[Arcanine looks up from where he's been savaging the new stick Eevee dragged over, and wags. Apparently Blue's been speaking out loud, and he heard his name.]
[James, having been alone a long time now, feels a flood of nostalgia for his one friend from when he was a kid; an emotion that comes across the crystal.]
Oooh, an Arcanine.
I always wanted one as a tot but my parents wouldn't let me have a Fire Stone. Growlie would have made a magnificent Arcanine.
[The loneliness drifting across the crystal strikes a chord with Blue that he wasn't expecting or guarding himself against, and it reverberates in a rather unpleasantly familiar way.]
[...That's the only reason, he tells himself, that he's bothering to listen to this guy's gushing memories and make any kind of peace offering in return. The only reason.]
...Well, since you're a Growlithe trainer, I guess it would be fine if you wanted to come and meet him. [Arcanine cocks his head and wags again with a sharp, enthusiastic bark.] But you know, an Arcanine is a lot stronger, so it's no wonder your parents wouldn't evolve it when you were little. They don't know their own strength for a while, after they evolve.
How am I assuming the worst? You're the one who asked what the catch was!
...You're sure you're not old...?
[Blue tsks to himself] Whatever, gramps. We're camping out in the forest. If you wanna see him... well, we're usually somewhere north-west of the town.
Don't you start lecturing me too! [Blue groans] ...I'm fine where I am. It's too cramped in the city for my Pokémon. Arcanine need lots of space to run around and exercise, y'know.
[Not to mention Pidgeot and Gyarados, but-- well, he doesn't need to know about that just yet.]
If you follow the lake, you'll find us. [Speaking of Gyarados...]
[All is well and good around the lakefront today, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the giant sea serpents are snoring......]
[...Wait, that last one probably isn't normal. But the reverberated rumbles that send ripples across the lake's surface soon become audible as he approaches, revealing to be the doing of one Big Blue Boi coiled up in the middle of the lake.]
[If getting any closer to that doesn't scare James off, there's a fluffy doggo himself sailing across the shore with an enthusiastic bark. This time he's got practically a whole log in his jaws, catching it in the air after Blue gave it a two-armed throw with all his might. Give him a moment, that took the wind outta him...]
[Blue glances up, hands resting on his knees as he catches his breath, and meets eyes with James across the way. That sure as heck is Professor Oak's grandson, alright, although he looks a little older than the twerps should be. No recognition shows on his face, but he's not sure if this is the guy he's supposed to be meeting or not... His glance falls on Arcanine instead, who also looks expectantly back at James with a friendly Rrf and a wagging, bushy tail.]
You're James? [Blue finally calls out, dusting his hands off of riverbed detritus.]
[Arcanine responds with a proud 'BOOF!' from around his new toy, wriggling and wagging his tail even more enthusiastically. He's well trained enough not to immediately go barrelling full-tilt at James, but he prances over with the barely-bridled enthusiasm of any good doggo who's been told he's good, and begins inspecting James from closer up. Sniff, sniff...]
[Blue, meanwhile, looks exasperated but a little pleased, as any trainer would be when their Pokémon is complimented.] Sheesh, you'll give him a big head! [He mock-complains, dusting his hands off from bits of dead bark and underbrush as he trails more slowly behind his Pokémon. Tailing after Blue between his feet is another canid Pokémon, Eevee's ears flicking as he appraises James more skeptically than the larger Arcanine.]
So? Where's your Pokémon? [Blue cranes his head around. This guy was a trainer too, right...?]
[Arcanine drops his log at James' feet and barks, wagging again. Pets! Pets and log-toss, come on, James!!]
[Blue raises an eyebrow at the description, but indeed, once James sends his Pokémon out, they're... two very oceanic-looking Pokémon. Was this guy a Water-type specialist like Archie? Although he had a Growlithe, he said...] "Two tentacled pals" and no Tentacool, huh?
I've never seen either of these Pokémon... [He muses, walking closer to join James, his Pokémon and Arcanine. He kneels down, pulling his Pokédex out to scan them.] What region are you from?
[There's a noticeable freeze from Blue, pausing to glance back up at the man. Another Kantonian...? The only one he'd met here, amongst all the lame Hoennians and Alolans. Well, it was better than nothing, he decided with a cynical lidding of his eyes, watching as Mareanie devoured his face.]
[Ignoring James' suffering for a moment, he instead kneels down to grin at Inkay, flipping his Pokédex open.] Aren't you different? The Kalos region, huh... Gramps has a research fellow there...
[While Blue starts recording dex data, Arcanine joins his trainer, giving the smaller Pokémon a friendly sniff, although he seems unsure of all the commotion coming from the man stumbling about.] Your trainer's not in trouble, is he? I smell poison from over there....
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Sure is a lot of you around here.... this sucks.
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Sounds like something an old man would say! What's wrong, past your prime?
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I'm not too old to smack you!
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[Arcanine looks up from where he's been savaging the new stick Eevee dragged over, and wags. Apparently Blue's been speaking out loud, and he heard his name.]
Rrf...?
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Oooh, an Arcanine.
I always wanted one as a tot but my parents wouldn't let me have a Fire Stone. Growlie would have made a magnificent Arcanine.
Look at how fluffy it is!
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[...That's the only reason, he tells himself, that he's bothering to listen to this guy's gushing memories and make any kind of peace offering in return. The only reason.]
...Well, since you're a Growlithe trainer, I guess it would be fine if you wanted to come and meet him. [Arcanine cocks his head and wags again with a sharp, enthusiastic bark.] But you know, an Arcanine is a lot stronger, so it's no wonder your parents wouldn't evolve it when you were little. They don't know their own strength for a while, after they evolve.
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[Hold a minute, though, it's a twerp...]
What's the catch?
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What’s THAT supposed to mean!? ...The catch is that you’d better not be some kind of dangerous weirdo, duh...
[Was that last part intentional? Hard to say!]
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...You're sure you're not old...?
[Blue tsks to himself] Whatever, gramps. We're camping out in the forest. If you wanna see him... well, we're usually somewhere north-west of the town.
sorry for the wait!
Wait, in the woods?
[He tuts.]
Somehow we always end up in the woods...
You do know this place will give you a home, right?
nooo problemo
[Not to mention Pidgeot and Gyarados, but-- well, he doesn't need to know about that just yet.]
If you follow the lake, you'll find us. [Speaking of Gyarados...]
action (if you want!)
He starts following the lake, his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts.]
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[...Wait, that last one probably isn't normal. But the reverberated rumbles that send ripples across the lake's surface soon become audible as he approaches, revealing to be the doing of one Big Blue Boi coiled up in the middle of the lake.]
[If getting any closer to that doesn't scare James off, there's a fluffy doggo himself sailing across the shore with an enthusiastic bark. This time he's got practically a whole log in his jaws, catching it in the air after Blue gave it a two-armed throw with all his might. Give him a moment, that took the wind outta him...]
[Blue glances up, hands resting on his knees as he catches his breath, and meets eyes with James across the way. That sure as heck is Professor Oak's grandson, alright, although he looks a little older than the twerps should be. No recognition shows on his face, but he's not sure if this is the guy he's supposed to be meeting or not... His glance falls on Arcanine instead, who also looks expectantly back at James with a friendly Rrf and a wagging, bushy tail.]
You're James? [Blue finally calls out, dusting his hands off of riverbed detritus.]
action
Maybe he can thank his lucky stars for that.
...Slowly his gaze sweeps towards the Arcanine.]
Well, aren't you handsome?
[That's directed at the Arcanine.]
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[Blue, meanwhile, looks exasperated but a little pleased, as any trainer would be when their Pokémon is complimented.] Sheesh, you'll give him a big head! [He mock-complains, dusting his hands off from bits of dead bark and underbrush as he trails more slowly behind his Pokémon. Tailing after Blue between his feet is another canid Pokémon, Eevee's ears flicking as he appraises James more skeptically than the larger Arcanine.]
So? Where's your Pokémon? [Blue cranes his head around. This guy was a trainer too, right...?]
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My two terrific, tentacled pals?
One moment.
[He lifts a Poké Ball out of each pocket and gently expands them to fill his palms.]
Okay, you two, come on out!
[Inkay pops out first with a delighted squeal, then Mareanie plops out on to the ground and gives Blue a slightly bored look.]
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[Blue raises an eyebrow at the description, but indeed, once James sends his Pokémon out, they're... two very oceanic-looking Pokémon. Was this guy a Water-type specialist like Archie? Although he had a Growlithe, he said...] "Two tentacled pals" and no Tentacool, huh?
I've never seen either of these Pokémon... [He muses, walking closer to join James, his Pokémon and Arcanine. He kneels down, pulling his Pokédex out to scan them.] What region are you from?
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[He says and he smiles at Arcanine.]
But these two cuties are from distant, daring lands!
Inkay is from Kalos and Mareanie is from Alola.
[Inkay waves and Mareanie turns to look up at James.]
Oh, no, d-
[She leaps up enthusiastically and wraps her tentacles around her Trainer's head. James staggers about in an attempt to pull her loose.
Inkay, meanwhile, doesn't seem alarmed by any of this. This happens all the time.]
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[Ignoring James' suffering for a moment, he instead kneels down to grin at Inkay, flipping his Pokédex open.] Aren't you different? The Kalos region, huh... Gramps has a research fellow there...
[While Blue starts recording dex data, Arcanine joins his trainer, giving the smaller Pokémon a friendly sniff, although he seems unsure of all the commotion coming from the man stumbling about.] Your trainer's not in trouble, is he? I smell poison from over there....