Chapter Text
i. New Friends?
The piercing whistle of steam exploding split the air, sending a flock of starly scattering from the nearby trees.
Rumi raised her eyebrows and paused in her travels.
She had picked this particular trail through Longroad Thicket for its general seclusion, all the better to train her pokémon in private along the way to the next gym in Smokeleaf Town, but it seemed at least a few other trainers had had the same idea, judging from the sounds of battle ahead. She chewed on her lip, debating whether to round the corner to watch—cutting into her valuable training time later this evening, but maybe providing just as valuable intel on rival trainers—or just turn around and go back the way she came. She could always take a different route.
"Get 'em, Donatello!"
There was the roar of rushing water punctuated by a sharp yelp, then the flickering of flames reached her ears.
Water and fire types? Rumi mused, head tilted as she tried to get a sense for how the battle was going.
"Will you tell your turtle to come out of its stupid shell already!?!" someone yelled.
Ah. So not well for them.
Interest sufficiently piqued, Rumi mentally rearranged her training schedule for the evening and hiked her backpack up higher on her shoulders as she picked up the pace.
She rounded the corner only to be met with a jet of water to her face.
"Heads up!"
A water-logged vulpix hit Rumi square in the chest, nearly bowling her over.
"Arabesque!" a tall girl with long pink hair that flowed in waves down her back—the pokémon's trainer, Rumi assumed—rushed over, nearly sending Rumi stumbling again as she pulled the Vulpix from her arms.
"Nice catch!"
Rumi looked up to where the other trainer—a shorter girl, curly black hair tied up in two buns, with what looks like a zigzagoon? perched between them—knelt beside a wartortle, giving it a complicated series of high fives. She stood, brushing off her knees, and jogged over.
A Galarian zigzagoon, Rumi realized with a start as she got closer. The little black and white variant balanced easily atop its trainer's head, tongue lolling out happily.
"Your vulpix okay?" she asked, peering around Rumi.
"Fine," the pink-haired girl snapped, returning the vulpix to its pokeball. "Nothing a trip to a Pokémon Center won't fix." She stood, arching one elegant eyebrow as she stretched one arm with the other. "Ready for another round?"
"You know it!"
The pink-haired girl nodded and returned to her position at one end of the clearing.
The black-haired girl looked Rumi over and winced at her soggy state. "Sorry about that. You, uh, need a towel or something?"
Rumi looked up from wringing out her hoodie. "A towel would be great."
The zigzagoon's ears perked up, and it turned around to rummage through its trainer's backpack, emerging a few moments later with a small towel between its teeth.
The girl laughed and handed it over. "Afraid that's the best we've got at the moment."
Rumi took it with a murmured thanks.
"Name's Zoey by the way." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "The rude one over there is Mira."
"How am I the rude one?" the girl muttered. "I'm not the one throwing hydro pumps around and drenching strangers."
Zoey turned, hands on her hips. "Did you even thank her for catching your Vulpix?"
"Thank you," Mira said with a stiff nod in Rumi's direction. "And yes, I did." She smirked. "Just now."
Zoey rolled her eyes even as she began to jog across the clearing to her spot across from Mira.
"You're welcome to stick around if you want to watch," she called to Rumi over her shoulder. She turned and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Just maybe stand a little further back, so you don't get hit with a stray pokémon again."
"Like you'd be that lucky twice," Mira yelled, as she tossed out a pokeball. "All right, Ronde, you're up!"
A Fletchinder emerged onto the field, taking a moment to assess the wartortle in front of it before flying up to perch on Mira's shoulder, spreading its wings and letting out a battle cry that echoed off the trees.
"Uhhhh, you know that one's weak to my Donatello here, too, right?" Zoey said, cocking her head to the side so far, the zigzagoon on her head nearly toppled off.
"Shut up," Mira scowled. "I know what I'm doing."
"See, I'm not really sure you do."
"Just tell your pokémon to fight already!"
"Welp, you heard the man, Donatello!" Zoey said, teeth now bared in a razor sharp grin that reminded Rumi of nothing so much as a Sharpedo playing with its food.
Rumi rubbed the borrowed towel over her hair, shaking her head. The outcome was already assured.
Rumi had to hand it to the pink-haired trainer—Mira?—though. Her Fletchinder was fast, dodging and weaving its way through the web of water the wartortle was weaving across the field to pummel the turtle pokémon with a series of flame charges that made it a mere blur on the battlefield.
In any other battle, it probably would have done quite well.
However, the type matchup was not in its favor, and it couldn't dodge the sheer volume of water the wartortle put out forever. It only took one hydro pump connecting from what Rumi was coming to realize was an overpowered beast of a wartortle to send the fletchinder into the dirt, completely knocked out.
Zoey locked her hands behind her head and grinned as the zigzagoon stuck out its tongue. "Sorry, what was that you were saying?"
"How has that thing not evolved already?" Mira groused as she recalled her pokémon.
Rumi was curious about that as well.
Zoey and the wartortle exchanged high fives again before she rubbed behind his fluffy ears. "I don't know; just likes to be small and cute, I guess. Not that Blastoise aren't cute too!" She hastened to explain. "They're just on the larger side."
"Makes sense, I guess."
Rumi didn't see how it made any sense at all. The wartortle obviously loved to battle. Why wouldn't it want to be the strongest it could be?
"All right, Aria, don't let me down now," Mira said, startling Rumi out of her thoughts. She cocked her hand back to throw, and—
Red light exploded from a different pokeball on her belt, coalescing into the form of a small salandit.
All three trainers and the wartortle on the field stared at the tiny pokémon blankly as it hissed and wiggled its tail in the air, obviously trying—and failing—for menacing.
A slap broke the stunned silence. "Really, Tango?" Mira said, dragging a hand down her now-red face before glaring at the salandit. "Now is not the time."
"Did…you want to switch pokémon?" Zoey asked, trying to hold back a laugh. "I'll give you a free pass on that one if you want."
Mira sighed, waving a hand as she tucked her intended pokeball back on her belt. "It's fine. He wants to get blasted in the face by a hydro pump, that's on him."
The salandit started and looked back at her with a suddenly wary expression.
Mira crossed her arms. "Nah, man, this one's all you. Now we both gotta deal with the consequences. Just…do your best, I guess."
The salandit turned back to the wartortle and visibly gulped.
The wartortle looked thoroughly unimpressed by the small lizard in front of it, turning back to its trainer with a questioning war? as it pointed.
Zoey shrugged. "Guess so, buddy. Maybe keep it to half power though? Don't want to kill the little guy." She chewed on her lip as she regarded the salandit on the field. "Er, maybe make that a third power." She looked up at Mira. "Ready?"
"As we'll ever be."
The salandit croaked out an affirmative sal!, though it still eyed the wartortle nervously.
"Okay then! Give us your best shot!" Zoey yelled.
Mira threw out her hand. "Alright, Tango, use gunk shot!"
The salandit reared up, puffing out its cheeks, then sent a ball of poison streaming towards the wartortle.
It splattered against the front of the turtle pokémon's shell with a wet plop!, leaving behind a small purple stain.
The wartortle looked down, cocked its head to the side, and sent a tiny jet of water back towards the salandit that had it scrambling to the side and darting behind its trainer's legs.
"That's cheating, buddy," Mira said, voice firm as she stepped back behind the salandit and nudged him forward. "How about we try a flamethrower this time?"
The salandit shot her a betrayed look, but obediently stepped forward and opened its mouth almost unnaturally wide, shooting a gout of flame at the wartortle.
The wartortle scratched idly at the small scorch mark left on its shell and spit another fountain of water that sent the salandit rolling backwards with a squeak of protest.
Rumi shook her head, perplexed. This wasn't a battle. It wasn't even training, as far as she could tell. This was—well, she didn't know exactly what this was, but both trainers were laughing now, and their pokémon also seemed to be having a good time despite the obvious outcome. In fact, they almost seemed to be playing a game of Whack-a-Diglett now, with the way the salandit kept aiming for the wartortle's head with flamethrower after flamethrower only for it to pull back into its shell at the last moment and back out again when its opponent ran out of steam.
It was…strange, she settled on.
"Go for the toes, Tango!" Mira called out, and the salandit darted forward, clamping down on the wartortle's foot with its jaws.
The wartortle raised its foot awkwardly in the air, trying to shake the growling salandit off, and tipped over backwards onto its shell with a garbled war! It wiggled its arms and legs, rocking back and forth, but couldn't seem to turn back over.
The salandit crawled on top of its stomach and stood with his hands in the air like he'd won.
Zoey nearly doubled over laughing at the sight, but she spun a finger in the air. "Donatello! Ice spinner!"
The wartortle tucked its head and legs in, sending a jet of supercooled water through half of the holes in its shell and beginning to spin in place.
The salandit tried to hold on, but the centripetal force was too much, and it was flung off into the air, screeching as it flew. He plowed into the dirt, face first, eyes spinning as the rest of his body slumped down.
"Sorry!" Zoey called, still laughing as she righted her wartortle.
"It's fine," Mira waved her off as she gently picked up the salandit and pat his head. "The experience is good for him."
Rumi wasn't sure what experience he could have possibly gained from…whatever that was.
"Oh hey!" Zoey called Rumi's way, waving. "You’re a pokémon trainer, right? Do you want in on this? I think Donatello still has some fight left in him, and he gets a little antsy if he hasn't had a real challenge." She winced and looked over at where Mira was now carefully spraying a potion over her salandit's face. "Um, no offense meant."
"Oh, offense absolutely taken," Mira muttered, though a smile still tugged stubbornly at the side of her mouth.
Rumi considered the offer. It had been a while since her team had had a challenge, and it would be good practice for the gyms ahead. Maybe she could get training in today after all.
"All right," she said, shedding her backpack. Her hands ghosted over her belt, hesitating over one pokeball in particular before selecting the one next to it instead and tossing it up.
Red light coalesced into the familiar form of her grovyle. It emerged calm and collected as always as it surveyed its surroundings, eyes narrowing as it took stock of the wartortle in front of it. It shifted, glancing back towards Rumi briefly without taking its eyes off its opponent and nodded.
Rumi nodded back. They had this.
"Grovyle, huh?" Zoey said, looking up at a pokedex her zigzagoon was helpfully holding up for her. "Haven't seen one of those before." She grinned crookedly. "Looks like you've got me on the back foot already."
Rumi shrugged one shoulder. There was no reason not to start the battle with any advantage she could get, especially given what she'd already seen of the wartortle's power.
Zoey looked over to Mira. "You want to officiate?"
Mira raised an eyebrow. "You don't need me to tell you when to start."
"Please?"
Grumbling under her breath, Mira got to her feet and nudged the salandit with the toe of her boot. "C'mon, Tango, let's move."
The salandit whined and rolled over on its back, wiggling its feet in the air.
"You're fine now. You can walk," Mira deadpanned.
The salandit chirped at her miserably from upside down, not moving.
Zoey giggled, and Rumi had to turn away to hide a smile of her own as Mira sighed and stooped down to grab the salandit, brushing back her hair to drape the pokémon over her shoulder. It let out a happy saaaal as it immediately went limp.
"Only because you did your best in the battle," Mira grumbled, refusing to look at either of the other two trainers as she moved carefully to the middle of the field, face almost as pink as her hair.
She raised an arm up. "You both ready?"
"Yeah!"
"Yes."
Mira dropped her arm. "Then go!"
"Hydro pump!"
The wartortle let loose with a barrage of water that left deep furrows in the ground wherever they landed. Apparently he was no longer holding back.
But where Mira's fletchinder had been fast, Rumi's grovyle was faster, and unlike her fire types, it didn't matter if he took a stray shot or two from the opposing wartortle.
"Leaf blade."
The wartortle absorbed the hit with a grunt, latching onto her grovyle's arm and pulling it into its shell as it retracted, starting to spin at Zoey's shout of "Ice spinner!"
Her grovyle let out a sharp cry as the supercooled water of the ice spinner hit its skin, but where the salandit had been flung off, Rumi's grovyle hung on, clamping the claws on both feet and one hand around the edges of the shell.
Rumi could feel a smirk tugging at her mouth. Perfect.
"Thunder punch."
Her grovyle slammed its charged fist down in the middle of the shell again and again, wincing as ice began to climb up its arm.
The shell eventually began to spin slower and slower until it finally wobbled to a stop. Rumi’s grovyle jumped off, and the wartortle emerged, eyes crossed. It collapsed onto the ground with a quiet thud.
"Huh," Zoey said, recalling her pokémon. She regarded the ball in her hand thoughtfully before looking up with a dazzling grin. There was a competitive gleam to her eye. "Three v. three?"
Rumi nodded. "It only seems fair, especially since your wartortle was already tired." She glanced over at Mira who scoffed.
"Yeah, I don't need your pity."
The salandit lying spread-eagled in the warm dirt next to her, sunbathing happily by the looks of it, beeped up at her.
She bopped it gently on the nose. "Shut it, you."
"Just a sec, then!" Zoey called. She glanced up at the zigzagoon. "Percy, can you grab Bumper for me?"
The zigzagoon saluted and dove into her backpack, eventually emerging with a pokeball between its jaws.
Zoey ruffled his fur in thanks and tossed it out.
"Okay, Bumper, your turn!"
A vaporeon materialized, yawning, before it padded back over to its trainer and stood up on its hind legs to nose at her bag insistently.
Zoey giggled as she pushed him back down. "You don't get treats until after you fight, buddy. You know how this works."
"Another water type?" Mira asked from the sidelines.
Zoey rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about your bad luck there, but, uh, they're kind of my specialty?"
The zigzagoon let out a loud zigzagoo! in agreement, striking a pose.
Rumi and Mira exchanged a look.
"So what's up with that one then?" Rumi asked, pointing.
"Oh, Percival?" Zoey asked, glancing up. "He just likes to be tall."
That did nothing to answer Rumi's question.
"Why'd he pick you then?" Mira muttered.
Zoey gasped as the zigzagoon atop her head looked over at Mira with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Mira narrowed her eyes right back. "Oh no you don't, you little monster."
The zigzagoon leapt, crossing the clearing in a series of bounds to climb nimbly up Mira's frame and cling to the top of her head.
"Zoey," Mira said, reaching up to scruff the offending pokémon, wincing as it protested by grabbing her hair in its little paws. "Please control your pokémon."
"I did warn you," Zoey said with a laugh.
Rumi's grovyle looked back at her and spread his hands in a questioning gesture, looking as utterly confused as Rumi felt.
Rumi cleared her throat. "Are…we still battling?"
"Oh, right! Mira, start us off!"
"Yeah, sure, I'll get right on that!" Mira said, struggling to disentangle Percival from where he'd now gotten caught in her long hair.
"Good enough for me!" Zoey laughed. "Bumper, let's show 'em how it's done! Ice beam!"
Her vaporeon stepped forward, tail lashing and let loose a blast of frigid air.
Rumi thought that was a little unfair, given she hadn't even checked to see if her opponent was ready to restart, but she could definitely applaud the initiative.
Her grovyle jumped back, dodging easily, then moved in with a series of leaf blades that left the vaporeon reeling.
"Your grovyle's a quick one, huh?" Zoey commented with a calculating gleam in her eye. "But how's he do on skates?"
"Skates?"
"Bumper, the ground!"
The vaporeon immediately adjusted the aim of its next ice beam, coating the ground beneath Rumi's grovyle in a thin layer of ice that glimmered in the afternoon sun.
"An interesting trick," Rumi said, tone mild, though she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face at the unorthodox tactics. Now things were getting interesting.
Zoey shrugged with an answering grin.
The zigzagoon now seemingly at home atop Mira's head stuck its tongue out in Rumi's direction as Mira sat down with a sigh of defeat, leaning her head on one hand to watch.
"Alright, now that we've leveled the playing field a little, let's try this again. Bumper, chilling water!"
Her vaporeon let out a torrent of water that began to fog as it hit the warm afternoon air.
Rumi's grovyle tried to dodge, but couldn't get a firm grip on the ice to push off with enough momentum. The cold water struck his shoulder, sending him spinning away across the slippery surface until he was able to catch his footing and dig his claws in enough to scrape to a halt.
Rumi frowned, mind racing. Her grovyle was a physical fighter, using his superior speed to dodge incoming attacks and get up inside the opponent's guard, hitting hard and fast before they could react.
With one move, Zoey's vaporeon had nullified all of that.
Grovyle staggered to its feet, shivering, feet threatening to slide out from under him at every move.
"Enough."
The grovyle cast a glance back at Rumi, slashing an arm across its body in a sharp negative. Gro!
"Look around," Rumi said simply, "This isn't your fight anymore."
The grovyle regarded the sheer ice rink the battlefield had become and the opposing vaporeon watching him carefully, ready to fire off another ice beam should he slip. It crossed its arms in front of itself, activating its leaf blades and refusing to look back at Rumi, making it clear that it would be her decision only to pull him out.
It dug its claws into the ice and leapt forward, still fast, but not fast enough.
The vaporeon landed another glancing ice beam, trapping its foot long enough to line up a direct shot.
Her grovyle braced for the hit, and—
Rumi recalled him back to his pokeball.
"You did well," Rumi said quietly as the pokeball shook once, twice in her hands—her grovyle making its displeasure known—before it settled.
"Are all your pokémon that intense?" Zoey asked as Rumi thought over her next options.
"They don't like losing."
"Like pokémon, like trainer, I presume?" Mira commented from the sidelines, merely leaning back on her hands, unbothered, when Rumi threw her a sharp look.
"Says someone who lost to a zigzagoon."
Decision suddenly made for her, Rumi tossed out her arcanine.
It landed with a low growl, visibly startling the opposing vaporeon as the sheer heat coming off its body began to melt the ice beneath its feet until it stood on solid ground once again.
"Fire-type, huh?" Zoey said, with a glance towards Mira, who was scowling now at Rumi's deliberate jab. "Interesting choice."
Rumi crossed her arms, confident. She knew her arcanine's capabilities, and she wasn't about to lose, type disadvantage or not. "You ready?"
Zoey gave a mock bow. "Ladies first."
"Oh, get on with it already," Mira grumbled, raising an arm and dropping it in a Go! gesture.
"Thunder fang," Rumi called immediately. No sense losing the element of surprise.
The shock on Zoey's face was worth it. Before her vaporeon could even blink, Rumi's arcanine was on top of it, biting down with jaws that snapped and crackled with the electricity coursing through them.
And just like that, the battle was over as the vaporeon went limp.
"Guess you have some tricks of your own up your sleeve," Zoey said ruefully as she recalled her pokémon. "Where'd your arcanine pick that up?"
Rumi just shrugged.
Zoey chewed on her lip, looking around the clearing. "I know I asked for three v. three, but most of my other pokémon need water around to actually fight properly," she said before she glanced over at the zigzagoon on Mira's head. "You want in on this, Percy?"
The zigzagoon balanced on its hind legs, flexed briefly, and jumped off Mira to take its place on the field.
"You sure about that?" Rumi asked, eyeing the small pokémon now growling a challenge up at her much larger arcanine, seemingly unintimidated by the stark size difference. "We could just call it a draw."
She meant it too. She'd made her point, if Mira's glare was anything to go by. Another win would just be rubbing it in.
Zoey just grinned. "Don't worry. He's stronger than he looks."
"If you say so."
They both looked over to Mira, who obligingly waved a hand.
"Go."
Rumi sighed. She had wanted to get some serious training in, but it appeared she was now stuck in whatever antic this was. Best to get it over with quickly.
"Flare blitz."
Swirling flames engulfed her arcanine as it rushed recklessly forward straight towards the zigzagoon.
Rumi expected it to try and dodge, but it just lowered itself closer to the ground and took the hit head on, paws skidding backwards, as the arcanine's momentum carried them both along.
"Percy, counter!"
The zigzagoon leapt up in the air, somersaulting forward to bring its brightly glowing tail down on top of the arcanine's head with more force than Rumi would have ever expected from such a small pokémon.
Her arcanine let out a startled woof! as it was forced to eat dirt.
Rumi looked across the field to see Zoey watching her with one eyebrow raised.
Ah. So she was making a point of her own. Fair enough.
Rumi inclined her head in acknowledgement of the point taken, and Zoey had the gall to wink back, face relaxing back into a friendly grin as she locked her hands behind her head.
"Now I think we can call it a draw." She whistled, and the zigzagoon sat up on its hind paws, tongue lolling out, looking no worse for wear than some fur only slightly singed around the edges.
"Arcanine, we're done here." Rumi shook her head, amused despite herself.
Her arcanine, the traitor, immediately dropped into a play bow and woofed at the zigzagoon in front of it, slowly wagging her tail.
The zigzagoon ran around in a tight circle, then reached out to bop the arcanine on the nose with one black and white striped paw.
Arcanine immediately batted him back, sending him rolling over backwards until he came to rest at his trainer's feet. He barked up at her.
"Having fun?" Zoey asked, looking down.
The zigzagoon gave an affirmative zag! and hopped to his feet, climbing up her body back to his usual spot on her head.
Rumi walked over to reclaim her backpack, already eager to get back on the trail and make up for lost time. Her arcanine trotted over, shoving its whole head into her chest and nearly knocking her off her feet. Rumi smiled and obligingly scratched her behind the ears. Maybe she'd leave her out for a bit. It was nice to have a bit of company while she was walking, even if she did have a bad habit of getting underfoot when she wanted attention.
"And here I thought your arcanine was kinda scary at first, but she's just a big softie, isn't she?" Zoey said as she walked over.
"Don't even think about it," Mira warned, glaring at Percival who was eyeing her with interest as she joined them.
Zig? he barked innocently.
"Behave," Zoey said, rolling her eyes, as she gave him a fond flick to his nose. He flopped down on her head with a grumble.
Zoey turned her attention back to Rumi and stuck her hand out. "So, hey, I don't think I caught your name earlier, but that was a fun battle!"
Rumi took it, entirely unsurprised when the other girl shook it enthusiastically. "That's because I didn't get a chance to give it. I'm Rumi."
There was a flicker of something like recognition in Zoey's face as she peered up at her. "Huh."
Rumi stiffened, but before she could say anything, the expression disappeared, replaced by an easy grin.
"You looking to hit the league circuit here with that team of yours then?"
Rumi hesitated. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing yet, but collecting gym badges at least opened up some more options. She nodded tentatively.
"Same as Mira then!"
Rumi looked over to where Mira had her hands buried in her arcanine's fur, scratching along its ruff in a way that had its back leg thumping noisily in the dirt.
"What?"
"You said you were thinking of challenging the gym in the next town?" Zoey prodded.
Mira's face flushed, and she mumbled something too quiet to hear as she turned away.
"You're not doing the same?" Rumi asked, curious despite herself.
Zoey shook her head. "Nah, it wouldn't be quite fair, and besides, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do. Right now, it's a toss up between pokémon researcher and ranger, but so far it's just been exciting to see all the different pokémon on my travels, like your grovyle, which, speaking of, you've got to let me sketch him later."
"Later?" Rumi asked, baffled.
"Well, yeah, you're headed to Smokeleaf Town, right? That's the closest gym."
"I suppose so."
"Well, Mira wants to challenge the gym there, which should be an easy enough task since the leader favors grass types—" She turned to Mira. "—much better match up for you, and from what I've seen, you've got that one in the bag already—" She turned back to Rumi. "—and I was going to stop in and see some family I have in town, y'know, check in and let them know I'm still alive and all that, so since we're all headed the same direction, I was thinking we could maybe all travel together?"
Rumi had to take a moment to process all that.
"You…want to travel with me?" Mira asked quietly, sounding surprised.
"I want to travel with Tango," Zoey teased, going up on tiptoe to scratch under the salandit's chin where it was once again draped over Mira's shoulder. "He's a fun little guy, and I need to sketch him too, but I'll settle for having you along."
Oddly enough, that seemed to settle Mira more than if Zoey had agreed outright. She nodded. “All right.”
"So, what do you say?" Zoey asked, turning back to Rumi.
Rumi hesitated. "We don't even know each other," she pointed out.
Zoey shrugged. "It's a few days' walk still, time enough to get to know each other a bit."
"If you don't want to come along, you can just say so," Mira muttered, rolling her eyes.
"It's not that," Rumi countered immediately, running a hand over her braid. "I'm just used to traveling on my own." She forced a smile. "But I suppose I can make an exception for a few days since we're headed the same way."
"Great!" Zoey clapped her hands together. "In that case, I know a good spot to camp that's not too far from here, and it's down by the river, so I could let my pokémon out, and—well, you guys could too. That's not, like, a mutually exclusive thing—but it's this really neat spot where you can sometimes see gyarados if it's spawning season, although, uh, maybe we actually want to avoid that? Now that I think about it…" She spun around so she was walking backwards, her zigzagoon hanging onto her buns for balance. "You guys coming?"
Rumi's arcanine bounded forward, nearly pulling Mira off her feet. She just laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah, we're coming. Now what was that about a gyarados?"
Rumi trailed behind, listening as Zoey launched into a description of the local magikarp spawning season, letting her smile fall once the other trainers weren't looking.
She hoped she wouldn't regret this. She ran a hand lightly over the remaining pokeballs at her waist, lingering on one in particular before she sighed and shook her head, trotting to catch up. After all, there was a reason she usually traveled alone.