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Mentions: [@ShepherdofHope] [@Sunbather]
So as it turns out, echolocation worked great for zubats, but not nearly as well for human beings. At least, that was the tentative conclusion Oreo was reaching after turning what seemed to be the sixth corner into yet another unfamiliar hallway. Arceus, it was crowded in here! Forays through the great southern marshes? Not a problem. Trekking across the steep trails of Mount Coronet? Difficult, but far from impossible. Finding his bearings underneath the labyrinth of hallways underneath Jubilife's pokemon stadium? Perhaps he had met his maker. 

The researcher needed to stop for a few moments, take in his surroundings. All this running around didn't appear to be getting him any closer to the action- following the sound system sounded like a decent idea, until he realized that the entire stadium was stocked full of speakers. By trying to track them down, he was literally running in circles. Maybe if he just turned left at the information desk instead of- "[color=DEB887]Oof![/color]" 

Granted, he was the one who stopped and stood in a crowded walkway, but whatever had hit him in the chest did so none too gently. Oreo waved his arms out precariously to regain his balance before turning to view the girl with whom he shared a collision. Eyes widened and eyebrows raised as he just couldn't shake the feeling that he *knew* her from somewhere. He'd seen exactly that shade of hair before, the curve of her bottom lip. 

He closed his eyes for a moment and urged himself to remember. Travel was a major part of his life, but field research didn't exactly involve a lot of human contact. Was she a barista at Slurrbucks? Maybe they'd both been out in the wilds and traded supplies- such an occurence was hardly uncommon among the region's campers. No, no... of that seemed quite right. These were all just ideas, but what about his memories? 

Entire evenings of research illuminated by charmingly antiquated sconces. The scent of mahogany and aging parchment. Faces lit up shades of blue in front of public computers. Filling out forms to request specific sources from the archives under the building, having to check in your coats and belongings at the lobby before entering the reading fooms. The absolute silence of Canalave library, interrupted only by the sounds of rickety pipes and heating systems in the walls. A solitary girl, dwarfed by the large reading table she sat at, surrounded by piles and piles of books on a variety of subjects. 

And then he was back in the hallway under the stadium. "[color=DEB887]Canalave. Do you... I'm from Canalave city. I think... I think I've seen you before,[/color]" he began, pleased with himself that he at least had some idea of where he could know her from. "[color=DEB887]But I don't think we've ever really met.[/color]" It would be more embarrassing if they had, and he was just drawing a blank. Well, they were both here now, so now he tried to think if he'd ever seen her battle. There were obviously a lot of pokemon fans who visited during the Gym Challenge, especially since Gabriel was one of the later leaders that challengers faced. He'd seen videos of the stadium, actually, but he'd never been inside- so he couldn't possible know her from the local battling community. 

Ah well. Much as he relied on it, his memory wasn't perfect in the slightest. Better just introduce himself. "[color=DEB887]Anyways,[/color]" he began, putting out a hand, "[color=DEB887]I'm-[/color]" and then he was interrupted. For the second time in at least as few minutes. He arched a single eyebrow inquisitively at the second girl, approaching from behind this somewhat familiar one. Now he was nearly certain he'd never seen her before- but that didn't stop his mouth gaping a bit in surprise as she revealed she knew him. 

"[color=DEB887]I... yeah. I'm Oreo,[/color]" he laughed a bit by means of introduction smiling despite himself, taking Rosie's hand in his own and giving it a friendly shake. He was sure that he was only endorsed to bring a different type of fan into the fold, but it was still rather unusual for him to be recognized in public. Unusual, and sort of- flattering? "[color=DEB887]But I don't know if I'd call myself a host, exactly- well, I guess I do have guests. But only for good reason, or if they want to battle. Which, at least recently, has been real often. You know, everybody wants to test their mettle against a Gym Challenge hopeful.[/color]" And he was rambling. 

"[color=DEB887]So- uh, are you two Gym Challengers as well?[/color]" It was hard to tell. But there were only meant to be twenty of them, so the odds he'd bump into- what, ten percent of them? Seemed to be unlikely. "[color=DEB887]Honestly, I think I'm a bit lost. Do you two know where we're supposed to meet up?[/color]"