A Tour Through Town

It hadn't been long since Jet's last visit to the town. Of course he hadn't been in and around the town for very long either. The town looked just the same as it had earlier when he had left it: peaceful, sunny with clear weather, and happy Pokémon going about their usual day-to-day activities in the streets. Whether they were going shopping at one of the many stores or simply wandering the town for relaxation's sake was difficult to tell at a glance, but Jet found it rather amusing to occasionally watch a pedestrian and try to guess just what it was that they were out and about for. However, he would not be so easily distracted this time. Not when he had a responsibility to uphold; a promise to keep.

Not even five minutes ago, Jet and his new acquaintance, Avery the Croagunk, had been battling it out in the Small Pond just outside of town. It had not been a serious battle, but more of a simple, practical sparring match between the two on Jet's provocation. The result of the battle had been more than decisive, leading Jet to a quick, and admittedly rather painful, defeat. Not that he had really expected anything more of himself...not when he could not gain any additional information on his opponent before the battle had begun. But even so, it had proven to be a valuable learning experience and he had even made another friend in Avery that he felt comfortable with. In exchange for the somewhat quick bout, Jet had promised Avery that he would try his best to be a decent guide for the Croagunk and show him around Grassveil. And that was what had led the Buizel back to the town.

Jet and Avery had started to make their way through town, headed toward the north side where the Guild was located. That was their end destination, since that's where the Croagunk ultimately wanted to end up. With any luck, they might even run into Lee, Jet's current teammate, on the way there. The walk was rather tough going for Jet, however. He still felt the leftover dull aches and pains from getting beaten down by the Croagunk's barrage of attacks. He even had to take a quick breather once as they travelled to keep himself from falling over in his exhaustion. He had just stopped in front of the large police station and started vaguely describing it while he rested. He simply assumed that Avery knew what a police station was and what it was for, so he skimmed over the topic. The one thing he made sure to mention, however, was that the police station was where the town's public outlaw notice board was available. He had taken note of this rather quickly upon his arrival, since he mostly wanted to help stop bullies and criminals as his motivation for getting stronger.

However, the first spot of interest that Jet really took to was the Springfall Dojo. They presently stood just outside of the gates of the Dojo. He had come by not too long ago too see what kind of training regimen could be offered here.

"This here is the Springfall Dojo," Jet said with clear enthusiasm as he led the two of them to the gates. As he had shown Avery around the town, his timidity had started to disappear. He had started to grow more comfortable with the Croagunk and thus felt less awkward around him. "This was one of the first places to catch my attention, Avery. The whole place is run by a single Oshawott. Not only can she help train you, but she can also teach you new moves and even runs a Technical Machine store on the side. I've been thinking about coming here for training someday. Unfortunately, I think she only trains each Pokémon individually, so it's rather slow-going." He then looked at the Croagunk for the first time in a while. "What d'you think, Avery?" he asked.

Avery had to admit, Grassveil Town had an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Oh sure, the streets were rather crowded with other Pokémon which is not quite relaxing for some, but the relaxing feeling came more from the fact that no one looked at each other as if they were going to attack the other. Everyone was either minding their own business but still seemed quite reachable in case one had questions to ask. The clear weather was a blessing to his body, and while he did not like dry and sunny days, today had the perfect weather. His attention fell on his guide, a Buizel who seemed to have done a one-eighty from its timid character that Avery first saw. Avery observed the intakes of breaths the Water type took from time to time, not showing the least bit of guilt that he was the one responsible for the damage on the orange furred creature. He did grace Jet with a small grin and a nod after he explained for what the police station served. The only thing that was new and informative about the place was the fact he had to travel to this station if he felt like fighting an outlaw. Though that was the last thing he wanted today, the spar had sated him. For now.

The next building was far more interesting in the Poison/Fighting hybrid's eyes. A dojo. 'A place I shall visit later this week.' Was the thought that travelled through him. The information that Jet supplied for him only strengthened that resolve. This Oshawott had to be quite powerful if it was capable of housing a dojo. After all, many Pokémon do not fancy taking advice from a species' base stage. The question Jet posed him went unanswered for a couple of moments, as Avery was still letting everything sink in the head of his. He then looked away from the building and towards his companion before giving his answer. "I think this is a place worth visiting after I have settled in. Is there any other place worth visiting besides these two you showed, or are all other important businesses located closer to the Guild?"

For some reason, the distraction of responsibility gave Jet enough of a reason to not be quite as timid and awkward as he had been before. Perhaps it was through his sense of responsibility that he managed to make for an actually somewhat respectable guide. He had promised to guide the Croagunk to the best of his ability, after all. He had to at least try his best. He certainly could have done a lot better, but since this was his first time trying to give a tour, he was doing rather well in his own personal opinion. As he was explaining the dojo to Avery, he watched the Toxic Mouth Pokémon's sparkle slightly...or at least, that's what he thought he saw. But when he looked again, it was the same standard Croagunk expression that he always seemed to bear on his countenance. Perhaps this was someplace that had caught Avery's attention in particular? In which case, maybe he should spend a little bit more time talking about it. Although, he had yet to actually train here himself, so he couldn't honestly share much information. In fact, he didn't even know anybody who had. So for all he knew, the place could be a sham. Perhaps it was best, then, to not discuss it too much yet.

When Avery spoke up again, this time asking about any other places that might be worth visiting, he had to stop what he was doing and think about it. Grassveil was a decent enough size, but a lot of it seemed to be housing and smaller shops that didn't really seem to interest him much. "W-well..." Jet murmured, trying to think of what he should say. "There IS the Feather Café. But it's closed down for now and has been ever since I got here. Supposedly for renovations or something, but it looked like it's been closed for quite a while now." He tapped his jaw with one of his paws as he continued to think. Was there really anything else of interest that Avery might want to know about? "...There's also a library not too far away," he added soon after. "I've been there once before, but it's about what you would expect. It's a pretty decent size, though, with a rather large collection of books. I don't know if you like to read or not, but that's always there if you want to check that out."

Jet looked at the Croagunk. He smiled a little bit, with that usual nervous look on his face. "O-other than that, though, I don't really know anyplace else. Like I said, I'm still new here myself and only know what I've seen in the few town wanderings I've done. The Guild is really the only important location in Grassveil."

Avery's visage showed a small reaction in the form of a raised eyebrow. "A library, you say? He placed two of his three fingers on his chin, before stroking the body part. I do believe I'll have to ask you to accompany me there. Library means information, and information means learning more. There is little more important than learning more about the place we live in." It also meant he had no obligations at the moment, but that part was something Avery preferred to keep to himself. He quickly continued though. "Depending on what we learn it may save our hides ... or condemn them. Depends on how 'legal' this information is." He added as an afterthought, with a tone one would discuss the weather. A few moments later he looked at Jet, when did Avery avert his gaze anyway? "Now that you mention that café. Are there any other places one can go for eating something? I don't know about you, but our little spar worked up an appetite and I wish to please it." He offered. Although the spar did indeed make him hungry, the main reason he asked was because the Buizel had to be in even more need than him to take a break. One couldn't just walk out of that beat down and feeling one-hundred percent.

Jet nodded. "Yeah, the library is a nice place," he said in response with a small smile. "I like spending some time there myself, although I haven't had a lot of time to actually do so like I would have liked to. Although...I am not so certain that it is quite as important as you claim it to be. I-I mean...I don't think history is going to help us win in a battle." He was surprised, however, at Avery. The two of them seemed like they were so alike, aside from the obvious physical differences between the two as well as their individual skill levels. He liked the quiet and calm, he liked to read and learn...it's almost as though the two were made to be teammates and friends. Although, he supposed that he had no real reason to call the two of them "friends" yet. They were still more along the lines of "acquaintances" at this point. And it could be rather difficult to get a proper reading on the Croagunk.

When Avery suggested that they go eat someplace and brought up the spar they had had earlier, Jet suddenly felt sore again. He had almost forgotten about the painful beating that he had received earlier that had resulted from his own challenge. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his own hunger was starting to rear up. He could certainly use the energy and rest to recover his own strength and stamina.

Of course, the moment this came across Jet's mind, his stomach made a very audible grumbling noise. When his stomach rumbled like that, he suddenly froze, blushing deeply in embarrassment. "H-heheh..." he mumbled lowly. "I-I guess we should stop by somewhere to eat to get before heading to the Guild anyway. I doubt that they're looking for a beat up, exhausted Buizel to sign up, are they...?" he chuckled, somewhat jokingly.

Avery gave his companion the equivalent of a Croagunk's blank stare, which has been forbidden to him as it is even creepier than his normal calm face. "Perhaps I should elaborate. With information, I was not talking about history. I was more talking about what lived in what region in what region had which advantages or disadvantages to us." The hybrid corrected himself. The surprised look on Jet's face did intrigue him, but Avery had no idea why his opinion on the library would bring forth surprise. Nor did he had any want to find out. A sudden grumbling noise surprised Avery, who looked around them in order to find the source of the sound. Hearing his guide mumble something, Avery looked at him before almost face faulting when he realised the grumbling came from Jet's stomach. His last comment did offer a solid question. "Hmm, perhaps it may help you as it shows you aren't afraid to get hurt. On the other hand the chance they'll throw you out also increases as they may deem you too incapable of handling their training. I'd say that no matter which state you're in is a double-edged Honedge." Avery offered, before making his way back the way they came, wondering if they could find something to eat in an area they already visited instead of searching for a place in an area they knew little of. "While we search for a place to eat, mind telling a bit about yourself? Establishing ties with guild members, even if they haven't joined yet, should be helpful in case we ever work togehter."

Jet couldn't help but stare back at Avery's gaze with unease. Croagunk had always looked...particularly creepy to him. He wasn't quite sure what it was about them...perhaps it was the orange pouches or the seemingly emotionless look in their eyes, but whatever it was...he was always uncomfortable. But, he figured that if he were to hang around with Avery for a longer period of time, he would probably be able to start getting used to it.

Jet nodded understandably as Avery elaborated and clarified his previous statement. "O-oh, I see..." He smiled slightly at that. "Yes, you're right. That would definitely be of good use to us. That was one of the things I wanted to use the library for, but I had figured on waiting until after I joined the Guild to bother with that kind o research. I mean, I'm not planning on going out on any adventures by myself anytime soon." With that, he let out a small, nervous chuckle. "B-but I suppose if we are working together, we might be able to...say...find out if there's an area with lots of Rock-type Pokémon for us or something. And also-"

It was at that moment that another growl emanated from Jet's stomach. He rubbed it once again and blushed in embarrassment slightly once again. "W-well whatever the case, I suppose we could talk about it when we get there." With that, he turned to a southern direction. "I-I believe I recall there being someplace down this way..." With that, he started walking, expecting Avery to follow right behind him. However, he hadn't even gotten two steps when Avery asked him to tell him about himself. He almost stopped walking to think about it, but fought the instinct. There wasn't a whole lot to think about at this point.

"W-well, I-I'm afraid there's not much to tell," Jet replied, rubbing the back of his head slightly. "Y-you already know about me being bullied all the time and me coming here to try to toughen myself up my own way...and I'm not exactly a very impressive or exciting Buizel either." He then paused his speech for a moment to consider something. "But...is there anything else about me in specific that you would like to know about...? Maybe if you give me a suggestion, I could get some new information to you."

Avery nodded at the titbit of information they could use. A place with many Rock types would indeed be an admirable place for training. Taking into account that the Pokémon aren't too overpowered, of course. When Avery asked his guide to introduce himself, the hybrid did not expect the Water type to start belittling himself from the get go. Deciding to not comment on it, Avery pondered on the question that was aimed at him. "You know, name, origin, likes and all that. I do have to apologize once more, as I forgot my manners. One does need to introduce themselves first before they ask the same of others. As you already know, I am Avery, a Croagunk hailing from the Northern Nomadic Marsh Tribe. I prefer to relax while puffing my pipe and dislike it when other disrupt my relaxation with no reason. Something like that." In fact, Avery hadn't finished talking about his 'like' and the pipe was already in his hand, and soon in his mouth when he stopped talking.

As they walked, the hybrid noticed a shop that seemed to sell heated Berries on a stick with sauce. For some reason it made him think of a dango, although he had no idea where that term came from. He pointed with his pipe in the direction of the shop before addressing his guide. "Doesn't that seem like a suitable establishment?" He then recalled something and turned his head this time before posing the question before Jet had the opportunity to answer his question. "You mentioned a friend you were going to start a team with. What's he like?" The Croagunk was interested in who could see past the timed nature of Jet and accept the Water type. Would it be someone with an open mind, or someone who needed a mule? He leaned more to the first option as Jet did call this unknown Pokémon a friend.

Jet looked at the Croagunk as his newfound companion started to introduce himself as well. When he apologized for not introducing himself first, he simply shook his head. "N-no, no you don't have to worry about that at all," he said in a clearly embarrassed voice. He attempted to laugh it off with a small chuckle, but it only came out as forced and rather awkward. He then had to stop himself from letting out a sigh. He then shook his head and tried to drop everything there. "A-anyway," he said at last, ready to introduce himself now. "I'm Jet and I...erm...well, I came all the way from the marshlands a long way from here. I like to...w-well, uh...I-I guess I like to explore. I mean...I've only really ever known my home in the marsh, so it's nice to get to see new things. Even just coming here was an adventure for me. Just another reason to try to join the Guild, I suppose. But as for something I DISlike...." He had to pause then. He needed to stop and think about it. He had never really noticeably disliked anything in particular. He had always either liked something or had indifference toward it. "...I-if I had to pick something, I guess...as cliché and silly as it may sound, villainy. Bullies, evil-doers, thieves who steal only for their own selfish purposes...Pokémon like that are what I don't like I guess.... Is...that sufficient for you?"

It wasn't long before Avery pointed out the nearby restaurant and he smiled a bit. "I've never seen this place before," he replied. "I suppose I'm always willing to try new things. Yeah, that would be fine with me." However, it seemed as though the Croagunk's questions weren't over yet and he had to stop and think again. "Who, Lee?" Jet replied, putting one of his paws up to his jaw to think. He then chuckled a little bit; genuine this time. "Oh he's quite different than you. He's...a bit on the hyperactive side would be the best way to put it. But he's determined for sure. He aims to be the world's best ninja Pokémon. And he's pretty good at it, what with his ability to camouflage himself pretty well." He then smiled a little. "And he was the first Pokémon to ever see any kind of potential in me, so he's a really good guy...and pretty nice too...." He then let out a small sigh. "I just wish I could find him when I wanted. He does tend to...wander without telling me anything."

Avery slightly shrugged his shoulders when Jet stated his dislike was cliché. It certainly was, but there was a good reason for it as far as Avery was concerned. He would have to look at Jet in another light if the Buizel found his 'dislike' something to like, and it would not have been a positive light. "Cliché it may be, unfounded it is not. And yes, your introduction was decent enough." The hybrid almost tripped over his feet when he heard Jet's friend wanting to be a ninja, while being hyperactive. The Croagunk gave Jet another blank stare, before simply putting the image aside. He did not know why the image of an orange Vulpix on sugar high entered his mind, and to be honest he did not want to know. The thought send shivers up his spine.

Avery chuckled good-natured at his guide's sigh before addressing him. "I'm certain you'll find him. If not you could always ask the police officers to search for him." His attention was pulled by the seller, a friendly looking Skarmory. Avery blinked a few times, looked behind the vendor and after seeing that the Flying/Steel hybrid was alone looked at the vendor once more. 'How is he turning those berries without hands?' This was something Avery couldn't help but ask himself. Staring at the vendor for a few more seconds, he decided to just wave it off as a skill that the bird learned and decided to order his portion. "I'd like three Oran sticks, two Pecha sticks and four Iapapa sticks." The Skarmory gave Avery a look of surprise, even more so when it became clear the Poison/Fighting hybrid was going to eat them all, by himself. The hybrid in question ignored the look on the seller's face and turned to his guide. "What'd you like? You get three berries a stick so I'm certain you can fill yourself easily." The Skarmory looked at Jet with eyes changed in Poké signs, believing to not have one but two big eaters.

Jet couldn't help but utter a small, nervous chuckle when Avery suggested that he could potentially ask the police to search for Lee like he did. "O-oh no, I don't think that something like that would be necessary. I'm sure he just likes to...run off now and again. If nothing else, I'm sure he'll find me eventually. I'm not really all that concerned about him." With that, he also turned toward the sales clerk at the store. He considered what he might want for a moment. His absolute favorite Berry to eat was easily a Wacan Berry. They were very rare treats for him...however, due to the rarity of a Berry like that, he figured that he shouldn't even bother asking about it. His next favorite was easy and common enough...at least comparatively.

When Avery ordered not just one or two, but ten sticks all for himself, Jet's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly and he looked at the Croagunk in surprise. Th-that's an awful lot of Berries..." he murmured in awe. "Are you sure you can eat all that by yourself?" The Croagunk was barely any bigger than he was. Was he being for real about that order? How could he possibly eat so much? "H-heh...not so much for me, I guess." he answered Avery after a moment of silence. "Just...one Mago Berry stick is enough for me." He almost felt bad for the Skarmory right now. He probably wasn't exactly living up to the Steel-type Pokémon's expectations...but then again, he supposed that he didn't really have a lot to complain about. Eleven berry sticks for two Pokémon was still an awful lot to sell compared to what he probably usually had to do in an average order.

Avery raised an eyebrow slightly at his guide's question. Why did the Pokémon think he'd order such an amount of the Croagunk didn't think he could digest all of it? Thinking it to be a rhetorical question, Avery does not give an answer and instead changes his gaze to watch the Skarmory click its tongue at only get one humongous order. As the Steel/Flying hybrid turned away from his customers to complete the orders Avery mulled over the question of his guide and the vendor's reaction to his order. Avery had never questioned his appetite, even when he was one of the few who needed such a large amount of food to consume. The only ones he knew who matched him on that aspect were the Gulpin families and his childhood friend, Squard. At the thought of his poisonous friend, Avery thought what the kind of problems the guy would have gotten into during his absence. The thought brought a small smile of recollection on his face, though the smile could be misinterpreted by others because his food arrived.

He gladly received his sticks and paid for the food. He would need to sate his appetite with less food from now on, as his payment had put a decent dent in his wallet. After receiving his change, Avery grabbed his tray and walked to a spot to sit and enjoy his Berries. Taking a seat at a table with three chairs, Avery waited for Jet to join him before he continued their conversation. "You seem quite sure about his tracking skills. Nor do you seem all that worried about him. May I know why? Or are you simply childhood friends?" He then grabbed a stick with Oran Berries, quickly engulfing a whole Berry in one go. Yet for some reason his face did not change and his cheeks did not bloat, not counting the cheek pouches. If one had not seen the Croagunk just engulf a whole Berry in his mouth, one might think he only took the last small bite from a Berry.

Jet's exchange with the Skarmory went relatively swifter and more smoothly than Avery's. He watched Avery's smile appear on his face as he had awaited his food. He said nothing of it, but he could tell that it wasn't simply a smile of anticipation. He couldn't help but be curious as to what was on the Croagunk's mind, but that could perhaps wait for another time. For now, he should probably be focusing on what he needed to do; his duties as a guide. And, if everything worked out, maybe...just maybe Avery could be just what he needed.

As Jet exchanged his own coins for his single stick of Mago berries, he took the stick itself over to where Avery had seated himself and joined him. He sat down in the seat closest to the Croagunk and moved to take a bite of one of his berries, listening to Avery's inquiries about Lee at the same time. However, he stopped when he saw the Croagunk lift his first stick, one of them with Oran Berries on them, and at it all in one smooth bite...without even needing to expand his cheeks. Was his mouth really that large? The more he watched Avery the more curious he started to get about Croagunk anatomy. Or...was it something more unique to Avery? Whatever the case, Jet finally decided it wasn't worth thinking about too much at the moment and finally took his own bite of one of the Mago Berries. The sweet flavor filled his mouth and he took his time chewing it, savoring it. He was certainly going to take much longer with his food than Avery was. The thought was somehow rather amusing.

Jet smiled slightly as he thought of Lee and thought about how to best answer Avery's question. But then he recalled latter events and his expression grew more neutral again. He glanced to the side slightly, wondering if it was alright to just come out with it. He wasn't sure if he was going to be a teammate to this Croagunk or not...or even if he considered them friends. They were acquaintances, sure, but perhaps to Avery it could be nothing more. But then again...Avery seemed trustworthy enough. If nothing else, he certainly wasn't some common brigand. He doubted that he would use such information for fiendish purposes.

"No, we're certainly not childhood friends. We only met not too long ago actually. But...see, the thing is...I know exactly where he is," Jet finally replied after swallowing his first bite of Mago Berry. "And...I actually kind of am worried about him. But not how you might think." He then stopped and thought about just how much he should say. "...You see, like I said before Lee's kind of a ninja Pokémon. Or at least, that's what he wants to be and he comes from a clan of ninja Pokémon. And he's away with...family issues, if you know what I mean." He wasn't really sure if he could bring himself to say it out loud, simply because it was uncomfortable for him. "...But we battled together once, with him testing me. Judging from what I faced then, I don't think he'll have any actual problems in his travels."

By the time Jet had finished talking about his meeting with this Lee character, Avery had already finished all of his Oran Berry sticks and was finishing with chewing and swallowing his last Oran Berry. Those had truly been needed for his exhausted body. The annoying thing to Avery was that he was simply tired from overexerting too much, and not from receiving one blow too many. Such an action should not occur to him and thus the hybrid decided, albeit with some part of him wanting to just lay down and relax, that he'd need to increase his stamina after he got more familiar with the town. It would do him no good if he got too tired during a mission, as this would only hinder him in the long run. He grabbed his first Pecha stick as he waited for his guide to continue talking. The Pokémon had a tendency to take breaks mid-talk, so Avery wouldn't be surprised if this was another one.

As it became clear the Buizel was done talking Avery quickly finished chewing his Pecha Berry, a strange choice for a Poison type but Avery didn't think much about it, before talking with an empty mouth. "An interesting way of bonding with one another. I can't help but not that was not unlike our previous activity. Is this how you attempt to gain comrades?" The question was posed in a teasing manner, and meant no ill will to the questioned party.

Jet looked up at Avery once again as the Croagunk started talking back to him. He smiled slightly, grateful for the relatively simple change in conversation topic. "Oh no, it's nothing like that," he replied, chuckling in a nervous manner. Conversation was definitely not his strong point. "Well...I guess it's kind of like that in a way. Lee seems to think that it's a great way to get to know another Pokémon, and he probably knows more about inter-Pokémon relationships than I do. I don't really normally bond with other Pokémon, you see...so I suppose that I should follow his example for now." With that, he finished the last of his first Mago Berry and looked down at the second one. He could feel a lot of his strength and energy returning to him that he had lost during the fight that the two had shared before.

"But my main purpose for challenging other Pokémon to fights is...well...in the hopes that I can learn from the experience and get stronger." He took another bite of his second Mago Berry and swallowed before continuing. "I know that, as I am, I'm probably not ready for the Guild by myself. I don't think I'm ready to go without a teammate...I'll get overwhelmed I bet. So I wanted to better myself before making the team without Lee. Although...you were actually the first I ever managed to actually muster up the courage to ask." He looked back over at Avery. He was curious as to what the Croagunk thought of him at this point. But he didn't want to be blunt and simply...straight-up ask. Although he wouldn't be surprised if he thought that he wasn't worth being teammates with.

He would have to ask anyway. If he wanted to create the team without Lee...he needed somebody to help him. And what better opportunity than this?