[attr="class","euterpetop"]

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[attr="class","euterpepost"]


[break][break]

cooper had wandered far beyond his home. as a breeder, he needed variety for his ranch. new blood. a careful selection. the gene pool of asagi's grassy region was only sufficient by so much, and as the cowboy carefully trekked over the basins of water left by the receding tide, he scoured the sands and sea for striking features.[break][break]

of course, cooper experienced a sensation that he was overstepping his mortal bounds. in essence he was playing god. while quiet critters shuffled away in their tide pools, cooper felt like a deity walking among planets. each pool was a microcosm of life; he could see the craggy continents, the lush forests and vast seas contained within the neat circular confines of the intertidal shore.[break][break]

but humans were also a varied sort. some stood out more than others, and to jenna, cooper's unusual headpieces were enough to distinguish him from the browns of the sandy path. for cooper, jenna was coloured in the emanating tapestry of memory.[break][break]

cooper breathed deeply. the tangy scent of the ocean swelled into his lungs. he waved back. his sandaled feet left deep impressions in the sand like the phantoms of the caves down below.[break][break]

"never thought i'd see you 'round these parts." cooper shouted. he picked up the pace as the distinct blues of the ranger's hair set themselves apart from the endless hues of sky and ocean. "i'll be right over there, don'tcha move a muscle."[break][break]

he picked up the pace on the snaking sands.[break][break]

but just then, an interruption threatened the gravity of their meeting.[break][break]

[attr="class","euterpeline"]

[attr="class","euterpetag"]FOR Jenna Wright

[attr="class","euterpenotes"]
<3

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]

The man's voice had no trouble reaching her ears. It carried a weight that allowed it to stretch the distance. Jenna always thought its low rumble was unique–made him sound distinguished. It conjured the imagery of a radio-host kicking back, reading the news to an eager audience of trainers glued to their PokeGears.[break][break]

“Same. Did you come out here to check out the tide pools?” It was a fun attraction for children and trainers alike. Every day, it seemed as if the selection of pokemon would change. As the tide rose, it would carry the inhabitants out to sea, leaving the holes barren for the next occupant. At the breeder's insistence, she stands and waits, knowing that the man would make for good company for the rest of this beach excursion.[break][break]

It was good timing. She had spent too much time to herself these last few days. Some conversation would be good for her. Snap her out of the spell where the days would blend into one another.[break][break]

The Ranger was briefly unaware of her surroundings. From her far right, something crawls out from one of the tide pools. A dark brown Arthropod emerged, testing its legs on dry land... looking for a trainer to battle. It was far too strong to remain in the tide pools where the weaker pokemon congregated. Its beady eyes focused on the blue ranger, preparing to scuttle in her direction.[break][break]

Until an unknown observer made her appearance. Out from Jenna's overgrown hoodie, a head pops up through the collar, pressing against her neck. A togepi. “Hey, I thought you were trying to stay warm,” Jenna said down to her egg-shaped pokemon. After watching her fairy-type struggle to walk across the sand with her short legs, she had been glad to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way... even if the egg looked flustered from such treatment.[break][break]

The fairy type scanned the breeder in front of her before huffing out of boredom. Jenna could only frown down at the newest additions to her party, knowing that the Togepi could be quite the handful.[break][break]

“Don't worry about this little passenger. Her name's Tink and I guess you could say... I've got a couple kinks I gotta iron out.” She could be a little shit, when she wanted to be... but, somehow, Jenna had managed to earn the pokemon's affection. The Togepi had a soft-spot for her blue-haired trainer. It was almost like a child with a crush, who was unsure of how to deal with their emotions. It was cute.[break][break]

And when the fairy type spied the Kabuto from the corner of her eye, she raised her tiny arm and gave a small twirl of the finger, performing Metronome. How dare that dumb insect try and sneak up on her trainer? It had to be taken care of. Immediately. Jenna hadn't noticed the gesture–[break][break]

However, she did notice the hyper beam that had suddenly materialized from her pokemon's finger, sniping the Kabuto from a distance and launching it back into the ocean where it belonged with a thunderous explosion of energy and light.[break][break]

“O-oh. That... that wasn't very nice.” She said down to Tink, looking far less fazed than she should have been. “Haven't we talked about this? You can't just wiggle your finger at every single thing that walks on by,” and her eyes carried over to Coop, expressing that he would probably be safe.[break][break][break]

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[break][break]

cooper's beldum hovered over toward jenna after the battle. the familiar sight of the ranger elicited fond emotions, which toyed with the cyclops' magnetism. his eye expressed glee as his body bobbed and swayed in the air, as if on a swing. despite the pokémon's mechanical appearance, personality was aplenty in the way he conducted his stiff body.[break][break]

the cowboy chuckled at tink's fiesty demeanour. he would have been surprised by the emergence of such a character if it weren't for the destructive display moments before. only now did cooper notice the evacuating beach goers and so he offered an apology. inwardly. for no one to hear.[break][break]

as the noibat dueled the pathetic fish, cooper rubbed his chin. his beldum floated in circles around the ranger as if chasing a tail.[break][break]

"part of the job. 'least, for me it is." cooper scratched his cheek witha finger. "tryin' to find some pokémon to bring back with me. the breedin' business is a tough one. people always expecting exotics and whatnot."[break][break]

splaaash! his beldum went off his circular track after being assaulted by a spatter of seawater. the red eye seemed to fidget in its iron socket. if one looked closely, perhaps they would have noticed the eye shifted into a more daring hue of scarlet.[break][break]

cooper continued to converse, one eye briefly tracking his pokémon's detour. "and you? busy helpin' others out like the angel you are, i reckon."[break][break]

beldum traced the splashing to a feebas in a neighbouring tide pool. the shabby fish, marred by sickly spots stared dully at the metal creature and without so much as a sound, simply splashed again. to this, beldum was confused. then irritated. the look of the pokémon was enough to inspire a sort of violent tendency stirred by cute things—except this fish was ugly. super ugly. and beldum took the gesture to mean, "i'm stuck here hurr durr please help me." the beldum gladly obliged. hardening its body with an iron defense, the iron gleamed. one eye rolled back to catch a glimpse of cooper, but he was busy relishing in their reunion to notice. perfect. as the feebas splashed once more, the beldum reeled back like a mallet before swinging through. his hard body collided with the feebas, tossing water and the fish from its basin. the flying feebas caught the sun's rays before splashing back into the broader body of the ocean, and beldum serenaded himself with a victory fanfare of alien chirps.[break][break]

the beldum cycled back to spin circles once more.[break][break]

[attr="class","euterpeline"]

[attr="class","euterpetag"]FOR Jenna Wright

[attr="class","euterpenotes"]
<3

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]

The Ranger smiled at the floating steel contraption. For a moment, she almost felt a flash of guilt–it was so easy to think of some steel-type pokemon as unfeeling devices that followed the motions of life. The happiness that reflected in the Beldum's eye had defied that expectation. Even if his body was not as flexible as an organic one, he still managed to convey his excitement. “Hey, little guy!” She greeted Coop's cyclops, having to spin to keep up with his swirling motions... which seemed to encourage it to spin even faster.[break][break]

It actually made her dizzy.[break][break]

Waiting on the world to stop spinning, Jenna gave a sympathetic chuckle for Tink as she clutched both sides of her head. “Whoops. Forgot I had a passenger,” and she scratched the top of the dizzy egg's head as an apology, listening as Coop explained why he was here.[break][break]

“That doesn't sound easy.” If a pokemon was rare or exotic, there was a reason for it. “I imagine you have to do a lot of traveling from the ranch, huh?” That had to be exhausting–it must have felt like working two separate jobs that had been mutated into one.[break][break]

In the distance, Beldum was locked in a similar battle –dealing with a splashing, fishy menace. The two fish they had just confronted seemed so... helpless. Echo shot her a look when he returned, expressing that just because he won that fight did not mean he enjoyed it. “Yeah, but you put him in his place, right?” The small bat couldn't argue with that logic. He nestled onto her shoulder, ignoring the death-glare Tink sent in his direction. Jenna was tempted to separate them before they started fighting like siblings... but she was in the middle of a conversation and opted for the look a mother would give her children.[break][break]

Coop's next words were sweeter than Combee honey. Just like last time, the girl could feel a creeping heat as she scratched her cheek. It was so hard for her to accept a compliment. Her first instinct was to deflect or deny it... but she wouldn't. Not today. “I own a Lapras. I try to swing by these parts so she can go out and swim and... act like a Lapras, you know?”[break][break]

Jenna tucked her hands back into the pouch of her hoodie, knowing that Tink was sure to get grumpy if she kept standing around. “Uh... since we spooked everyone, how about we circle around and find somewhere more secluded. Something might catch your eye. I know a little cove if we swing around the bend up ahead.” The Ranger had no doubt that Coop would follow.[break][break]

And Jenna started to walk, transitioning from hard stone to the warm sands. They would have to walk towards the end of the sandbar, where there were fewer people.[break][break]

“Been awhile since I've seen it, but I'm sure it's still there.” She had to edge closer to the water, letting the waves wash up to her knees, as she wadded around one of the taller rock spires. The water was cold, drawing a wince as she tried to ignore the chill that sunk straight to her bones. “Someone showed it to me a long time ago.”[break][break]

This place had memories.[break][break]

When they rounded the bend, the Ranger gestured to the small alcove where the rocks had parted. It was a crack in the structure that had been eroded, creating a private beach where two rocky cliffs would allow pokemon some privacy.[break][break]

A Squirtle and Psyduck could be seen playing in the waters. “I... wow. Today is your lucky day. I'll take yellow.” Noibat flew from her shoulders, ready to initiate combat... but his trainer seemed distracted. Jenna flanked the rocky cliffs, her hand scouring its surface as her fingers traced every nook and cranny.[break][break]

Echo could only shrug, starting the battle with a rapid slashing of his wings, creating tiny slices of condensed air that would push the Psyduck out of the water; Air Cutter.[break][break]

j & J wERe HErE. It was a child's handwriting... or, rather, an attempt to mimic her handwriting. She had to give the sculptor credit, he had done an excellent job.[break][break]

Jenna felt it. Her fingers traced the carving that had been cut as deeply as possible, driving through the unyielding sediment. It was small, performed by delicate hands...but driven with enough force to scar. Gently, she pressed her palm against it, hiding it from prying eyes. All those years of water washing against it had yet to remove it. “Didn't think it'd still be here.” She murmured, casting her eyes back to her Noibat and Coop, wondering how their battles were going.[break][break]

In the time it took her to find the carving, Echo had already finished... but he was soaking wet and seemed to be exhausted. Did he take one too many water attacks? Most likely. He was used to fighting larger opponents that were slower than he was. "Come on. I'll slice you up some lunch, okay?" He perked up at her offer.[break][break][break]

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]

The waves were crashing. It was all the Ranger could hear. The surge of the ocean failed to travel far to reach her, but there were times where it seemed close.[break][break]

As Echo returned to her shoulder, Jenna allowed her hand to slip away from the carving. Tink was trying to look up at her. Both pokemon were wondering what was on their trainer's mind, but there was no need to fuss. The moment had passed. In a snap, Jenna seemed to dismiss her thoughts. The Ranger had reeled it back in–she had cast an empty line from the very start. “Hm? What's up with you two?” She sounded fine. “Hungry? I guess it is about time for lunch.”[break][break]

She didn't realize the breeder had noticed. For Jenna, it couldn't have been longer than a second.[break][break]

Knowing that Cooper's battle was over, she turned back to face the breeder–both of her shoulders slacking as she removed her backpack. It hit the ground with a loud thump. The girl didn't bother to let it hit the ground gracefully. Everything packed inside was durable. It'd take more than a small fall to make her worry. “You in a rush to head back?” She said aloud, regardless of if his capture was a success or not.[break][break]

“Because I might stick around here for a bit longer.” She didn't have anywhere else to be. Bowing down, the Ranger unzipped one of the pouches, pulling out a small plastic bag that was filled with snacks for her team. Noibat got his usual arrangement of sliced fruits. Tink got a Candy Bar... which Jenna had to help her unwrap. “Don't get chocolate on my hoodie.” Tink nodded, chewing through her first bite of the sweet confection. Chocolate was already smeared on the Togepi's cheeks.[break][break]

Jenna sat herself down, feeling the heat of the sand radiate underneath her. Now she wished she had brought her bathing suit...but then she wouldn't have two members of her team crammed so close to her. It felt good to have her pokemon so close.[break][break]

"Hope that 'someone' is still around." Coop's statement seemed to hang in the air. If he had wanted to see a reaction, there wasn't one to be found. The girl's face was placid, unchanged–even if those words sunk like a cannonball through the chest.[break][break]

Jenna blinked, bringing her gaze away from him to focus on the horizon of the ocean that stretched back towards Johto. It gave away the truth. She knew it did. “Came to this place a long time ago. Some things change. Least this place hasn't,” and that was all she felt comfortable saying.[break][break]

The girl used her thumb to wipe some of the chocolate from her Togepi's face. “You're being messy.” Tink huffed, ready to complain that it was hard to eat something that was almost as big as her... but Jenna intervened. “Don't sweat it. Hold on.” Gently, Jenna snapped the bar into and easier portion, passing it back to her small fairy.[break][break]

“Not like we can stay that long. Tide will be back in an hour. We'll have to leave before that, unless you feel like swimming.” The was followed by her trademark smile.[break][break][break]

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[attr="class","euterpeline"]

[attr="class","euterpeicon"][attr="class","ion-leaf"]

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[break][break]

"no real rush." cooper said. "no real rush i'd be willin' to listen ta."[break][break]

while recalling his sheep, cooper called his squirtle back into the water. the turtle stumbled. puzzled steps splashing into the shallows like the first steps on the moon. cooper quickly provided company with another click of a pokéball. atlas, the beldum, helped their newest addition to acclimate with several playful splashes.[break][break]

the silence settled in place of an answer. it would have been a lie to say that cooper wasn't disappointed, and yet, the quiet provided enough grounds for an unfair assumption.[break][break]

"maybe you've changed." cooper said—but he quickly caught the tail of what he had uttered, recognizing the potential injury. "sometimes i worry i haven't at all."[break][break]

he scratched his chest, following her gaze into the horizon.[break][break]

"i'm wearin' white." cooper said. "think i'll take a hard pass on swimmin'." he chuckled as he watched his beldum and squirtle douse each other in summery waterworks.[break][break]

"thanks for showin' me this place. i won't forget it."[break][break]

[attr="class","euterpeline"]

[attr="class","euterpetag"]FOR Jenna Wright

[attr="class","euterpenotes"]
<3