Riolu blinked and turned his head towards Lucas curiously, keeping his arm crossed guardedly. He stared into his eyes for almost a solid minute, before slowly uncrossing its arms and placing a paw in his hand. It was done begrudgingly, and Riolu still had an air of aloofness, but he'd never behaved that way before. Ever. "How… Are you doing that?" Donnie asked in a hushed voice, looking back and forth between the two. She glanced up distractedley at Nami and grinned in acknowledgement, before turning back in time to see Riolu reluctantly take the offered treat.
"He seems to act somewhat like a cat." Lucas observed. "You need to approach him slowly and let him make the first move. He needs to trust you, really. The relationship between a pokemon and their trainer must be two sided. It's clear that you're ready and willing to form a friendship with Riolu, but he's hesitant. If you can figure out what's making him hesitate… then you should be able to ease into a friendship."
Riolu stared a moment longer, then retracted his paw from Lucas's hand, devoting both appendages to eating the sweet. "That… Makes sense," Donnie said after a moment. "I have been a little overeager, maybe…" She spared another second to pet the pokémon in front of her, whispering "It was nice to meet you Kanaloa," before slowly standing and giving Riolu a thoughtful look. Her attention diverted somewhat when Froakie hopped up to Nami, likely wondering where his treat was, but for the most part stayed focused on Riolu. "Maybe there's hope for us, yet," she said, mostly to herself. "Hey, where are you guys going after this?" Donnie asked, turning to face them.
"I'm headed straight for the Trial." Nami said, pulling more of the desserts from her bag and passing one to each Pokemon. There was a flash of light, and Kanaloa let out another happy sound as a Wingull landed directly on top of Nami's head, happily accepting the dessert she offered. "I'm trying to hatch an egg, and I heard the best way to do that was travel all the long routes."
Donnie nodded in understanding. "That sounds like a lot of fun! And I like your Wingull… Do you have plans, Lucas?" She glanced back to see Riolu finishing up his snack, and hesitantly leaned an arm a few feet away from him. The pokémon watched cautiously, but didn't move. Froakie, having contentedly devoured his own treat, nudged against Nami's leg before demanding the attention of the other water types.
Kanaloa happily nudged Froakie as Wingull glided down onto the ground. Nami laughed, crouching and pulling out a Poketoy to play with the Pokemon.
"Plans?" Lucas looked up. "Er… not really, honestly. I mostly go around to observe and or catch pokemon. I also evolve some of them, like the Pidgeot I came on, or… here, this one's lovely." He muttered as he pulled a Pokeball out of his bag. When he released the pokemon inside, a stunning Ninetales appeared next to him. It observed the two girls silently, seemingly almost bored.
Nami looked up from playing with the Pokemon, her eyes widening. "A Ninetails? I've been trying to catch a Vulpix forever! Dude." She continued to mutter excitedly as the Pokemon played with each other, half her sentences not even in the same language.
Lucas stroked the pokemon's head softly. The Ninetales and Fennekin greeted each other, seeming to have a close relationship as well. "Ninetales and Fennekin are good friends… most of my pokemon like each other, actually. Although Pidgeot is a little standoffish sometimes…" Lucas gently took Fennekin off his shoulder and held it in his arms again.
Donnie was equally impressed by the Ninetales. Although she'd seen several Vulpix, she'd never seen the evolved form before. "Beautiful," she murmured, fingers curling slightly as she pictured running them through its fur. She seemingly snapped out of her stupor, shaking her head slightly to refocus. "Would you guys want to travel together? I'm in the same boat as Lucas, but in the event that I do go to the Trial, it could be beneficial to see what Pokémon the kahunas have and plan out a strategy… I don't know, I'm kind of rambling, but it could be nice to travel with other people."
Nami's rambling came to a halt as she looked up at Donnie, then Lucas, then Kanaloa. "What d'you think about that?" Kanaloa trilled happily in response, and Wingull let out an affirming cry. "I think that's a yes from us. Having some more company would be fun."
"I-I mean, it couldn't hurt, could it?" Lucas looked down at Fennekin, who seemed very content. "Ninetales doesn't like it when I keep putting her in and out of the Pokeball, so she'll probably be traveling with us on foot for a bit."
Donnie clapped excitedly, startling Riolu a bit in the process. "That's great! And don't worry," she spoke, looking at Lucas. "Riolu and Froakie are the same way, though I try to keep them out as much as possible…" She trailed off, looking at the stubborn pokémon on the counter beside her. "Sorry for startling you," she said softly, avoiding eye contact by instead looking at Nami. "It should take around half a day to reach the first kahuna, Hala. And I think it'll take about another three days to get to the first trial, on Melemele Island. Er, without Ride Pokémon, I mean," she added, glancing at Lucas as she remembered his Pidgeot. "But if we're looking to find the most pokémon, following the routes and using the ferry is probably our best bet. What do you think?"
Lucas nodded. "I've got a Ponyta as well if we do end up needing to ride pokemon. Now, we should probably get out of the Pokecenter so we're not in the way." He adjusted his grip on Fennekin before walking out, Ninetales trotting at his heels. He glanced back to make sure the others were following. Perhaps we can learn more about each other on our journey…
Nami stood, Wingull willingly going back into his Pokeball. Kanaloa returned to her shoulders happily, and she started off after Lucas, turning to walk backwards and watch Donnie. "Adventure awaits!"
"Mhmm. New pokemon to find, as well. Although none could quite replace Fennekin." He smiled softly and put Fennekin back onto his shoulder. Ninetales growled impatiently, but not really in an aggressive way. "Now, now Ninetales." He scratched gently behind Ninetales' ears. "We'll be on our way soon."
Donnie turned to Riolu questioningly, but the pokémon was already hopping off the counter and brushing himself off. He shot her a look as if to say Not today, and proceeded to follow her new friends. With a quiet sigh, she bent down to pick up Froakie, the Kalos region starter going slack in contentment as he didn't have to walk. The foam bubbles around his neck stuck slightly to her arms, but it didn't bother Donnie in the slightest as she jogged to catch up to Nami and Lucas. "So, since we'll be traveling together, I feel like we should share a few basic things about ourselves. Like… My full name is Donna Lee Reeds, but I don't like being called by my first name, hence the nickname. Um, I just turned fifteen a couple of months ago, aannd my favorite color is yellow. Like my shirt," she added helpfully, gesturing to the article of clothing as she moved Froakie aside gently.
" Lanakila Kauhane, I'm fifteen too." Nami said, flashing Donnie a grin as she spun around in circles as they walked. "I'm a surfer, self-diagnosed adventurer, and am going to be the best explorer the world's ever seen." She said confidently, and Kanaloa chirped in agreement.
"I'm Lucas Mulbright." He waved a bit. "I'm thirteen years old, and my… well, I don't really have a favorite color. Maybe red, since I favor fire type pokemon." Fennekin trilled happily, excited for the adventure. Ninetales sent an annoyed look at Fennekin, but kept quiet. "I hatched Fennekin myself. He's my first pokemon, and we've been through a lot. Haven't we, Quin?" He pet Fennekin's head. (Oh yeah, Fennekin's name is actually Quin lol. There's a reason for that)
"You guys are amazing," Donnie said sincerely, again admiring Nami's confidence and Lucas's gentle nature. "Oh! There are a few ways to get to Iki Town. We can go down Route 2, or pass the beachfront and Trainer School. I think there's another Pokémon Center down that way, too, though Route 2 might be faster… Here, I have a map," she offered, unfolding a crinkled sheet of colorful paper and handing it to Nami. "I'm not great with these things, if I'm being honest," she laughed, shifting Froakie's weight so he'd be more comfortable. Riolu walked alongside the group looking like a loner, but seemingly enjoying the walk for the time being.
"Who needs a map?" Nami said, accepting the paper anyway. "I recommend passing by the Trainer School. Get a little more practice in there, and stop by the PokeCenter." She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I still need more Potions. 'Specially after that last encounter."
"Sounds good to me!" Donnie agreed, looking to Lucas for confirmation. "Oh, and I have a few extra potions you can use if necessary, Nami," she explained. "Or Lucas! I prefer going to the Pokémon Centers because the staff and pokémon there have been trained to handle things professionally, but I keep extras in case something happens and I'm too far away… Of course it's hypothetical, since this will be my first time leaving Hau'oli City since arriving… " She chuckled lightly, briefly closing her eyes in a head tilt to convey her slight embarrassment. "I have been past the Trainer school, though, when I met Professor Kukui, to chose my starter." She looked fondly at Froakie as she spoke, indicating her choice.
"Potions are good… I've got several of my own, actually, but thanks for the offer." Lucas smiled, walking quietly beside the others. He figured they were more experienced than him since he was two years younger, but he had read a lot of books on pokemon while he was under his father's 'care', although the word is used loosely. Lucas had actually decided to name his Fennekin Quin in honor of his twin brother, Claus. Claus used to call Fennekins 'Fennequins' to annoy Lucas, who always corrected him. Either way, it brought back fond memories of his brother from when he was alive.
(Please don't let this die I like it a lot qvq we could do so much with it)
