waist, and hovered it above one of the Poké Balls strapped to them. For a moment, his fingers closed on Kyoko’s. Gin was considering letting his Kleavor out, to test the other man in a match. See how he fared with giving his Pokémon directions, when running away wasn’t an option. Better he found that out now than when the airheaded researcher accidentally set a horde of Ursarings or what else after them.

But his grip on the Ball loosened when Andrei called at him to hurry up, as the Fabled Spring was quite the distance away still. Maybe, he could only assume, there were a few mental hurdles the researcher needed to overcome before he brought himself to challenge the physical ones.

“It is commendable of you to want to spare your friend from harm. But believe me when I say you need to be careful with that reasoning. Bronzor may assume you think of it as too weak to fulfill its very purpose of protecting you.“

They walked for another minute still, when a boulder blocked their path. This time, Gin did let Kyoko out of her Poké Ball so she could smash it out of the way. From here, they could clearly see the river, which probably meant the spring wouldn’t be too far away still.

“I have never ventured in this part of the mountain.“ He commented. “Do you even know what sort of Pokémon we will find there?“

Even though he had turned his back to the other, he swore he could still feel the way he was looking at him. There was judgment in his eyes, wasn’t there? Or perhaps he was remembering something like that from before, when he was younger. His ever-present grin faltered ever so slightly at the thought, though he quickly put it out of mind. He came to Hisui to put his all into his future, and this was his calling--he could feel it in his bones!

He gave a quick glance back to his traveling companion to see if he was following, happening to catch a glimpse of the other’s hand moving away from one of his pokeballs. Had... had he said something that upset him? He could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow, though did his best to keep a positive attitude nonetheless. He had to try his best to stay on his good side, in case he might need his services again in the future.

“Huh?” The confused sound flew from his mouth before he could think once he heard what Gin had said, even stopping in his tracks to look at him bewildered. “Now that--- that certainly isn’t true at all, Bronzor is a valued research partner of mine and has already protected me in some ways. I don’t believe they would think that at all!” At least, he didn’t think they did. They were... a bit hard to read. But that didn’t stop him from trying of course.

He stepped aside as they came across a boulder in their path, watching eagerly as Gin brought out a kleavor from one of his pokeballs. He truly was quite talented to be able to travel with such powerful pokemon... and also command them so effortlessly. He could only yearn to have such synergy with pokemon. For now... it was a goal to strive towards while he worked on his research.

His eyes lit up as he saw the river on the other side of the smashed boulder and eagerly made his way forward. “Oh, the survey corps have relayed plenty of sightings of species they were unfamiliar with when they passed through the region before. But there was one member’s story that I was particularly interested in. He told of a strange pokemon that he said he saw come out during a full moon and then dance under the moonlight with others of its kind like some sort of ritual... but as he tried to get closer they all vanished into the night. I’ve asked many other members but none have seen such a pokemon. The location he claimed to have seen it was around where the Fabled Spring is, so I’ve decided to go myself-- to see if I might be able to document such an elusive pokemon!” He adjusted his glasses on his face. “I’ve even timed this trip so that it would line up with the next appearance of a full moon, to ensure that I would have the best chance of spotting it!” 

Formality or not, siding with the Galaxy team was still siding with the Galaxy team. Melli had every right to be wary. Just as he was of every outsider he came across. Though they did, of course, understand the desire to be safe. Melli wasn’t helpless when it came to wandering Hisui, but knowing there were people who would help if the impossible happened and they got hurt to the point of being unable to help themself. Well, it was a comforting thought.

Melli had to think that over for a bit. Not the permission for advice, that was fine, and the initial question received a brief nod. Melli enjoyed spreading his vast knowledge, provided it wasn’t something that could be used against him, his clan, or of course Lord Electrode. Of course, bribery was always a good option. Offering food had been purposeful in befriending two of his Pokémon. Though of course, that didn’t work every time. And if a Pokémon was too upset, there really wasn’t much that you could do about it unless you wanted to throw something at them. Which, while a valid tactic in a pinch, Melli found incredibly rude. A battle to get the energy out or running away if the situation got dire tended to be Melli’s preferred options. He could and would lift an entire Skuntank if needed.

“Offering food is always a good first option. Knowing what the Pokémon you’re interested in prefers to eat is important. Though berries are generally a good choice if you’re not sure. Bring a variety. That being said, Voltorb have a tendency to get a bit, well, excited, if you startle them. And they can be hard to calm back down, especially if you’re unfamiliar to them.” Melli paused again. “What are you using for your research?” Melli had, of course, heard about photographs; though he tried to not go to the village more than was necessary, it was impossible to get far down the main road without passing by the building. “Perhaps something about it is bothering them.”

He waited patiently at Melli seemed to ponder over his question for a bit. He wondered if even that might have been too much to ask.. Does the Diamond clan believe that the Galaxy Team is encroaching on their territory? He had hoped that wasn’t the case, since that might severely restrict the amount of research that he could perform..

His shoulders relaxed a bit as the warden offered the advice he asked for. Immediately he brought out his notebook and started dutifully jotting down notes in it. “Food... berries.. variety... Perhaps I could gather a variety of foods as well, if it might help me figure out what voltorb and electrode like. I am.. unfortunately aware of voltorb’s tendency to discharge electricity, but I didn’t know it was because they got excited.” Somehow the thought of the pokemon being excited to see him made them even more charming--you know, despite the whole shocking him thing. Either way he wrote that down as well, to relay to Professor Laventon so they could cross notes later.

@anamnesiis​

He quickly looped his arm around the other man’s back to help support him as he leaned on him. His bronzor floated nearby, watching over them both. “There’s no need for apologies, just as long as you’re alright.” He felt a little guilty for relying so heavily on the poor warden’s navigation as of late, as he should have been paying more attention as well. “I don’t think either of us saw that alpha crobat coming unfortunately... That was quite a tumble you took. Do you think you might have hit your head..?”

Sanctus could certainly relate to the man’s curiosity, the inability to settle for anything less than more. A flightless, clumsy thing chasing a winged zephyr. Was it fruitless? Who was she to say?

“I’m glad to be of help, but I must recommend more caution as you go forth with your endeavors. After all, there’s only so much you can learn from within a grave!” Amusement tugged at the corners of her lips. This man seemed like a curious little reminder of the endearing yet self-destructive nature of the human spirit.

“I do! I rent a little place there. Have we unknowingly crossed paths before, then? It’s a pleasure to properly meet you, Andrei.” She paused a moment. “As proper as plucking you from a tree can be, but it makes for one interesting first impression, I’d say! You’re one I won’t forget anytime soon.” Was that a promise or a threat? Only time would tell!

A debt, hm? Sanctus wasn’t one to hold back from collecting debts. Why not take him up on it?

“Perhaps as payment you could tell me some of the things you’ve learned over some drinks at the Wallflower? You must have some delightful stories if today’s adventure is anything to go by.”

“Of course.. though it seems the unexpected always tends to happen even when I am at my most cautious. I’ve accepted the dangers that come with my job, but I don’t intend on dying anytime soon! One thing I didn’t sign up for though was to be so thoroughly embarrassed in front of someone as pretty as yourself!” At least the stranger seemed amused by his misfortune, even if he didn’t quite find it funny.

“Perhaps! I’m often at the Galaxy Hall assisting Professor Laventon with research--if I’m not out in the field somewhere that is. I believe I do remember seeing you about.. your presence is quite striking.” He gave a light chuckle, quickly adjusting his glasses on his nose in an attempt to distract from the light blush in his cheeks. “Ah, well you’ve got me all flustered now! If I may, can I ask for your name as well?” He wouldn’t mind committing her to memory too if he was being honest.

Mint

Oh spry little dryad, spinning sprite, you drift through life as light as lion down. You are the chimes of church bells and the laughter of faeries. Gossamer and spidersilk shine from your ribs. Life is fleeting, you more than anyone should know that. Something we love today may never see tomorrow's sun. You pride yourself on skipping through moments, soft and merry. But you do not let your soul be tethered. Is it for freedom or fear, sweetheart, that you do not let yourself be tamed? You are as fresh and wild as bluebirds in snow, you smile at your problems before dashing away. Hoping they will never catch up to you. But even Nike can't run forever. You have been hurt before. But that is life. You wish to never feel that way again, but regretfully I must tell you that is nothing short of impossible. Life is but part sorrow part sun, you cannot have teacups until they are burned by the kiln. Oh I see the scars child, they shimmer down your chest, I see the pain in your eyes. But I also see the stardust. Keep smiling, but allow tears also. You do not have to be solely wonder, fear, you are allowed to be bitter. So bite, and scream, and laugh, and love. that is what makes life worth living.