@Ninian


[Route 701 Pokemon Center]

Jinx caught the cringe.

Well, gee buddy, it's not my fault genetics blessed with you a goodly amount of body heat and a chest that can only be described as 'firm but comfortable'. That's one your parents. Not me. I'm just an innocent victim here.

For once, Jinx had the tact to not say what he was thinking outloud, instead, he simply brushed his hand against another passerby, and held up the freshly stolen pill bottle for inspection. "Okay. So this stuff isn't strong enough to knock you out, but it should take the edge off." Without another word, he handed the bottle to Pent.

"And don't worry 'prof, I've already got a few escape routes planned if things go south. Stay as long as you need 'kay?"

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
Devon's active stance became a bit more lax as Nasir brought up the difficulties of capturing Pokémon capable of flight. The teen let out a sigh, bringing his hand to his chin as he tapped the Great Ball in his opposite hand against his leg. "Dang, you're right. I had a general plan in my head, but getting one near the ground would defiantly make it easier..."

Taking a few moments the think as a gently breeze blow through his wild hair, the teen snapped his fingers. "I've got it." Getting down on his knees he pulled off his white bag and began rummaging through it's contents. Soon enough, the Trainer had pulled out a small loaf of bread. "I'll just use some of the bread dad gave me as bait. That should bring in tons of birds!"

Hastily unwrapping the loaf, Devon began picking it apart into small pieces. Tossing the little bread bits onto the forest floor in front of him before he shouldered his bag and dove into a nearby bush. "Right, come hide in the bush with me. We can wait for the Starly without them seeing us from in here. And I'll tell you the rest of the plan too." The boy's voice called out from the foliage.

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ophidian
A horrified expression crossed over the professor as Jinx seemingly pulled a medication bottle out of thin air. "W-Where did you...!?" Simply staring, his brows furrowed as he stared at the ground, letting out a soft sigh. "...I appreciate it. You know, I could... I... do have money." Staring at the bottle, he contemplated how difficult it would be to acquire a legitimate prescription. It was something he had to fight with his whole life. Despite everything, despite how much pain he was constantly in, no one wanted to help him. Doctors would refuse his requests, stating that he wasn't in enough pain to warrant taking anything stronger than over the counter medications. Clearly, they never lived with rods holding several groups of bones together.

Without further thought, Pent took to pills, and reluctantly swallowed them dry. One of the pills lodged itself uncomfortably in his esophogus. ...Fantastic...

Looking to Jinx, the professor let out a sad sigh. "...Thank you. I truly appreciate your kindness. And... ah... are you certain we can stay? I could perhaps... if it would be safer to make it to the next city..."

@Ninian @Sketcher @Ophidian

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

Lily giggled at the girl as she finally woke up. "It's a little after 7:00. I will say you'd better get used to that. I'm used to it because of school and stuff." She said. "So... if you need to change or freshen up or something, bathroom's all yours. I'll be out in the lobby." She said, heading towards the door. "Come on, Chikorita." She said to her partner, motioning her towards the door. <Coming! Oh yeah, Mist, nice work.> She said to the Dratini before joining her trainer as they left the room.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

Brent made his way out into the main room past two older men who he hadn't seen the night before having some type of conversation he didn't very much understand. He looked around the room, seeing Olivier and Michael sitting at one of the tables. He didn't see Devon anywhere though. "Morning, guys. Either of you seen Devon? He wasn't there when I woke up this morning."

Michael looked over as Brent came and took a seat at the table with them. "Nope. Haven't seen him myself. Haven't seen Wye either, but my guess is that he already left. He was in a pretty big hurry last night, probably got going early this morning." He replied.

Soon Lily walked past the odd duo in the hallway as she slipped into the lobby. "Hey, everyone! Celes should be joining us here in a sec." She said as she took her seat at the table, her gaze momentarily settling on the TV. "They finished it that fast? I heard Pokemon Rangers were good, but finishing off a massive forest fire in ten minutes? That's just... wow." She said. "That is pretty impressive, they must be really good!" Said Brent. "Well... it is what they're trained for, you'd have to expect that. But yeah, that was pretty quickly taken care of." Finished Michael.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

Bryce had finished looking at his map and now was making sure he had everything he would need for the trip to Vertigo. While he was doing that, Maya spotted the young Ralts at a nearby table. <Hey... uh... Libra, right? Sorry about... yesterday... I didn't mean to upset you in any way...> She said, trying to apologize quite awkwardly.

@Ninian


[Route 701 Pokemon Center]

Jinx sauntered ever closer to Pent's side, then hooked his armed around the other man-a languid, easy, and more then a little overly flirtatious gesture. "Y'know prof. You're about the only person I've meant that wasn't in the...biz...whose first response wasn't a god**** lecture." He gave the professor's shoulder quick pat. "You take all the time you need, kay? I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't been in spots alot more tight then this."

Jinx paused for a moment. The reached over with his other hand a snatched a full water bottle off a nearby surface. "Oh. And it looks like you needed this. Never go dry. Never goes well."

Jinx winked.

It was a very particular wink.

Ranulf the Dragonite, Mist the Dratini

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Shiny Keldeo
"...School...?" Pausing for a moment, she vaguely remembered some of the children in town talking about how they came home from school. They stayed for a few weeks, and then vanished. It was one of the reasons Celes had little interaction with them. "...I uh, think some of the kids in Blackthorn went to school..."

There were so many questions, but it seemed Lily was pretty eager to leave. "...guess I can ask her about it later. Uh, so like... bathroom. Right, I guess there's no waterfalls around here. Ranulf, I'll be out in a few. Once I figure out how to do it. Eheh."

With those words said, the girl entered the bathroom. Which was an adventure all on its own.

Trainer: Devon Lyton
Illusion Status: Sentret
[Route 701 - Forest]

@Light Lord
The bread was thrown! Nasir, at his Trainer's request, followed him to a bush, concealing the pair in an illusion that made them both appear as Sentret. Hopefully the Flying-types wouldn't notice, or care about their presence.

About a minute later, Devon's plan came to fruition. Pidgey, Spearow, Taillow and Starly flew down to eat their fill. There wasn't quite enough for all of them, and a few began to fight amongst themselves; squawks permeated the air.

In a low voice, Nasir spoke to Devon, "...What would you like for me to do?"

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Shiny Keldeo
Still quite exhausted, the feminine blonde replied to Brent, while weighing in on Michael's words, "I've only managed to get up, so no... haven't seen Devon, sorry. And uh, Wye's probably gone. He did seem like he wanted to travel with us, but... I probably took too long. It's all right, I'm sure he'll be fine by himself."

Once Lily entered the room, Olivier flashed a smile at her, "Good morning." It seemed the group was talking about the fire, and his eyes trailed back up to the monitor. "That's... very impressive..."

Libra had taken to sitting down near Olivier, at least until he heard a voice. Picking himself back up, he looked to the Flareon from the night before. <Oh! Good morning, Maya. And... um... don't apologize. It's okay! Really! So, are you guys leaving soon too?>

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ophidian
Furrowing his brows, he looked over the man who's arms was now wrapped around him. "O-Oh. Well, I... understand you have your reasons, and your experiences don't parallel my own, so..." Staring off to the gathered Trainers, he paused for a moment before looking to Jinx, "Anyway, I mean... I guess I'll consider the options. If we're in no rush..."

It was then he watched Jinx filch a bottle of water. "J-Jinx, there's a vending machine near by. It's only 100, and it accepts credit cards... you don't... need to..." He wasn't exactly sure how to express his feelings. Jinx seemed so happy that Pent didn't lecture him. Now that he thought about it, it was probably exceedingly rare. He didn't want to lecture him, yet stealing a water bottle was excessive, and unnecessary. Still though, he appreciated the gesture. Pulling out some spare change, he left the money on the surface the water was stolen from. "A-Anyway, thank you..." Opening the bottle, he stared at it for a moment before taking a hesitant sip.

@Ninian


[Route 701 Pokemon Center]

Jinx noticed the hesitation, the look that flashed through the Professor's eyes...and a certain sad look crossed over his face. "Prof...uh...Pent. I didn't mean...it's just...your medical bills and insurance can't be cheap right? How many more times can you get injured before they just....pile up man? You're...."

Jinx choked on his words for a minute, trying to find ones that would avail him.

"You're...a good guy Pent. And you don't got alot of people looking out for you, from what I gather...I was just...tryin'....too I guess. Look out for you. One hundred saved now is one hundred torwards a surgery later. I mean. I can't steal a surgery for you. I would if I could but..."

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
Devon gasped quietly as a soft pink light flooded his vision on Nasir's approach. The teen reached up to rub his eyes, but something seemed....Off as he pulled his hands away. A sort of confused look over took the 'Trainer's' now brown furred face as he flexed his tiny paws. "Good call Nasir. Whoa, uh, sorry this just always feels weird. It really throws my brain off when I suddenly feel like I'm only two feet tall."

The birds appeared and began to fight over the scraps of bread, and the guised teen was already in motion. If Nasir were to look over at him, he would see the odd scene of a Sentret reaching near it's stomach and pulling the air as if it were a solid object. "Come on....Aha." A large primarily white Poké Ball was now clutched in the Scout's paws as he looked over at the other Sentret and smiled. "Alright, here's the plan. I'll have Shock open up with a Thunder Wave to paralyze one of the Starly, then I need you to run in with Aerial Ace and get one good hit in on it."

A bright flash of white light blanketed the small bush that the two 'raccoons' hid behind. A large in comparison, chubby creature blinked stupidly as he looked down upon the two Normal-types. <Uh...> Suddenly Shock's eyes went wide. <Oh, right, it's you guys. For a second there I thought some Sentret had actually swiped my ball!>

A 'shh' noise came from one of the brown fluff balls, causing Shock's lips to seal shut instantly as Sentret!Devon pulled his paw from his lips and pointed it out towards the flock of snoisy bird Pokémon. "Alright Shock, use Thunder Wave on those birds. Try to aim for the Starly."

Poking his bulbous yellow muzzle out of the bush to recon his prey, Shock then turned around to nod at his Trainer. A confident smirk spread across his face as he tapped his flipper off his chest. <Can do Devon! Get ready for a light show!>

A yellow blur jumped out from the bushes with sparks already dancing around it's rubbery form. [SHOCK used THUNDER WAVE!] Thin waves of yellow sparks blasted forth from in between Shock's flippers to strike the group of birds. A few of them flipped out and flew off in the panic, while others shrieked in surprise and discomfort as their unresponsive wings prevented them from taking off. Leaving them to only hobble and hop around awkwardly, still panicking. Among them, a lone Starly remained as it tried it's absolute hardest to force it's wings to move, but to no avail.

Pumping a fist, Devon turned to his disguised Zoroark and nodded. "Now Nasir! Aerial Ace that Starly! Try to hold back a bit, only do as much damage as you need to make sure he stays in a ball."

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

@Ninian @Light Lord
"Well, fire out or not, it's still kind of sad to think that such a beautiful area is going to be scarred for years now..." Said Brent. Lily was about to respond when she felt something on her shoulder. She turned her head and her eyes met the gaze of the small Grass Type she had saved the night before. "Shaymin!" She said in surprise.

Shaymin gave a grin, then jumped up and began flying in circles around everyone, eventually landing in the middle of the table they group was situated at. "That's right, after a good nights rest Shaymin is back to full health." Said Nurse Joy, standing nearby as she watched the group. "Well that's great that Shaymin is feeling alright now, right Lily?" Asked Brent, looking over to the green haired girl. She didn't respond though, she was deep in thought.

"Shaymin... is it really true? I was looking for answers so badly last night I believed everything Brooks said, but I was starting to doubt it a little... then there was that dream... vision... whatever it was... it felt so real... so are we meant to be partners... is Viore really in big trouble... am I one of the only ones who can stop this..." A slight nudge broke her concentration as she turned and looked at Brent. "...Huh? Sorry, I wasn't listening... it is really great though that Shaymin is all better now." She said.

"So this is what Shaymin really looks like... I thought it was smaller... and couldn't fly..." Said Michael. "That Shaymin is pretty special, I'll tell you. Not because of its form, but how it retains that form, and its history in this area." Brooks entered from outside, Noivern padding along next to him. "History?" Asked Lily. "Right. It's a sad truth... but that Shaymin is possibly the last Shaymin in the Viore Region."

The group gasped. "I said it was sad. When I first started my journey there was a whole colony of Shaymin living out in this forest. They had a beautiful Gracidea Garden out there, too. But Humans kept advancing more and more, the Shaymin began to live in fear that their home might be destroyed one day." The group held somewhat shocked and saddened faces as they listened to the sad tale. "One by one each of the Shaymin left. Until only one remained. This one was the leader of the colony, and held a very special item. The Eternal Gracidea. A very rare variant of the Gracidea Flower which allows Shaymin to stay in Sky Form in almost any circumstance."

"So... you're the only Shaymin left... that's so sad..." Said Lily, looking over to Shaymin as she even seemed saddened by the retelling of a story she knew and experienced herself. "Now Shaymin doesn't even have the Garden to go back to anymore though... those Royal Skies goons blew the place apart in a battle against her... I laid my own eyes on it, I don't think one flower survived..." He said sorrowfully.

"If that's the case, and without a new colony to rebuild the garden..." Shaymin had heard enough, and took to the air, planting herself back on Lily's shoulder. <My home may be gone... but... I still have the memories of it with me, always. I have a new mission now.> She said, yet Lily couldn't understand her this time. "It seems Shaymin really took a shine to you, Lily. Maybe it would be for the best if she stayed with you for now, until she can find a new colony to join." Said Nurse Joy.

Lily returned to her thoughts for a moment. "It's like I was told... we've already bonded, deeper than either of us know... right, I know what to do now." She turned. "If Shaymin's alright with it, I'm alright with it. What do you say, Shaymin? Wanna travel along with us?" She asked. <Of Course! Besides, you saved my life, I owe you that much! And more...> She said, with several gestures in return. "I guess that's settled then!" Said Lily.

Brent turned to Brooks. "Hey Brooks, you happen to see Devon this morning? I was woken up by my partner down there and Devon wasn't here." He said. Brooks nodded. "Yeah, he and that Zoroark of his went out to the forest early this morning, might have gone Pokemon Hunting." He said, taking a seat nearby.

[Route 701 - Pokemon Center]

Maya nodded at the response. <Thanks. And yeah, Bryce is going to be heading for Vertigo City soon. After that he's probably gonna start for Riviera Town. He's challenging the Gyms of Viore, and he says that's the nearest one in Riviera.> She said. Striker watched from afar. <That'a girl, Maya. You're finally starting to act more mature.> He said quietly to himself. Luckily Moss was no longer out and had been returned to her Pokeball for the moment, she would no doubt ruin the moment completely.

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ophidian
Letting out a soft sigh, Pent averted his gaze as Jinx brought up a good point. "I-I... I mean... that's... that's true. It's quite expensive which is why... I..." Letting a soft sigh escape his lips he continued, "It's why I travel to study ancient ruins, and... places that have the potential to house artifacts. Items that a museum would pay a large sum for. It's... not as if I find anything valuable... most of the time, but it's enough. Combined with teaching..."

Hanging his head, he continued, "...I appreciate your kindness, Jinx. I, truly do. You're right, it's... I don't have many who are there for me. It's mostly Shinon... Aenir... Jill..." Staring down at the Pokéballs on his belt, he eyed Shinon's, furrowing his brows. Should I let him out...? I... I'm not sure if... Snapping himself from his thoughts, he looked towards the other man. "I... just... don't want to see you in trouble. So please... I'm sure I'll be fine. Perhaps we'll find an artifact... perhaps..."

Trainer: Devon Lyton
Illusion Status: Sentret
[Route 701 - Forest]

@Light Lord
As his Trainer passed out tactical information, the Zoroark let out a soft sigh. Couldn't we have just asked...? The thought passed through his mind briefly, but he knew that was more often than not possible.

Not allowing his inner thoughts to distract him further, he watched as his Electric-typed companion ensured the Flying-types would remain grounded. Launching himself into the air, the *Sentret's* tail began to glow white as he made his descent towards the lone Starly.

[NASIR used AERIAL ACE!]

The attack impacted the Flying-type, though it was clearly restrained. A light shrieking chirp escaped the Starling Pokémon's beak as it was sent flying backwards. <Whyyyyyyyyyyyy?>

Libra the Ralts

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Shiny Keldeo
Olivier was surprised to see Shaymin. He had almost forgotten that he had seen it the night previously; that attested to just how tired he truly was. Holding up a hand, the feminine teen spoke, "I'm glad to see you're doing well, Shaymin."

Brooks entered, and what he had to say disturbed Olivier. ...It's the last Shaymin in Viore? What.. happened...?

Finally, after the story was over, he spoke up, "Y-You don't even have a home, now?" The small Ralts continued, <That's so sad... I'm so sorry...>

The Flareon from earlier replied, and the Ralts smiled as wide as he could. <That sounds fun! Oh uh... Maybe we can travel together! That is if I can get Olivier to acknowledge... and agree... maybe. Dunno!> Poking his Trainer in the leg, he pointed towards Bryce as soon as Olivier made eye contact. "...What about him?"

Libra began to gesture towards him wildly. The blonde put a hand to his forehead, letting out a sigh, "...I'll go talk to him."

Making his way towards the Trainer, Oliver spoke up, "Apologize for disturbing you, but my Ralts was frantically gesturing in your direction."

Ranulf the Dragonite, Mist the Dratini

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Shiny Keldeo
Celes finally made her entrance into the lobby, completely missing all of the backstory, and anything important that happened. Of course, she wasn't aware. Mist was returned to her pokéball, and Celes looked much more alive than she had when she was awakened.

Bounding up to the group, she put on a smile, "Oooo! Shaymin's doing a lot better. I'm glad! Soo... um.... are we all leaving now? Where'd that boy go with my steed? You know the big talking Pokémon."

@Ninian


[Route 701 Pokemon Center]

Jinx sighed, listening to the professor as he...sighed, and paused his way through a rebuttal. Pent was....Jinx didn't know what he was. But he did know that Pent had done a hell of alot right by him, that he was...pretty much the only human contact he had that wasn't connected to the law or the criminal world.

And that he was trying to refuse help he clearly needed.

Junx crossed his arms. "The long pauses and the repeated perhaps sure do inspire confidence." The lithe thief, sighed unhooked his arm from the professor's shoulders and moved to, in one swift movement, grab his hands-the one not holding his cane at least. "Pent. Listen to me. I am ALREADY in trouble. Like. A huge amount. They wanna nail my fine little ass to the wall in Kanto. There's pretty much nothing I can do short of murder to get into more of it. So please....just...let me help okay?"

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
A blue and white Poké Ball came flying out from the trees to smack the whining Starly in the side. The capsule's top popped open as a white beam shot out of it, engulfing the small bird in a cloak of light that was quickly sucked back into the container. The Great Ball's lid snapped closed as it fell to the ground and began to rock gently back and forth. A quiet whirring sound coming from the sphere as it's release button blinked red once....twice.....three times! A satisfying ploo noise echoed out through the woods as an excited Ampharos and Sentret jumped out of the bushes and high fived each other. "<Woo hoo!>"

Sentret!Devon quickly waddled over to it's double, patting Nasir on the back as he reached behind him to fumble with his tail. "Great job you two! We finally caught a Starly! I've waited years for this man! I can't wait to meet em!"

The guised teen then began to grab at his chest where he thought his back pack strap might be, looking over at his Illusion Fox with a stupid smile. "Nasir can you uh, drop the illusion? I can't really find my bag's zipper like this."

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ophidian@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
"W-What!?" Jinx's revelation caused the professor's features to pale, as he looked upon the man with intense, borderline terrified worry. "W-W...!?" Pent could barely manage words. Furrowing his brows, a saddened expression overtook his visage as he let out a dejected sigh, "I-I... see... I'm... sorry. I... wish there was something I could do."

Staring at the ground, he let out a soft sigh. "Just.. I... I mean... if you really feel that strongly... Please just, be careful. Even if you're wanted... there's no need to... draw attention to yourself..."

Closing his eyes, yet another sigh escaped his lips. Lowering his voice, he "A-Anyway we should... probably change topics there's ah... Trainers. Many of them..." Gently removing his hand from Jinx's, a small smile crossed his lips, "Anyway, thank you..."

Trainer: Devon Lyton
Illusion Status: None
[Route 701 - Forest]

@Light Lord
A flash of pink light overtook the pair as they were returned to normal. Curiously, Nasir looked over the Pokéball. "Ah, yes... It's been since your childhood? Well, shall we?"

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
Now with proper access to his bag, the excited teenager pressed his thumb into the black plastic clip of the strap. The latch releasing and dropping the white backpack awkwardly to Devon's feet. The wild haired brunet crouched down and began to rummage through it's contents. "Alright, just let me grab a few things...."

Shock's wide brown eyes peered down into his Trainer's bag for a moment, before the Ampharos assumed a straight stand and nodded at the Zoroark with a grin. <Ooooh yeah. Devon's been totally obsessed with these birds ever since Flappers left. And I can see why, since it'll be pretty sweet when this dude evolves and we don't need to walk everywhere.>

With a smile, the scarred boy pushed his bag aside. A small orange spray bottle sat in the grass near his right knee, while in his hands he wielded a yellow spray bottle and a handful of red and blue berries with a bit of bread. "Let's do this. Just gotta take it slow, don't scare em..."

The Trainer's pinkie finger extended outwards, the tip pushing the button on the static Great Ball. A brilliant flash of white light blasted forth from underneath the ball's lid as the small Starly appeared before the trio. While the bird was still dazed and paralyzed, Devon would reach out behind the bird's back and give it a few spurts of the Paralyze Heal. He also attempted to distract the tiny Pokémon from the bottle by holding out the handful of yummy food and giving a friendly smile. "Here buddy. I'm sorry for not letting you eat earlier, so you can have all this for yourself. You should be feeling alot better soon."

Trainer: Devon Lyton
Illusion Status: None
[Route 701 - Forest]

@Light Lord
Tilting his head, Nasir stared at Shock wide-eyed, "Are you certain it would evolve to be... large enough to carry Devon? That would be quite the feat..."

The Zoroark's gaze followed his Trainer's arm as he pulled out medical supplies, along with food. "Devon, have you thought of a name for our new friend?"

In a flash of white light, the Starly let out a startled cry, as its eyes whirled around, unable to do much of anything. Once he felt the healing liquid, he finally managed to focus on Devon who was holding out a handful of food. <W-W...? Oh. Food. Well, I guess the pain was almost worth it for free food. Sure. Thanks.>

Righting himself, he brought himself to a stand, happily pecking at the food, though he eyed the group warily. <I'm surprised a tough group like you would want a Starly. Can't say I can think of a reason, or that I really care. Free food, board and training? Sure, sign me up.>

Nasir tilted his head, "So... are you feeling better?"

<I guess so. I was already starving before your friend there zapped me, I think I'm just dizzy from that. And uh... thanks for the food. With those crazy goons everywhere yesterday, it's kind of been a problem. You know, stray Hyper Beams and whatever.>

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
Shock shrugged at Nasir's question. <Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty sure that Staraptor are big enough to carry a human kid. Devon's pretty average, so I bet it could work.>

Back when Devon was getting the medicine, he nodded at Nasir's question with a smile. "Yeah...I think I've got a perfect one."

Watching the little bird peck away at his hand, the brunet teen wore an awed smile the entire time. This is so cool...I barely meet any wild Pokémon that are as chill as this Starly...I picked the right choice, defiantly.

At the Starly's observations of the forest, Shock rubbed the back of his head and wore a bit of a guilty frown. <Yeah uh, sorry about that man. It was just so ya know, you wouldn't freak out and fly away before we had a chance to talk to you. You're hanging with us now, so I won't shock ya anymore.>

After the Starling Pokémon had finished his meal, the crimson hoodied Trainer reached out. Gently picking him up and holding the little Flying-type in his lap as he looked down at him with a soft smile. "So, I got a question for you little guy. How do you like the name 'Ace'?"

@Ninian


[Route 701 Pokemon Center]

Jinx smirked and cocked his head. "Alright. I can change the subject." He intoned, voice thick with the same intent it'd sported before he'd shaken Pent out his drug induced haze with a most unconventional medical treatment strategy. Namely the liplock. He should write a paper on it. He'd clearly discovered something of great value to the world at large.

"Leeeeet's talk about how good with your hair down. I'm jealous. I could never get mine to grow that long. Or look that good."

Trainer: Devon Lyton
Illusion Status: None
[Route 701 - Forest]

@Light Lord
<It's all good. At least you scared those food snipers away. Can't stand them.>

His eyes widened, a confused look upon his face as his new Trainer picked him up. <Not gonna get used to that. And uh...> Considering the name for a moment, he let out a happy chirp, <Sounds good to me!>

The resident translator smiled at the Starly's response, "He seems agreeable. Ace it is."

Shinon the Lucario, Aenir the Froslass, Jill the Skarmory

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ophidian@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Eyes wide at the man's topic change, he remained silent for a few moments, trying to figure out what to even say. "W-Well, it was mostly an accident. Getting your hair cut... between grading, and... I simply didn't have the time to do much else. So, my hair suffered as a result. However, after a certain length it... well, I would like to think it looks all right. When I was unintentionally growing it out, however..." The man shivered. "Let's say I've... looked better."

Devon Lyton

Shock the Ampharos, Cyan the Marill, Quill the Monferno, Missy the Mismagius, Nasir the Zoroark, Ace the Starly
[Forest Beyond Route 701]

@Ninian
The happy chirp and confirmation from the resident translator caused the proud Trainer to laugh a bit and his smile to brighten even more as he gave the newly dubbed Ace a few pets on the head near his crest feathers. "Haha! Awesome! Glad to have ya on the team Ace! My name is Devon, and I promise, I'll take great care of you, and teach you how to how to kick some major butt in battle!"

Gently setting the tiny Starling Pokémon back on the grass before him, Devon reached into his pockets to grab the rest of his Poké Balls and toss them into the air above his head. "Guys! Come on out and meet our new buddy; Ace!" One by one, the aerial spheres popped open in a brilliant show of white lights. A Marill, a Mismagius, and a Monferno appeared before the trio and smiled as they all crowded around the little Flying-type to give their greetings.

The Aqua Mouse Pokémon of the three did a quick spin on her tip toes as she beamed at the Starly. <Hello! I'm Cyan! Nice to meet you Ace!>

The Magical Pokémon hesitantly hovered near the base stage mon, lacing her ribbon-like arms and giving the bird a polite bow and naturally crooked smile. <Greetings, Ace. I am Missy. I hope that you are comfortable with...Being captured by a Trainer. I can assure you, that life with Devon will be much more enjoyable than living on your own in the wild.>

The Playful Pokémon was the last one to speak up. The Monferno crossing his arms as per usual and giving a nod and slight smile to their new friend. <My name is Quill. Pleased to meet you, Ace.>

And finally, the Light Pokémon chimed in with his own late introduction. Quite literally sliding into Ace's field of view and giving a dopey grin. <And I'm Shock! You stick with us kiddo, and we'll make you into a total badass! Just you watch! You'll be taking down Gym Leaders left and right once you train up!>

The crimson hoodied teenager crossed his legs and let his arms rest in his lap, his collection of five Poké Balls resting in the space between his legs being idly rolled around by his right hand as he relaxed and watched his party converse. "We can just chill here for a bit, then we gotta get some training in guys. Got a big battle coming up soon and we all gotta be ready."

Looking behind his shoulder in the direction of the Pokémon Center, he smirked. "We're gonna take on Brooks, and we're gonna give him a fight he'll never forget."

[Route 701 - Pokémon Center]

@Ninian@Ophidian@Shiny Keldeo
The sliding glass doors of the high tech medical facility flew open with an electronic whoom sound, the sounds of many feet of all shapes and sizes following along after it as the scarred teenager with a Starly on his shoulder and a crowd of mon behind him grinned at his friends as he walked towards them. "Hey guys! The Starly hunt went great! This is our new friend, Ace! He's really got a knack for battling too! Ain't that right little dude?" The boy chimed as he panned his gaze over to the bird.