Chapter Text
Arlo Joy sighed as he followed after his Whimsicott, pushing through bushes along the trail of cotton left behind by the Pokémon. He knew he shouldn't have let a 'mon well known for playing tricks to go whatever it wanted, but...well, everyone makes mistakes. He broke through the foliage into a small clearing where he spotted the characteristic puff of cotton.
"There you are! Arceus, Whimsy, you can't just bolt like that." He shook his head slightly, grabbing Whimsy under the arms and patting her fluff. As he turned to exit the clearing, though, he heard a faint rustling sound and a sound he knew well- the whine of an injured Pokémon. Whimsy wriggled out from his grasp, jumping down and running over to where the sound came from. Arlo followed after her, carefully pushing aside the leaves covering the small Pokémon. A Zorua, he noticed, with an injured paw.
Arlo reached towards the fox, which spat at him scrambled backwards. He settled down on the grass in front of the Pokémon, a foot or so away from it, and unhooked his poffin case from his bag. He sorted through it for some unburnt ones (he was never the most skilled chef) and set them in front of the Zorua. It limped forwards slowly, sniffing at the poffins before grabbing the sour one and darting back into the foliage. It stared cautiously at Arlo while it ate, licking the crumbs from its paw once it finished. Arlo slowly reached a hand towards it, letting the Pokemon sniff his fingers. It slowly padded towards him, nosing at his palm. He smiled and scratched behind its ears, letting it settle next to him and Whimsy- at least, until he heard a panicked voice calling from nearby.
"Zorua! Where did you go- please come back!" they yelled urgently, eventually stumbling into the clearing- and spotting Arlo immediately. "Oh, Zorua, there you are!" His green hair was disheveled, leaves sticking out from his ponytail. He leaned down to catch his breath, panting. Zorua ran over to the man, yipping excitedly. He picked the fox up, smiling and kissing the tip of its nose. "There you are! I was worried!" The man walked over to Arlo, smiling brightly. "Zorua says you took care of him for a bit and gave him some food. He usually doesn't trust people easily, so I'm a bit curious- who are you?"
Arlo blinked, standing up to brush his pants off. Whimsy clambered up his leg, perching on his shoulder and staring intently at the other man.
“Name’s Arlo. You?” he said, trying to deepen his voice as much as possible- which…wasn’t much if he hasn’t prepared before. He knew he sounded too feminine, but, well, he didn’t get much of a choice there. The green-haired man smiled, holding out his hand to shake.
“I’m N. It’s nice to meet you.”