[Gene Marshfield]

Gene stopped to rest after climbing the long, rickety staircase up to the overhead walkway. He sat down, his legs dangling over the edge as he scanned the area in view. He had found this abandoned factory one day after classes on one of his many walks, and had been itching to check it out. There weren't many ruins around his hometown, and he thought the old metal structures inside would make for great scenery to take some Pokemon photos. Except for now he couldn't see anything at all! 

"Did you spot anything, buddy?" Gene said to Fletchling, who had been resting on top of his head while they ascended. Fletchling chirped, but didn't try to indicate any directions, so Gene took it as a no. "Alright then... I guess we'll have to deploy the waiting game. You guys want a snack?" He let Chikorita out of her Pokeball and started rummaging through his bag for some food. The Pokemon made some appreciative noises, and then the trio began to chow down. The whole time, Gene kept alert for movements on the floor below them, hoping to catch sight of an interesting Pokemon to shoot a picture of. 

[Deleted]

Well…this was a place she hadn’t seen before. Granted, there were quite a lot of those left on the island, but it still both unsettled and excited her. She intended to completely familiarize herself with the island eventually – the sooner, the better – so every new place discovered helped. She had a long way to go before this would feel anything like home, but she found she wasn’t quite as lost and unsure as she was when she first started at the academy. Right now, she didn’t even feel scared, though that might have something to do with the Honedge hovering nearby. Hematite always seemed to be guarding her when not in her pokeball, and there was just something massively comforting about having a floating mystical sword watching her back.

Toni headed inside the old power plant and looked around, shivering a bit. There was a really weird energy to this place – not at all like the energy of the last ruins she’d visited. She wasn’t sure she liked it, but she did her best to ignore the feeling. She could leave whenever she wanted, but it wouldn’t hurt her to explore a bit. Besides, she had all her Pokemon in case something went wrong.

She headed deeper inside the power plant, her gaze searching the area. She expected something to come out and try to attack her, but it was almost eerily still and quiet. Maybe she should just go and try again another day?

Before she could decide one way or the other, she happened to glance up and spot someone on the walkway. It looked dangerous, but he didn’t seem to be worried. It looked like he was just having a meal with his Pokemon. She didn’t think she could handle eating here, but there were a lot of people in the world that were braver than her.

“Hello?” she called, glancing around for a way up. It would be safer in a group, wouldn’t it?

[Gene Marshfield]

As Gene continued to eat with his Pokemon, he heard slow footsteps echoing through the still air of the old power plant. Carefully setting his food down next to him, he took hold of his camera and began scanning the large, open room below him, eyes darting back and forth with attentiveness gained from years of photography experience. Setting foot into the main room where Gene and his Pokemon sat was a short, young-looking girl with unkempt, bold purple hair. Behind her floated a sword-shaped Pokemon he had only seen a couple of times before and couldn't quite remember the name of, but it definitely looked like it could hold its own in battle. He saw her scan the room before stepping too far inside. Not unlike himself, he thought. But before he could investigate her any further, she spotted him perched up on the catwalk.

"Hello?" she called up to Gene, trying to figure out how he had made it up to the suspended walkway. 

"Shhhhh!" Gene's finger went to his mouth in the universal be-quiet signal. "You'll scare them off! Come on!" He rapidly waved her over, and sent Fletchling down to show her the staircase they had taken.

[Deleted]

The boy shushed her, and she winced. Hematite moved closer to her, either trying to offer comfort of preparing to defend her. It was only a light scolding, and it wouldn’t have affected her back home, but moving to the academy had unsettled her, and everything seemed harsher. She couldn’t wait until life started feeling normal again – she hated being so nervous all the time.

At least the boy didn’t seem to mind her presence. He invited her up, and even sent his birdlike Pokemon to show her the way. She followed it, hesitating at the start of the steps. It looked…very unsafe. But then, any Pokemon-related profession was unsafe, wasn’t it? That was one of the major reasons to have Pokemon in the first place. She took a deep breath and carefully climbed the stairs, her Honedge keeping close. She didn’t know if the Pokemon would be capable of catching her if she fell, but it was still a comfort and a boost of courage to have her nearby, and she made it to the top of the stairs without incident.

She made her way to the boy and sat nearby, dipping her head apologetically. She didn’t mean to scare anything off…hopefully she hadn’t managed to ruin the trip for him.

[Gene Marshfield]

The young girl and her Pokemon came up the staircase Gene had climbed himself almost ten minutes ago. As she cautiously made her way up the steps, he pulled out his Pokedex to get a read on that sword Pokemon. "Oh, right! It's called Honedge! Honestly, it shouldn't have been that hard to remember the name of the only Pokemon that looks like a sword," Gene thought, laughing at himself a little.

As the girl reached his spot atop the catwalk and sat next to him, Gene smiled at her and stuck out his hand for a friendly shake. As he did, he noticed she had lowered her head sadly. "Did I make her upset? Crap, I didn't mean to!" 

"Hey, I'm Gene! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm waiting to hopefully see some cool Pokemon and take their pictures!" he said, whispering. As he did, he held up his camera with his free hand, emphasizing his last sentence. "What brings you here?" 

[Deleted]

The boy smiled and stuck out his hand. She shook it, pushing past her nerves enough to at least be polite. She really needed to get over this…it wasn’t like her to be scared of people, and the two of them were on the same side, weren’t they? They were both students, trying to learn as much as they could so they could be competent at some Pokemon-related career or other.

Then he spoke to her, introducing himself and stating that he hadn’t meant to scare her. She shook her head at that and waited until he was done speaking to reassure him. “No, it’s not you. I’ve just been really nervous lately…part of being away from home for the first time, I guess. I’m still kind of new here.” She gave him a hopeful smile. “I’m just exploring today. I’ve been trying to get to know the island as much as possible so it won’t feel quite so strange and intimidating anymore. I think it’s helped a little, so far.” She glanced at his camera. “So you’re a photographer? Is it as neat as it sounds?”

[Gene Marshfield]

"I wouldn't say exciting... It's a lot of being still and waiting around." Gene replied to the girl's question. She acted nervous, but he could see that she was trying to push past it and be friendly. "Maybe if I can get her talking about something she likes she'll make her feel more comfortable..."

Holding out his forearm towards the girl, he gestured for Fletchling to hop down towards her. "This is my buddy Fletchling. I've had him for a few years now, ever since I lived back in Kalos. What's your story with your Honedge there?" Fletchling hopped and fluttered around a bit, chirping and making little bird noises. He always got excited and a little full of himself whenever he got attention. 

Studying her a little bit more closely, Gene noticed she had quite a few more Pokemon with her than he did. "I guess we won't run out of Pokemon to talk about, heheh."

[Deleted]

He answered her, saying that taking pictures involved a lot of being still and waiting. She nodded to that. Even trying to find Pokemon could be like that, sometimes, couldn’t it? There were some that were scared of strangers, so you had to wait around until they were used to your presence. Then, maybe, they’d come out of hiding, and you could battle or befriend them.

The boy gestured toward her, and his Fletchling hopped toward her. She held out a hand toward him, not really sure of the proper way to interact with a bird Pokemon. Should she pet him? Let him hop on her? …Eh, he could decide from there. The boy introduced the Pokemon and explained that he’d had him for a few years now, also mentioning that he came from Kalos. She knew a little about that place! Nothing significant, probably, but most of her Pokemon belonged to species native to that region.

Before she could comment, he asked about her Honedge. She gave him a sheepish smile. That story wasn’t quite as interesting as he was hoping for, she was sure. “The Academy gave me Hematite when I was enrolled, since I was moving into the Mana dorm and my Fennekin’s type didn’t match the dorm types yet.” She smiled at the ghost sword Pokemon. “She’s a really good Pokemon, though. I think she knows I’m still nervous about this place, so she guards me whenever I have her out of her pokeball.”

By that point she noticed he seemed to be studying her. Hematite seemed to notice too, because she inched closer – not to threaten the boy, but to make her presence a bit more comforting. Toni would have to find a special treat for her when they got back home. In the meantime, she wondered what her human companion was thinking. Should she ask?

[Gene Marshfield]

She sheepishly responded to his question, and Gene felt a little intrusive for talking so much. He smiled and gave a nod to show he was listening to her story about Hematite. "I really admire people who give their Pokemon nicknames," he thought. "It's such a good way to show your friendship."

But before he could come up with a proper response to the young girl's words, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking over, he saw a dark shape starting to enter the large room below the pair of Trainers. Pointing, he whispered "Look, there," to his newfound friend.

What Pokemon was coming into the room with them? Gene's eyes strained to adjust to the shadows in the abandoned plant, as he hoped the Pokemon would enter a more well-lit part of the floor.

((If you don't want a Pokemon to show up, that's perfectly fine! I know we can't get XP or capture it because this isn't a mod thread, I just thought it would spice up Gene and Toni's interaction! Let me know if you want to do something else, and I'll come up with something different for Gene to do.))

[Deleted]

She’d gotten a bit long-winded about her Pokemon. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind. He looked interested, though she didn’t know if it was genuine or him being nice. Either way, she was grateful. The Pokemon definitely made life away from home much easier, in more ways than being good for protection. She loved all of hers like family, and looked forward to gaining even more. Not too much more if she had her way – she knew trainers could sometimes have up to one-hundred or more and had no idea how they managed to take care of them all.

Then he seemed to be distracted by something. Following his gaze as he prompted her to look, she noticed something moving down below. Huh…what was that? She wished she could see it better. Maybe it’d come closer? Her companion was also studying it intently, possibly waiting until it moved to where he could take a picture. She hoped it did – it’d be a shame if he had to leave here without getting what he came for.

---

((+1 Sandile hatch count {6/10}))

[Gene Marshfield]

As the duo's eyes attempted to adjust to the long shadows thrown across the lower floor that obscured the movement from view, the presence decided to make itself known. Poking out a small oblong head, an Elgyem curiously floated out into the large room where Gene and Toni sat with their Pokemon. "Wow..." Gene whispered, almost awestruck. "I've never seen a Pokemon like that before. Isn't it great?"

Gene's eyes sparkled at seeing a brand new (to him) Pokemon. He subconsciously let a grin spread across his face as he looked down at the Cerebral Pokemon. Getting a hold of himself, he turned to Toni and held up his camera. "Do you want to take a shot?" he asked.

"I don't see the harm in letting her try out my camera... Maybe she'll really like it!" he thought.

((I'm so sorry!!! I feel awful about my reply time.))

[Deleted]

As she’d hoped, the Pokemon came closer. She couldn’t help a shiver at the sight of it, and her reaction made Hematite hover closer, ready to defend her if necessary. The sword Pokemon was a comfort, and eventually she recovered for the most part. That Pokemon was so creepy-looking, though… Cool, but in an “I can melt your brain in a moment” way.

Her companion spoke, and she nodded at his words. She’d never seen anything like it, either. At least, not that she could remember. She’d have to look it up later – see what she could find out about it. In the meantime, though, her focus remained on the Pokemon, up until the boy held out his camera to her.

“Are you sure?” She whispered, glancing from him to the camera. She’d feel bad taking the first shot, especially if she ended up breaking the thing…maybe it’d be okay, though. She was usually gentle with things, so as long as she made sure she was careful she could avoid that particular bit of bad.

((It's fine. ^.^ Welcome back!))