#deimantaimis

The soft plip-plop of the rain as it strikes the earth utterly consumes the typically quiet and small town as it slowly becomes an overwhelming downpour that threatens to drown everything in its path. Thunder bellows mercilessly against the darkened skies, and lightning briefly illuminates the thick curtain to reveal the worn rooftops, and small pounds that make up Celestic Town before they're plunged into darkness again once it passes. The old buildings tremble at the storm's might, and the windows clatter loud enough to hear through the chaos--as if old ghosts are slamming them shut over and over again. It's not an unfamiliar sound to Volo, he can still vividly recall how the windows in Jubilife village would bang relentlessly during a storm unless they were reinforced. Beyond even that, he can recall how the poorly constructed roof of his childhood home would leak or, worse, save in during storms as grand as this. This town is a far cry from the past, even if it resembles it in some places, but it makes him feel a pang of homesickness whenever he visits it.

Tugging on his hat in a pitiful attempt to avoid getting completely drenched by the storm, he hurries towards the nearest building, Togekiss floating beside him with one wing extended over his head while the other was folded over in an attempt to cover her own. It was a kind gesture, but all it was really doing was making rain drop through her drenched feathers and onto his head. Between his hair clinging to his damp skin, the brim of his hat being weighted down by the water it had managed to collect, and the sheer darkness of the sky, he could scarcely see more than a few feet in front of him. What bad luck to get caught in such a storm while traveling. Togekiss coos softly in his ear, breaking him from his train of thought, as she nods her snout to the left. Though he can't make out what she can, he follows her without hesitation.

Slowly the old shrine in the center of the town comes into view, and he swiftly ducks beneath its crimson roof for shelter, shifting to give Togekiss room to join him. With a sigh, he removed his utterly drenched hat from his equally soaked hair and uselessly tries to pat it dry against his...just as wet shirt and pants. Realizing his efforts are futile, he looks inside of the shrine only noticing, now that he's gotten his footing back, that he's not the only to have taken shelter here for the time being. He can spot the figure of a person with a Pokemon beside them beneath the flickering lights just barely illuminating the shrine. Tucking his hat into the pocket of his pants, he urges Togekiss to follow him inside. His bogged down boots squeak slightly as he enters.

"Ah, so it seems we had the same idea. I hope you don't mind if we join you in waiting out this storm." Togekiss bows politely at the other, but Volo stops in his tracks once he's close enough to actually see the stranger--or rather, a person who isn't a stranger. His breath catches in his throat, and his eyes widen for a moment. There's no way--it's impossible. No, it's not impossible. He's seen this happen before, but the opposite--someone from the present day slipping into the past, so of course this could happen. And, yet, he has a hard time believing his eyes. He swallows around the lump forming in his throat--ah this exciting. This is exhilarating. If he's here, what does that mean for the past? What does that mean for his own attempts to summon Arceus? In the time this man comes from, perhaps he hasn't failed his dream quite yet. Curling his trembling hand into a loose fist to curb the spark of anticipation surging through his veins, he takes a step closer, and raises his voice.