[Levi McLaren]

If you were to ask him what some of his favorite places around the island were, he would say with the utmost certainty that this ochard, chocked full of berries and herbs of all kinds that always seemed to be just ripe for the picking at any time, would be right near the top of that list. Of course, he'd find himself visiting the orchard at least once a week. Twice or maybe even three times if there was ever a time in which he just needed a place to engage in a round of self-reflection.

And to be frank, that was quite often. Still, it was only, er, natural that anyone that would find the berry orchard to be enthusiastically appealing. This young warden in particular was surely no exception to that, and so of course he would find himself drifting into the very core of Mother Edea's Forest and into the orchard yet again.

Along with him for this seemingly meaningless expedition was Levi's mystical companion and so-called bodyguard, Syldra the Dragonair. A lot of times when they've visited the orchard together, the thirteen-foot-long pokemon had served only one purpose. You could probably guess what the purpose was. Yes, that's right. It was only to round up any berries or herbs that were too high up for her trainer to reach.

It had gotten to the point where she would almost immediately stretch her body high above him and coil around the trees from the moment they would enter the orchard every time, as if she had already come to terms with what her specific task was without the man even needing to say much of anything to her. Don't tell Levi that she's actually been sneaking some berries for herself though!

Today, it was more of the same. Hunting for berries and herbs for his team to use in higher tier battles, because Arceus knows that they go through those things like water these days. A good handful - and a mouthful for Syldra - later, Levi felt that it was time to pack it all up for the day. He called for the Dragonair to touch down back to the ground then proceeded towards to the passage in whence he came, a stunned expression pressing his features, and a confused look from Syldra as well, as he had not at all expected to see...

Is that who he thinks that is...!?

Aurelia Belmonte

[Aurelia Belmonte]

Aurelia inhaled and exhaled a deep breath as she took in the sweet and soothing aroma of the famous Berry Orchard. The secretive orchard was hidden deep inside of Mother Eden's Forest, one of Aurelia favorite area to explore besides the Garden of the Sun. She loved looking at the bright colors of the berries and herbs, taking in their lovely aroma as well as picking some of the berries to add to her ingredients for her delicious Poke Blokes and Poffins that her Pokemon loved so much. 

An upbeat tune escaped from Aurelia's soft lips as she wondered down the path leading deeper into the orchard. She was currently riding on top of her noble Arcanine, Tiger Lily, who was also served as her protector and assistant. "We're almost there. I can't wait to see what types of berries are waiting for us today." She spoke, grinning from ear to ear as the two of them continued to wonder deeper into the forest. Aurelia quickly gave Tiger Lily's head a signature pat that would let her Pokemon now that she wanted her to increase the speed a bit. Within seconds, Tiger Lily started to sprinting down the path.

A couple of minutes passed and Aurelia and Tiger Lily finally found themselves standing towards the center of the orchard. "Thanks Tiger Lily." Aurelia smiled before carefully hopping down from her Pokemon's back. The golden beauty gave her Pokemon a small nuzzle before slowly walking away from her. A small blush soon kissed her cheeks as her amber eyes glanced up and noticed a rather familiar face. "Levi?" She asked, an alluring smile curving against her lips as she greeted her old friend. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." She giggled, running her dainty fingers through her long, golden hair. 

[Levi McLaren]

Indeed. It was her alright.

Surely he hadn't anticipated having a run-in with an associate from days past. The possibility of this young woman even being able to recognize him on the other hand? Well that was definitely a thought that had never come to mind. Perhaps Harmonia Island was indeed a small world after all. Needless to say that Levi was taken by surprise. But really, this just had to be nothing more than a mere coincidence. After all, the berry orchard was by far one of more popular attractions. There was really no reason for anyone to not visit. It would only make sense for anyone to come out here. Here, Aurelia's timing couldn't be any better. Or it couldn't be any worse. It really depends on your perspective.

And to think that she actually remembered his name...

Heat filled his tanned features. In his days as a student, Levi couldn't help but to be under the impression that he was, er, unworthy of this glamorous girl's acknowledgement. And really, he often was. In fact, he had to think that many should even consider themselves to be truly deserving of her attention. In those rare instances, the boy from Lavaridge was indeed grateful for those brief moments. Curiosity would likely kill the Dragonair, as Syldra slithered her way over to examine the blonde and the gargantuan canine whilst taking up a loosely coiled stance beside the stern young man that was her trainer.

Wasn't expecting to see him here, she says..."That makes two of us. It's a pleasure to see you again nonetheless." he plainly replied. A pleasure...please! To Levi, it was more of a privilege than anything. The girl however would be met with a feint smile of his own. "It's been a while, Aurelia. I'd hope that all is well?"

Aurelia Belmonte

---

[Hatch Count for All the Things!: 5 of 5]

[Aurelia Belmonte]

Aurelia smiled as she watched both Levi and his Pokemon examine her. She couldn't help, but to giggled softly at the expression glued against Levi's face. It was like the Lava Dorm Warden had just witness seeing a ghost or something. She walked to walk over and give her old colleague a hug, but decided against it. She didn't want to make things feel awkward between the two of them or anything along those lines. So for now, she would just settle with another friendly smile. Meanwhile, Tiger Llly, focused her attention onto the male human and his Dragonair. She was pretty sure that she remembered Levi's scent from years ago. Of course, she was a little Growlithe back then, but her memory was still fairly strong. 

"It's a pleasure to see you again, too. Yes, it seems like it has been forever since we've seen each other. I do hope that everything is going well with you, too." She smiled, running her dainty fingers through her long strands of golden hair. Her shimmering amber eyes staring deeply into his eyes for a few seconds as another alluring smile curved against her lips. "I'm doing well. I recently got invited to become a Contest Director here. It's a little weird being back on the islands again, but I like it." She admitted. "It's just going to take me a little time to get used to things again. Although, it doesn't seem like a whole lot has change." She added resting her arms along her curvaceous hips. 

+1 Egg Hatch for Marill, Buneary, and Fennekin Egg!

[Levi McLaren]

He wasn't expecting this. There was no possible way for him to anticipate the return of an old schoolmate. It was a sight that he certainly had to see to believe. You can bet that he was believing it now. What could have potentially driven this young woman to consider coming back to the academy? If there was anything that he knew full about Aurelia, it was her never-ending ambition. If you were to ask him about her, he would likely admit that he found it to be her most redeeming quality. On the flip side, things had gotten awkward enough with him running into her here in the berry orchard of all places. And what's worse, Syldra didn't seem to have a clue as to what was transpiring in front of her. Aurelia and her Arcanine were mere strangers to her at this very moment.

"I'm quite alright. I've actually stuck around for a little while after we had graduated. I've since then taken on the role of Gym Leader myself." He informed the lass. She the explained her reasoning for returning. A director, huh? Coordinating was one aspect of pokemon training that Levi himself didn't seem to focus too much on in his own right. But you know what they say, to each their own. In any case, it was good to see Aurelia back. Good Arceus almighty, she was even more beautiful now than he remembered her during their days as scholars. He dare not say that though; he couldn't afford to risk the impending embarrassment laying firmly on his conscience.

It was sad to say however, that he couldn't relate to the 'weird' feeling of returning to your old school stomping grounds. In fact, the man had never left the island after graduation. "I see, so the rumors of the academy implementing a new coordination program were true after all..." he thought aloud. The whole concept of it, and all its possibilities had him scratching the side of his head in wonderment. "In any case, I'm happy for you."

Meanwhile, Syldra tried to slither away, as if to go on with her own agenda of picking more berries. Levi caught the sight of her tailing away and called out to her. "And just where do you think you're going? Hmm?" Busted! Not suspecting to hear her 'client's' voice at that moment, Syldra's movements came to an abrupt halt. She turned to Levi with a confound look as she tilted her head in utter confusion. She didn't know what was going, but quite frankly, she didn't want to be a part of it. "It's alright, Syldra. Come on over here and say hello." he ordered the mystical dragon pokemon, gesturing to the dashing blonde and her over-sized puppy. She had been tasked to stick to Levi like glue after all. Or so his failed trainer of a father had boastfully claimed anyway.

Upon further examination, the Dragonair didn't sense neither Aurelia nor her big dog as the type to want to willingly harm her trainer. Or at least, that is to say, not yet. She waved her long tail in a 'pleased to meet you' sort of way.

Aurelia Belmonte