#venalos

YES, THE FEELING WAS A TAD MUTUAL—Though it was less out of personal disdain and more general distrust for the Guild as a whole. While Alma had crossed that bridge, and while Nata had crossed that bridge (granted, he was given more slack since he was a kid,) Adamantia had not.

Whilst Adamantia's inner leeriness of the rider was partially correct, she had the fortune of working with someone who, as far as it stood, didn't have any personal grudges against her. It probably helped that Nata and Alma had both vouched for the hunter, allotting her more benefit of the doubt from Mari. And besides, though it hardly surprised her, unchecked curiosity from a Xu Wu with a body-count was a recipe for disaster.

The red flags didn't raise in her head, even as Adamantia made an obvious attempt to seem even taller than she already was. Mari cleared her throat, briefly glancing in Nata's direction (the boy quickly disappeared into the Avis Unit tent.) before straightening.

"Y'got the time on your hands?" She asks the hunter dryly. As she waited for an answer, Puzo's signature aura nagged at the back of her head like a tingling sensation. Provided he didn't drift too far, Mari felt confident she could respond quickly if he decided to get into trouble.

"Well, you got one thing right. Just because a monster is bonded to you doesn't mean they're going to be nice to everyone they meet. Like you, like me, they're their own individuals—so they're not going to get along with just anyone."

She glances in the direction Puzo had managed to slink off to. Stealthy bugger might have slipped away from most undetected, but not her. "One of my own hates kids on most occasions. Another loves to pull pranks. Mutual trust is a huge component in kinship—but so is setting a boundary."

Now, Adamantia was a novice trainer at best. Aside from the Seikret, most of the pokemon she had ended up acquiring were wily and a little off-putting. (The Xu Wu especially. How on earth did she even manage to keep it from trying to eat her?)

While her apprentice was certainly curious of them, he respectfully maintained a comfortable distance for all except Lazarus. Even if they hadn't bonded, just knowing that Adamantia had spared the beast was enough—if there was any beast he wanted to know more. Whenever the subject of helping tend to the pokemon arose, Nata was right there, offering his help. He'd seen himself in the beast that had broken its proverbial chains and learned to live outside its role . . . how he wished he could befriend it, as well.

Wishful thinking, sure. But at least Adamantia's efforts had planted aspirations that Nata hadn't even imagined he'd consider some time ago.

. . . He wanted to be a trainer, too.

The hunter-turned-trainer had returned from a quest at the gates of the Base Camp. Gathering up his leather-backed journal and pen, the youth leapt from his seat by the tent and rushed up to meet her. "You came back safely, Adamantia . . ."

Cataleya can't help but wonder if this is some kind of dream.

A tear in the sky - not unlike what she remembered seeing in Alola when she was a child - appeared and, even with Konani's help, she was unable to resists its pull. Trainer and Pokemon were taken away.

Away to where? She hasn't figured that out yet. All she knows is that she's in the middle of a desert and it isn't Haina Desert. She knows that place too well to mistake another for it. Maybe she's in Orre? Or, worse, maybe she's in one of those worlds the Ultra Beasts are from?

It would explain why the Pokemon that's chasing them is unfamiliar.

"Konani, float faster! Faster!" Cataleya screams as she clings to her Alolan Raichu, who's currently letting her trainer sit on her tail.

"CHUUUUUU!" Konani screams back. She's doing her best!

Behind them, what looks like a Dragon type is soaring through the air with a pair of massive wings. It's covered in earthy green scales and its mouth is filled with sharp teeth. Fire also came out of said mouth.

So. When they asked him to check out the sewers for a blockage, this is not what he expected.

eden's wall of text. || @venalos

[ x ]

...okaaay. She managed to say the right thing to turn Guzma's mood upside-down. It's not the first time a tourist stops and stares at his Pokèmon, be it because they never saw a Golisopod or because he's a particularly big one, but most of the time they knew better than keep on pestering unless they were interested into battling.

It's... weird to have his usual 'take a pic' line being met with excitement. Kind of caught him off guard to make his overly aggressive persona drop for a second and hesitate as he gives his big bug a confused look, recieving a shrug in response.

"...I mean if ya have to."

Nergal sent out Garchomp!

"[Chomp!]" Stella let out a roar.

Nergal was cackling. She wasn't exactly in a mood to cause trouble, but she WAS in the mood to be a little bit of a nuisance since Heidi wasn't around. "Heh. Looks like Stella's in a good mood. Tell you what, mate... it's been a while since I've battled someone, so how about you show my babies a good time, yeah? If you can do that, then maybe I can give you a little reward, hm?"

Garchomp let out a cry. She's raring to go.