ᴠᴀᴛᴏɴᴀɢᴇ.

“Fross-lass.” Anastasia replies softly, with a vague sound that sounded something like a welcome to Kellyn. She had indeed been doing fine more or less, though the emotional stress that had been inflicted on her had left her bitter with Ice. And he knew she had every right to be, which was why he hadn’t put up a fight against her when she went to Kellyn instead.

But now he found himself going from looking at her to the pokemon ranger, with heavy confusion this time. What was he doing exactly? Was he actually trying to help? He wasn’t about to complain but he did still wonder… why? Why help him? Rangers hated him with good reason, yet here was Kellyn who had rescued Anastasia from the miniremo; assisting him with getting the Froslass to hear him out.

He would’ve almost felt touched, if he didn’t feel just the slightest bit suspicious. Ice hoped for once that he’d be wrong in feeling concerned about a ranger’s actions, this would be the first time he’d ever be grateful towards one if this somehow went well.

     Kellyn hopes that he can actually be helpful in this situation; he can tell that Ice is truly remorseful for his actions, and that fact is what’s making him want to do what he can to fix this.

     “That’s good.”

     He spends a moment gently stroking Anastasia’s head with a warm smile on his face. But he can feel Ice’s attention on him and Kellyn doesn’t want to let him down. So he breathes softly, the puff of air visible in the form of a white cloud due to the frigid temperature of Almia Castle, as he shuts his eyes for a few seconds, considering carefully what he wants to say and how he wants to say it.

     “I know you’re angry at your friend,” Kellyn eventually says, regarding Ice from the corner of his eye briefly, but keeping his attention on the Froslass, “And I know that he hurt you.”

     “And I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t really think he was sorry for everything he did, but...”

     More thoughts!!

     Professor Rowan and Professor Hastings know each other and talked extensively during the time Rowan studied Pokemon in Almia.

     And it’s actually him that he contacted after receiving the Manaphy egg from Lunick and Solana, and Rowan who suggested that it be given to the promising young trainer that he gave a Starter Pokemon to.

     He doesn’t say anything at first, just watching as Ice utters apologizes to the Pokemon that’s obviously someone near and dear to him...only for her to drift towards him instead, which takes Kellyn completely by surprise. There’s a few moments where his eyes flit back and forth between her and Ice, seeing the heartbreak that flickers over the man’s facial features as his attempts at reconciliation go evidently unheeded.

     And when he sees Ice’s expression shift into one of resignation in response to Froslass’ decision, Kellyn is hit with a strong desire to not let things end like this.

     “W-Wait!!” Kellyn exclaims, his thoughts scrambling for a way to fix this situation before he watches a friendship crumble to pieces in front of him.

     He falls quiet again, sighs softly, thinking of what he wants to say, then, calmer, he looks at Froslass.

“I guess we better start looking then, there’s a lot I need to say to her.” He wouldn’t elaborate further than that, Ice for the moment didn’t feel much like discussing his entire story with Team Dim Sun right now. Instead he took a page from Kellyn’s book by getting right to the point, and turning to go down another one of the nearby halls.

“As much as I hate to say it,” he sighs. “She might be more likely to appear with you here.”

Ice didn’t blame her for it either, but that didn’t make the hurt of losing his oldest friend and knowing it was all his fault, sting any less.

     Kellyn lowers Bubbles and holds him properly in his arms again, replying with, “All right,” before following after him.

     Ice’s next words give him a bit of a pause, and he doesn’t reply right away as he ponders over their meaning, but it doesn’t take him very long to connect the dots in his head and it makes his expression soften with sympathy as he watches the former admin’s back ahead of him.

     Back when he captured that Froslass on his first visit to Almia Castle, he didn’t really consider the possibility of there being history between her and Ice.

     That would definitely explain a few things, wouldn’t it?

     “...that Froslass,” Kellyn eventually says, “Is she your friend?”

     school!kellyn is 14-17 years old and in that time he crushes on his best friends, but then they part ways after graduation

     then after that he’s a ranger and he’s doing his job and he thinks about them and misses them

     that period is 17-20 years