Kale David Reynard --- Rocket Mountain Base
Kale suddenly had quite a few pokémon, he noticed... perhaps more than he had had even back in his past... but that didn't bother him. He admitted to liking very few things... even to himself... but if there was one certainty in his mind it was that he loved pokémon. If every hypnotized pokémon, Valorie's or no decided to turn to him... then he had trouble picturing a reality where he turned a single one of them down. It was his one virtue. His one compassion.
That in mind, he turned and gestured to the subtly darker shades beneath his feet. "If you wish to reside within my shadow of all places then so be it... however, do not be surprised by its, magnitude, we'll say." With that said he smiled at Goodra... he had to wonder if he'd be able to contend with two massive slime covered dragons... but... well... he would try. That in mind, he returned Goodra to its pokéball (which he found along with that of Rex and Shu after a few moments of extra bag searching... ). That done he sighed deeply and glanced at Valorie's luxury ball, which sat sadly in his hand. What was it like in there, he wondered, a miniature World as nice as described? Did they do what they were advertised to do?
And... that's when it dawned on him.
Luxury balls were designed in a way that OPTIMIZED a pokéballs inherent ability to boost the levels of friendship and affection that a pokémon conveys to its trainer... would this some adverse effect on Valorie? Kale... didn't know. In hindsight he probably should have given it some more thought. It would surely be fine... yes.
It was then that the appearance of a large and very confused Dragonite disrupted his train of thought. Was she... carrying Mark? That said... surely this was Valorie's Dragonite. Kale took an emotionless front for a moment, the pokémon was obviously confused... looking for its trainer. Kale would give it the blunt honest truth in order to-... Wait... hadn't Valorie mentioned something about this pokémon before?... Yes, back on the day they had met...
"I had a Dragonite..." Valorie began in a thoughtful tone. "I adopted her from a traveling trainer one night in Icirrus City as an egg when I was just beginning to train Pokemon. I remember using my hat to keep her egg warm while I waited to see what was inside. Another trainer once told me that she thought of me as her Mom."
Kale blinked a few times and held his tongue. This pokémon wasn't looking for her trainer... her eyes were too hurt, too lost... Dragonite was a child whom had lost her Mother. Her Mother... Mother...
Kale's eyes fell from an emotionless state to a gaze of pure sympathy and understanding. He met the larger pokémons eyes with his own gaze and gently walked towards her. He was careful when approaching her, his eyes locked with hers the entire time, he made sure to only approach while she remained docile. Eventually he got within contact distance of the overgrown pokémon and sighed. He had a... way with pokémon, one that most others didn't... it came from two things, his ability to speak to them for one... but more importantly it came from a set of powerful ideals, backed by a formidable truth and his experience with the two in a past long since washed to the back alleys of his memory and mind.
He was able to approach Dragonite as more than a human, more than a pokémon. But as a kindred spirit... he somehow knew the pain that Dragonite felt and he was certain that she could tell. He placed a hand slowly on the pokémons belly, patting it gently, before speaking in an out of character tone, one filled with softness and understanding.
"You're searching for your Mother, correct? I apologize, but I'm sure she's very tired and confused right now... so she's resting in here." Kale showed Dragonite the luxury ball held tightly in his other hand.
"She fought very hard today to save you and all your friends you see... I was helping her in that regard and I suppose I'm taking care of her while she rests aswell." He sighed. "Should you wish it... I'm sure she'll feel up to spending a long while catching up with you when we're all back at the academy... would you like that?" Kale forced a smile. He was doing his very best to make the dire situation that so many body-swapped individuals were in sound pleasant but... that was obviously very difficult. For the time being, he just wanted to leave that damned mountain base behind and rest... he had finally started to feel the physical strain of current events catching up on his body.
He felt he deserved respite... surely everyone else did aswell.
Why did nothing ever go smoothly for him?