Reunions and Ruins. (Quest/Elinda)

We're painted red
to fit right in

Odd how one job just seemed to roll into another. Elinda was no stranger to the concept of work or odd jobs - as a trainer there were very few actual careers one could pursue outside of aiming for the top and trying to live off of the prize money, and most tended to make due with welfare and public services instead. If anything it often cost more to be a trainer than what you made between the price of items, lodging, medical bills for trainer and Pokemon alike, and feeding an entire team didn't come cheap. Especially once you started evolving your roster and they got bigger and it began taking more just to keep them fed, nevermind healthy and in good enough condition to fight. During bad stretches of time that often meant you were spending far more than you ever made in terms of prize money from battling, so Elinda was hardly unique in the sense that veteran trainers often learned to apply their skills elsewhere - not everyone could fight, and the world was often a dangerous place.

A lesson that she'd learned a long, long time ago and had been very recently reminded of with the last job involving the Drapion. Were it not for the other trainer chances were it would've been far more difficult, arguably not possible with her team in the shape it was in.

Still, it was a difficult job done and had led right into another one through the same method as the first. Referrals and word of mouth were often how you got the highest paying gigs, and while she didn't particularly care about the money the blond wasn't going to complain. The bigger the challenge was the more her Pokemon were going to grow from it, and that was the entire reason she'd left Hoenn for Stellara in the first place. Brand new region, brand new League, brand new challenge. And considering this new job involved escorting someone into ruins... many strong Pokemon tended to frequent such places. Dragon types, powerful Rock and Ground Pokemon, the kind that tended to provide a true challenge to even veteran trainers.

It seemed rather odd that the client wanted to meet on site rather than at a safer location and then move in as a group, but that was their choice - what had Elinda's attention more than anything else was the mention of another trainer having taken on the job alongside her, and part of the woman's mind was wondering if it was the last one she'd worked alongside and encountered again in the Gurios Mountains since they seemed to be heading in the same direction. Clad in her usual black shirt, jeans and boots with her trademark crimson travel coat offset by the dark blue Beldum hovering over her shoulder, the trainer's mind had largely been wandering as she followed the path to the meeting site, the edges of the ruins slowly coming into view along with two other people in the distance.

One of which very much caught Elinda completely off guard as the younger of the two immediately took notice of her approach, the sight of the Bounsweet all but confirming who it was had there even been any doubt to begin with.

"YO, SQUIRT! How you doin'? Thought you would've been all the way back in Hoenn still!" Elinda shouted, face lighting up as she called to the obviously confused and much younger trainer. The man employing the pair seemed to be slightly bewildered as well, albeit in a much different manner - more than anything he seemed to be taking note of the family resemblance above all else. For the moment, though, he seemed to be keeping quiet and uninterested in interrupting the pair as the older trainer approached the small gathering, Beldum's lone eye locked onto Shiori with a great deal of interest.

"So, how's Stellara treating you? Assuming you've gotten a solid start on a team if you've made it out this far. Sorry about the wait, by the by. Wasn't expecting the job until I got the call in the middle of the Gurios Mountains, wouldn't 've made it here at all were it not for Skarmory." Elinda continued, approaching the Bounsweet and kneeling with a hand held out for the Pokemon to inspect. The last comment, however, was directed squarely at their client. It was never good to keep someone waiting in business, especially if that person was the one who decided whether or not you kept the job.


Beldum - Level 9. Take Down.

Ferroseed - Level 5. Growl, Tackle.

Skarmory - Level 5. Peck, Leer.

Aron - Level 5. Tackle, Harden, Mud Slap

@tag

We're painted red
to fit right in

So this was the Pokemon that Shiori had acquired from the local Pokemon Center? It was an unusual choice, she'd say that much. While Elinda wasn't able to immediately place where she'd last seen a Bounsweet off the top of her head the older trainer was inclined to say.... Unova? Even then the species wasn't actually native to the place from what she was able to remember, and whether or not they evolved was a question to be answered at another point. Regardless, to find one in Hoenn was something of a small miracle, especially one just up for grabs. Most trainers that visited from other regions were generally veteran trainers in their own right and not all that ready to simply give their Pokemon away, and the same could be said of the other regions as well. Most generally had to settle for simply catching whatever was local unless they were willing to spend some serious money with breeders or owe a favor later down the line.

Well, curiosity aside... with the Pokemon taking a sniff of her hand and seeming to approve, Elinda would stand back up, stretching as she did so.

"Oh? Know something I don't for a change? Last I knew he was still in Hoenn when I went my own way." Elinda responded, blinking for a moment and eyes fixed on her daughter. The older blond would be the first to admit that she wasn't exactly the best when it came to maintaining contact with family while on the road, but she liked to at least think she was somewhat aware of where they were and what they were doing. Last she knew of her son he was still in Hoenn, roughly around Slateport after they'd looped around the northern half of the region before dropping back around from Rustboro. It was entirely possible that he might not be in the region anymore since it'd been maybe two months since then, but of all the regions in the world that he could've gone next... Elinda didn't like to believe in coincidences, but it definitely felt like one here if Shiori was going off more than just a hunch or hope.

"But good to hear, though. Don't think you're quite there yet but we'll have to have a match at some point once you start catching up. Never had a go at it before but looking forward to the idea now that you've got a start on your own team." The trainer continued, hands dropping back into her pockets once they'd stopped reaching upwards. Not words she'd ever really thought about saying before, but now that they were out there... the sudden feeling of being old aside, it was an exciting prospect. Especially given their life back in Hoenn. It might've been a hell of an assumption, but given that they were effectively living the suburban life and with Taichi in the service industry it hadn't seemed too out of place to imagine her kids taking up the academic track. Going to school well into their late teens or early twenties, finding a more stable job and life. Elinda probably should have known better given her life experiences and how she'd met their father in the first place, but it was still a surreal albeit not unpleasant experience to be able to say such a thing.

But alas, back to business it was as their employer spoke again in response to her earlier apology.

As the man rolled out the map and began speaking, most of her attention would focus on the terrain. She wasn't ignoring him - her mind was still registering what was being said - but the first thing Elinda couldn't help note was that the map showed very little that was relevant to their job. It had their destination marked, but that was about it beyond the basic terrain. No mention of what to expect, nothing about the exact route they were expected to take... there were a lot of potential hiding places in those crumbling buildings, not all for them. Old habits didn't die easy, and while part of Elinda liked the idea of a challenge and probably wouldn't have been so concerned were anyone else present... fact was that it was family here. She had to assume that Shiori could probably look out for herself, but at the same time Elinda couldn't watch out for two people at once with Beldum still as he was and without knowing what to expect.

"Can't help but note, but.... what're we expecting? Wouldn't be hiring two trainers instead of just one unless you thought something specific was in those ruins. One trainer could handle most wild Pokemon just fine but you're expecting trouble, and there are a lot of hiding places out in those buildings. Can't keep an eye on them all." Elinda started, eye shifting up from the map to settle on the scholar as she waited for a reply. She was ready to go whenever they were, but the more information they had to work with the smoother this was going to go.


Beldum - Level 9. Take Down.

Ferroseed - Level 5. Growl, Tackle.

Skarmory - Level 5. Peck, Leer.

Aron - Level 5. Tackle, Harden, Mud Slap

@tag

We're painted red
to fit right in

That was something that got Elinda's attention, and as it was said by the archaeologist her gaze would snap up from the map to his face
- gone was the extremely casual attitude from a moment ago.

Elinda had been to a great many regions during her younger years as a trainer. Tokai, Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, half a dozen smaller ones in between. Despite having never been to Alola, though, she knew very well which Pokemon the man was referring to. Dragon types in general were not to be trifled with by most trainers. Powerful to begin with and often with only the most wise and skilled ones reaching their final evolutions through either sheer age or experience in battle, a wild Dragon was generally able to steamroll entire teams on its own as far as the average trainer was concerned. Even with a natural resistance to them Elinda's own team had learned to treat them with a great deal of caution in fights. Kommo-o were a different story entirely, though. With a Fighting subtype and a heavy emphasis on brawler tactics the only two Pokemon Elinda had ever been able to use successfully against them had been Metagross and Aggron, both titans in their own right. Beldum was in no shape to even attempt that now, though, and Aggron was back in Hoenn with a family friend.

"Not yet, unfortunately." The blond answered, addressing Shiori's question. The Pokemon Elinda had on her person now simply were not ready for that kind of fight. It helped that Kommo-o generally gave fair warning before attacking and it could have been oh so much worse, but it wasn't something they wanted to tangle with.

As for the man's other comments... as the man began to walk with Shiori moving up to keep pace, Elinda would stay behind the pair where she could keep both within her line of sight, Beldum moving ahead and high enough to keep watch from above. The appearance of the other types in the ruins was hardly unusual, at least compared to the other regions. The place had once housed people, and many had likely died there to account for the Ghost types... and where some ghosts gathered many more often flocked to join them. In turn that often attracted Psychic types. Dragon in general tended to be drawn to places of power, usually remote. Environments where they could simultaneously challenge themselves yet remain undisturbed by society as a whole, and ruins such as this with strong Pokemon already lurking within definitely qualified. The only one that stuck out from the bunch were the Fairy types, but that was just the one oddity and not one that Elinda was particularly concerned with given her own team.

"Calculated risk is fine, but there's something to be said against unnecessary risks. Luck only gets you so far." Elinda responded to Henry's own comments. It was true enough what he said and she admittedly wasn't the best person to be speaking out against risk taking, but it was different with family there. Different than it had been in the past. Back then the only one she'd ever had to really worry about was herself, and that was a luxury that she'd lost fairly early on as well. On that note, though....

Pulling a single black Luxury Ball free of her belt, Elinda would simply click the button to release the Pokemon inside.

"Keep an eye out, please? Beldum's already up, let us know if something takes notice." Elinda said, glancing back as she walked past the newly released Skarmory. Taking a moment to preen as her trainer spoke, though, the bird would quickly open her wings and take to the air without complaint, quite happy to be in a dry environment for once as she soared upwards.



Beldum - Level 9. Take Down.

Ferroseed - Level 5. Growl, Tackle.

Skarmory - Level 5. Peck, Leer.

Aron - Level 5. Tackle, Harden, Mud Slap

@tag