A Ruined Meeting

Grassveil Town, a small Pokemon town where everyone knows everyone bustling with many Pokemon willing to trade well for other Pokemon for a bit of extra pocket change. Flowers bloomed almost everywhere and the smell of freshly cut grass seemed to linger in the air. Many of the shops were located in the center of this town and for good reason, they all compete to sell things to visitors and residents alike. One such resident was the Minccino, Nightingale. The ash gray Pokemon loved to stir up some trouble in the quiet little town. He was known like every other Pokemon, some of them enjoyed his 'pranks' laughing when someone is caught up in one, but everyone knew that he was just a kid and having some harmless fun.

Today was like every other day here in the town; with a little bit of Poke to his name, Nightingale was looking around for some supplies he may or may not need for his next outing to the nearby forest. An adventurer at heart the small boy spent most of his free time exploring a wood nearby that has been explored time and time again by just about every other Pokemon who wanted to come to this town. "Welcome to the Kecleon Shop!" The green Kecleon looked down at the small ash gray Pokemon who held onto his small amount of Poke in a tiny bag slung around his body. "Hello Mister Kecleon. What are you selling today?" Nightingale said with a happy smile on his face. Today was a wonderful day and Nightingale didn't want to waste any time when he could be out exploring the wood. The boy and the shop keep chatted for a bit before the chinchilla shook his head respectfully and started to walk away, not buying anything and just checking on the stock before heading out on his own. Lost in thought the boy watched the ground under him with each step he took, thinking of where to go and what to do, and what kind of things would he see today and what he could possibly bring back to sell to Kecleon!

He lifted his head and blinked, looking around as he remembered he was walking; heading into the residential district of the town instead of the town, nowhere near the exit gates. A quiet groan escaping from his lips as he looked around. He stood in the middle of the walkway, some Pokemon just passing him as he looked like a Deerling who's been startled. His head shifting left and right as his eyes scanned the area; trying his best to remember what way was the closest exit. He was still in town so he wasn't to lost, all he needed to do was walk and he'd get to where he needed to be in time.

Not too far away, on the very same street as Nightingale, there was another small Pokemon wandering the markets of Grassveil Town.  She was a Skitty, humming softly to herself as she absentmindedly wondered whether or not she should head back to the Grassveil guild yet.  The shiny badge pinned to the blue scarf around her neck signaled that she worked there.  Her team was taking today off, and she had spent the past hour or two taking stock of their supplies and buying anything that they were short on.  

...It was uncharacteristically diligent of her, though.  She had done it mostly just to keep her mind off of the rumors she had overheard in the guild's dining hall that morning...  One of the other novice teams had been to Shadowhue Forest recently, a place that the Skitty herself had visited a few times as well.  But this other team had stumbled across something mysterious during their trip.  Deep within the forest, hidden beneath a raging waterfall, they had discovered a cave.  But not just any cave, either...  It looked artificial.  Like it had been made by Pokemon...

The Skitty shivered, then shook her head and tried to push it out of her mind once again.  It was fascinating, knowing that there was such a mysterious place hidden within the forest, especially since the other team had chosen not to explore inside...  But she just couldn't go somewhere dangerous like that by herself.  That would be foolhardy.  And neither of her teammates seemed like a good fit for such an adventure either...  One was timid and didn't have much experience or confidence when it came to exploring, while the other was so tough and busy that she surely wouldn't want to be bothered with something like this...

So she sighed and returned her attention to the road in front of her.  Maybe it would be best to just go back to the guild and find someone to play with, or to visit one of her friends...  But before she got very far, she noticed an awfully lost-looking Minccino up ahead, his eyes wide as he scanned the streets in front of him with bewilderment.

Maybe he needed some help?  Flashing a smile, the Skitty decided to walk over to him, and then she gave him a tap on the shoulder.  "Um...  Hello!  Are you lost?" she asked with a giggle while sitting down on her haunches.  "I don't think I've seen you in town before...  If you need help, I can lead you to anywhere you want to go!"

The Grey Chinchilla almost jumped from the sudden approach; he wasn't expecting any Pokemon to help him. But his tail fluffed out wide in shock and his eyes looked at the stranger. But he quickly calmed down and returned the smile. Looking at the Skitty and nodding sheepishly. "Help? Yes. If you don't mind. I'm kind of new here." He didn't go much into why he was new or what he was doing here but he did admit that he was lost and needed some help. "I'm looking for Pecha Forest? Or any exit out of the town I guess?" His smile slowly left his face as he returned to his normal resting expression, his eyes looking this stranger over; catching the look of the badge gleaming in the sun. "A Badge? Are you an explorer?" He asked with childlike wonder as he waited for the stranger to lead the way.

"Do you have any stories?! I'd love to hear them!" His voice somewhat louder now, excited he may be able to hear a story not yet told straight from an adventurer themselves! It was an opportunity he did not want to miss. His smile returned as he waited patiently; this stranger was becoming a fast friend and he didn't even know their name yet. It seemed somewhat rude to ask for help without introducing himself. "Oh. I forgot, my name is Nightingale." He cocked his head to the side, asking without speaking if they would like to share their name. He seemed to be much more chatty now that he seemed to understand that the Pokemon that was offering to help was a Pokemon who's job was to explore and help others. The winter air blew, though it was spring the wind kept them cool from the warm sun that beat down on them.

Nightingale knew that everyone had a story and he loved to listen; being from a small town stories were often boring and told so much that they lost his interest after the third time of hearing them. But adventures, those Pokemon who wore these badges showing what guild they're from as well as maybe a scarf or bow, those Pokemon had awesome stories to tell and he wanted to know every Pokemon story so he could tell others of their accomplishments. He was always one to want to know more about the world he lived in, but he could not do everything alone; he isn't that old and is not as strong as other Pokemon that live out in wild and dangerous areas.

The Skitty gave him a nod and stood up when he asked to be led to Pecha Forest.  The gates were to the south of here, and not too far away.  Her tail held high, she began trotting along a dirt sidepath that skirted around the crowded marketplace.  But before she could get very far, the Minccino caught sight of her badge, and it instantly seemed to make him perk up!

"Awww...  Well, I guess I am an explorer, technically at least..." she said, smiling shyly and staring at the ground while she walked.  She didn't want to disappoint Nightingale, not with how excited he seemed, but she had never seen herself as much of an explorer...  Even if she wished that she was one.  "My name's Darcy.  I work at the guild, but my team is just grey-rank.  I haven't lived here for all that long yet, so they don't let me take jobs that are really cool or scary or that are in far away places..."

She looked up at him again, blushing a little beneath her cream-colored fur as she continued.  "So, um, I usually just run errands and help Pokemon here in town.  I do explore the forests around here sometimes though!  A lot of Pokemon live outside of town and ask the guild for help too.  How about you?  Is Pecha Forest where you live?"

Walking with Darcy he listened intently, nodding every so often as she spoke to let her know he was interested in what she had to say. When her story was finished he seemed a little more confused, having more questions, but he could figure them out in time if he asked. "Well Darcy, it is very nice to meet you!" The ashen chinchilla spoke with a matter of fact tone and a nod, as if confirming what he had just said, "It's still super cool you're in a guild! I always heard stories from wandering Pokemon that the Pokemon who have been accepted any guild are super strong or smart!" Nightingale was like a child and easily excited to meet anyone from a guild. "Where am I from..?" The chinchilla like Pokemon asked, parroting her question as he thought about it for a second. "Post Town? I think that's what it was called..." He couldn't seem to recall the name but he tried his best. "I'm not from here. The town I'm from is through the woods; uh...that way..?" The town he named didn't seem to be on any map nearby. Pointing off to the east he probably just didn't remember the name of the town or village he was born in.

The ashen chinchilla smiled at his own answer to where he lived; to him, he got through a forest all by himself and it was a big accomplishment. "I guess I do live here now. I don't want to go back home." Nightingale admitted with a shrug of his shoulders as he waited for his friend to walk again. "You haven't lived here long? Are you from another town like me?" He asked with a happy smile, almost forgetting he had another question to ask, he didn't want to get ahead of himself and he tried to calm himself down.

"Oh! um...what's grey rank?" The Minccino questioned as he looked around absentmindedly. It seemed as though she couldn't disappoint him as he had no clue what it meant to be a grey rank. But he pieced together from the context that she spoke that she didn't get out much to see the world. His gaze looked over the town, taking in everything before he turned to look back at his new friend if he could even call her that. He aimlessly walked ahead of her now, taking the lead and walking in any direction. Darcy said it was south but who knew where that was, he just continued down the path she started to walk as he looked back to talk to her. "Is it bad? You don't seem like a bad Pokemon." he admitted as he turned around, walking on all fours and waiting a couple feet ahead of her. His tail swishing from side to side as he waited for his answers. His childlike wonder kept him asking questions, wanting to know more. It could get annoying after a while and he somewhat knew that so he kept his barrage of inquiry to a minimum.

"Awww...  Thank you...  It's nice to meet you too," Darcy said after being complimented like that, smiling a little and swishing her tail back and forth.  She didn't think that she was strong or smart, but it was still nice to see that Nightingale was so excited to talk with her...  And he seemed like an interesting Pokemon too, having come here from so far away!  She wondered what Post Town was like...  She had never even heard of it before.  She wondered why he didn't want to go back...  But at least he seemed happy about living here.

She opened her mouth to answer his first question, but was almost immediately met by a second one, asking about her team's rank.  "O-oh!  Grey rank doesn't mean I'm in trouble or anything like that," Darcy said, bounding forward to catch up with Nightingale.  "It's the rank that all teams start out as.  It just means that I don't have all that much practice yet.  We're going to rank up soon!  I think..."

She found herself blushing again, and looked away from him as she tried to change the subject.  "Umm, anyway...  I'm not from very far away.  My family lives outside of town, but it's still just a few hours from here.  It's been really fun to actually live here though."

She kept walking as she spoke, turning south onto a wider road made of cobblestone.  It was less crowded than the markets were, and the buildings were spaced farther apart, leaving the sides of the path full of greenery and tall trees that covered the two of them in refreshingly cool shade.  If she stood on her toes, she could just barely catch sight of the town's southern gates off in the distance, and the grassy fields beyond them...  Flashing a tiny smile, Darcy took a moment to stretch out her body, then looked over at Nightingale.  "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why are you going to Pecha Forest?  Just out for a walk?  The Pecha trees usually start flowering at around this time of year, so it's really pretty," she said.  Perhaps he could use an escort?  The forests around town could be a little dangerous, and helping Pokemon was her job as a guild member, even if she didn't expect to be paid for it.  Having something to do would be payment enough for her on a day like this.

Her question made his ears twitch and a grin grew on his face, the look held that of a Pokemon who was happy someone asked about their life. "I'm going on an adventure!" He stated boldly, standing on his back two legs and puffing out his chest to make himself seem bigger and tougher than he really was. His grin shifting to an embarrassed look as his cheeks flushed crimson red as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I mean. I am just trying to gather berries to sell them for some Poke'. I'll save a few to eat, though." He closed his eyes in pride as he got back on all fours; opening his eyes to look at his new friend. "I'm not strong enough to leave the forest, and the Pokemon who live in the forest leave me alone if I run fast enough." He seemed to go back to his normal look of wide-eyed chinchilla with a small smile ready to bloom on his face.

"I mean, It's nothing compared to what you must do with the guild, but it's all I can really do." For his age, he seemed to either know his limits or seemed to be a little bit too hard on himself, maybe the former as his bubbly attitude seemed to not show any sign of him being down on himself.

His tail stopped moving from side to side as the smile faded from his face, his eyes looking at Darcy, almost looking through her. He perked up again and spoke. "Hey!" the ashen chinchilla spoke almost yelling before he continued. "Do you want to help me?! I don't have Poke' but you can keep what you can hold! Plus, you know the forest better than I do." He seemed to stop speaking looking off to the left to mumble a "Does the forest act like those mystery dungeons?" not looking for an answer to the question he thought aloud he looked back at Darcy and waited for an answer; it seemed he was excited again as his tail moved back and forth happily slowing down as Nightingale didn't like waiting and seemed a little embarrassed asking for help. "You don't have to come if you're busy, though, I understand."

It took a good look in the sun that beat down on him but Nightingale seemed to look like a drifter; if it wasn't for the fact he cleaned himself out of habit because he was a Minccino he would look much worse right now, his tail is covered in dust and some mud and his paws coated in dry mud as well. His body and face, however, seemed to be clean as a whistle. Some puzzle pieces came together that he didn't have a place to live but still managed to look at least a little bit normal and smile happily. "So? What'd'ya say? "

"An adventure?" Darcy said, giggling a little as Nightingale explained his intentions. Her voice and laughter weren't derisive, though. She knew the appeal of exploring the forests around town. And it was how most novice guildmembers trained, too. He didn't need to be hard on himself, thinking that Pokemon who worked at the guild were so much better than him...

She was about to tell him so, but was interrupted by his sudden shout. Her ears perked up as he continued to speak, and she couldn't help but grin as he asked her to come with him. "Yeah! I'd love to! I was thinking of asking to come along anyway..." she said, kneading the ground with her paws. She wasn't quite sure that he needed any help, truthfully... He looked like the rough-and-tumble sort. But that didn't mean it wouldn't be fun to go together. Quite the opposite, actually, since he seemed to have such a passion for exploring...

Something clicked inside of Darcy's mind and she froze in place. Her grin steadily grew wider, and her tail began swishing back and forth in earnest, like a wonderful idea had just struck her. "Umm... Nightingale... You said that you want to go on an adventure, right..?" she said, her voice suddenly a hushed whisper as she took a step closer. "This is more like the kind of thing that the guild does, but... This morning, I heard a rumor about a secret place hidden in one of these forests. And I think I know how to find it."

She sat down in front of him, doing her best to contain her excitement. "My friends said that they found something behind a waterfall in Shadowhue Forest. They thought it was a cave at first, but when they got close, the walls and the floor looked too smooth to be natural. They think that it must be some kind of ancient ruins. None of them have gone inside yet, and they aren't sure when they'll have time, so I wanted to go explore it myself, but, um... I've been too scared to go alone... With you there, though, maybe we could find something really exciting! Would you, um, maybe go with me..?"

She finished speaking, tilting her head and kneaded the ground with her paws even more eagerly as she waited for a response. Perhaps it was foolish of her, trying to drag a stranger like Nightingale along on an adventure like this, but at the same time she didn't want to pass up such an opportunity... If anyone would be willing to come with her, it would be someone like him, right? It was worth asking...

He was happy to hear her acceptance but when Darcy brought up the idea of the going with her to a secret place the guild found out. His eyes widened and he nodded happily. "You're letting me come along with you? I'd love to! The Shadowhue Forest..." he continued for a second, trailing off for a bit as he thought about where the forest was and what he could find deeper inside of it. Sure, it was an unnatural cave but there should be an explanation behind why it was there. His grey eyes looking over his friend. "Should we bring some supplies or would it be better to go in empty handed and live off what we find?" His head tilted to the side in confusion, his mannerisms make him look more like a Pidgy or Chatot with the way his head tilts when he asks questions.

He was leaving everything to the guild member who had at least a little more experience than he did. He did have a makeshift bag that hung around his body but it could hold little more than one or two items before nothing more could fit into it. "Do we need to buy anything? I mean, I have up to four hundred Poke' to spend..." he admitted with a blush tainting his ashen cheeks; somewhat visible under the fur of his face. "Oh, and, thank you. For inviting me and telling me about this!" His toothy smile illuminating his face as he closed his eyes in happiness, his tail swishing from side to side happily.

"Oh now you got me excited! Are we going today, or should we have a day to prepare?" He was asking a lot of questions again, they were somewhat valid but he didn't want to wait. But it was up to Darcy because she knew where this place was and she was the leader of this tiny group; Nightingale preferring to let Darcy make almost all the decisions, only adding his input when she asked or speaking up when he felt it was needed. He sat down on his hindquarters and waited for Darcy to answer his questions; his tail kicking up some dust and somewhat unintentionally cleaning the ground around him.

Darcy let out a sigh of relief.  He wanted to come along after all!  "I should be the one thanking you..." she said with a breathless laugh.  This was wonderful...  Nightingale seemed so enthusiastic, too.  He was asking an awful lot of questions, but they were all good ones.  Darcy stood to her feet and nodded eagerly, thinking back to her training at the guild.  This was a perfect chance to practice leading a team.

"I think that I have enough supplies for both of us.  I just finished shopping before I bumped into you!" she said while unslinging her bag with her teeth and setting it on the ground between the two of them.  She pulled it open and rooted around inside, eventually retrieving a small, light-brown wooden case which she put on the ground as well.  She undid the clasp keeping it shut and pulled the lid open, revealing a colorful array of berries and seeds.  Blue, round berries filled one of the box's partitions while bumpy yellow ones filled up another.  There were only two seeds in the box, but they were both carefully tucked away in their own section of the case, as if to make sure they would never be crushed by accident.

"You know what oran berries are, right?  You can hold on to a couple of them," Darcy said, sitting down again and giving Nightingale a nod.  "They're really good as a pain reliever, and they help your body heal faster, too, in case you get hurt...

"And I also think you should hold on to one of these.  They're 'blast seeds'," she said while poking at the seeds with a paw.  "If you bite down on one, it'll let you breathe fire for a little while!  You can use them to start campfires and stuff like that, but...  Well, if we're going to Shadowhue, I think it would be a good idea for both of us to have one on hand, just in case..."

She looked down at the ground, feeling a little awkward once again.  How should she explain this...  "Shadowhue Forest is bigger and easier to get lost in than Pecha Forest...  It's also a lot darker.  So, um, sometimes shady Pokemon who are up to no good choose to live there...  It's why I didn't want to go by myself," she said, her tail sweeping back and forth nervously.  "We still have a lot of daylight left, though, so I think we'll be alright as long as we're careful.  Are you okay with all of that..?"

He looked over the items, Oran berries, Blast Seeds, his eyes went wide with excitement as he held the seed in one paw, carefully placing it in his bag as he gently placed the blue oran berry on top of it. "There we go!~" He announced with a happy tone of voice before he looked at Darcy with a look of concern. "Um, these blast seeds. I don't think it is smart to eat them...I mean, I guess they help but couldn't I just throw it to burn enemies? I don't like spicy things." He admitted with a chuckle, stopping to listen to his friend, ears slowly pressing down on his head and his tail's wagging slowing down to a halt.

"Wait...shady Pokemon?" His voice almost quivering, it seems the darkness didn't phase him and it was more of the bad Pokemon that lived there that seemed to scare him. But with a frown and a stern look on his face he spoke. "Let's try and avoid them, but if they want to hurt us then let's stop running and fight back." The Minccino stated, almost serious. His happy tone of voice seemed to disappear as he got more serious. He seemed to drop all the questions and completely change personalities. But it didn't take long before his tail started to swish from side to side as he laughed. "Besides, if it gets too dark we can just run and hide from them if need be." His old self had seemed to come back full force; it seemed he could be a force to be reckoned with...if he was stronger. But for now he helped his friends and didn't like to fight.

"Oh, right!  You can throw it, too.  That's just hard for me since I don't have hands, I guess..." Darcy said, giggling as she packed the berries up and put them back into her bag.  It would sure be nice if she could throw hers too...  She had never actually had to use a blast seed before, but she imagined it must hurt a little to bite down on one, even if everyone at the guild assured her that it was safe...

She was broken out of her thoughts by Nightingale's quivering voice, though...  Had she scared him?  She glanced back up at the Minccino, but no, he didn't exactly seem scared...  Not anymore, at least.  He seemed...  Determined.  Or serious.  Darcy couldn't help but smile a little at his sudden change of attitude.  If there was anyone she wanted to go on an adventure with, it was someone like him...  "Yeah.  I would rather run away than fight anyone, too..." she said while putting her bag around her shoulder and walking forward once again.  "But we proooobably won't run into anyone mean.  Not during the day, at least.  I just wanted to be careful is all."

With that last bit of business taken care of, she took a deep breath and grinned as she trained her eyes on the road ahead of them.  They weren't too far from the gates now.  These were the southern gates, though, so they would have to walk through the fields outside of town for a while before they would get to Shadowhue...  But that didn't bother her.  She grinned as she pranced forward, another rush of excitement flowing through her body.  "What do you think we'll find inside, Gale?  I wonder if we'll be the first Pokemon to ever explore this place!  Ohhhhh, I hope we find treasure, or something special like that...  Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

She turned to face him, absolutely beaming.  "Thank you so much for coming along.  It, um...  It means a lot to me.  I finally feel like a real guildmember, trying to shed light on something mysterious like this...  I, ummm...  I really appreciate it."

As Darcy took the lead Nightingale couldn't help but let out a laugh as he tried to keep pace with her. The nickname seemed to catch him off guard, however, and how she thanked him seemed to embarrass "Huh? Oh, there's no need to thank me. Thank you for inviting me, Darcy. It's pretty cool to go somewhere that isn't the Pecha Forest." His ash grey cheeks had a sanguine tint to them as he continued to walk with Darcy, keeping pace as he answered her question. "I don't know what to expect, to be honest. I think it might just be a shortcut to a town or something. But maybe they're hiding some treasure inside! After all, it isn't a natural cave. It must have been dug for some reason." His thought process was somewhat on the money, why would a Pokemon build a cave? Maybe to hide something away or just to get from one place to another with ease. His mind raced with every possibility, maybe it was dug out to be a home for the bad Pokemon that only come out at night.

"So, why did you join the guild?" Nightingale seemed to want to know more about Darcy as they traveled to the Shadowhue Forest. "I mean, I would like to join a guild. But I'm not so good with the idea of having to follow a schedule with wake-up times and eating at certain times. It's all so weird, at least to me." The Minccino admitted, confiding in the Skitty next to him some of his secrets, they were not huge but they did seem to mean something to him. And he figured he might as well open up to this Pokemon if he is not only going to trust them with bringing them into The Shadowhue Forest but also they are helping him as much as they possibly can. If they do find something worthwhile he would have to personally thank them from the bottom of his heart...once they go back to Grassveil at least.

The sun overhead seemed to warm his back as Nightingale ran with Skitty, some leafs underfoot from the fall and winter, a somewhat cold chill in the air when the wind blew, but the warm sun keeping it at a nice pleasant temperature. The sun shined so as the forest seemed to come to life, the Pokemon inside singing and making the whole experience that much more special to Nightingale. This was his first real adventure and he was excited; his heart was beating a mile a minute and he couldn't keep still even if he wanted too. He was somewhat happy that they were running because it let him blow off all his extra energy he had.

Then a thought hit him; what if there was treasure? How would they split it? Would they leave it there? He knew it did belong to those who found it first but if she was with the guild would she give it all to the guild? He seemed to ponder this for only a second or who before he came to the conclusion without asking, that Darcy would be fine with anything; be it leaving the treasure there for the next group of explorers; or taking it and splitting it halfway with him.

Darcy nodded as Nightingale explained how he felt about the guild.  She had found it difficult to get used to all of those things, too, and she imagined it would be even worse for someone like him who seemed so independent...  And mysterious.  She wanted to ask him a few of her own questions, like where he lived, and why he had come to town...  But she didn't want to pry so soon after meeting him.

"Um...  I joined the guild to help out my family," she said with a shy smile as she trotted along, deciding to confide some of her own secrets as well.  "My mom got hurt about a month ago and she hasn't been able to work, so...  I wanted to make things a little easier for everyone.  That's why I came here and asked if they'd let me sign up as an apprentice.  I've always liked the idea of helping Pokemon and meeting lots of new people...  I think I might stay here even once my mom is better again."

She smiled wider as she looked over at Nightingale, her voice less shy and a little more confident.  "I had a really hard time here at first.  But I think I'm finally getting the hang of being a guildmember.  So you can count on me!  I promise!"

With that, the two of them passed through the wooden gates that marked the exit of Grassveil Town, the cobblestone road beneath their feet fading into a large dirt path...  And they found themselves surrounded on all sides by the vast, grassy meadows and hills that gave the town its name.  Darcy's breath caught in her throat as she gazed at her surroundings with wonder.  She had been through this gate before, but today, the enormous, sunlight-bathed fields made her feel even more excited than usual.  It all seemed so picturesque for the sort of adventure she and Nightingale were about to embark on...

"Shadowhue is to the east of town, so...  This way!" Darcy said breathlessly as she headed off of the path and into the grass on their left.  She glanced at Nightingale over her shoulder, giving him a playful smile and giggling a little.  "Want to race?  I bet I can beat you there!" she said as she picked up her pace, hoping that he'd play along...

It seemed at though the bait had worked, he shifted from his caring smile to a devilish grin as he laughed. "You'll beat me? I mean, you know where you're going. But I could beat you any day!" He announced boldly, accepting her request but bringing up a point that she knew where the cave was, and knowing him, he would just run right past it. Or maybe he was just trying to back out of the race. But he caught up to her after he sped up a bit. "But that's fine if I am too far ahead just yell and I'll stop." He nodded matter of factly. His tail bounced with each step and he looked at Darcy. "Besides, I'm naturally faster because I'm smaller...but not by much." He stated, taking a jab at how they are both small but he is even smaller. As he looked at the woman he let out a quiet exhale, almost sighing, his smile not fading. "I moved here from Post Town, as you know. My mom and dad didn't really approve of me leaving, I bet they wish I stayed."

His gaze was shifting from the path in front of them to just staring as if he was deep in a daydream. "But, I didn't. I wanted to explore and see the world for what it was...but I'm still a little too inexperienced to join a guild. That and I don't really like the whole schedule type thing that members are forced to follow. But I told you that too." He repeated and shifted his gaze towards Darcy. His expression seemed emotionless but his voice had a tone of some Pokemon who cared a lot. "Your mom, is she alright?"

Every step he took seemed to make the question linger in the air; it seemed like he may have made Darcy uncomfortable. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" He added in quickly. The time between asking and him adding that in was only a second but to him, time seemed to stop and it made him much more uncomfortable. "I just want to make sure that you're okay. It's hard enough to live by yourself, but to care for someone..." His voice seemed to trail off and his ears pressed against his head.

Trying to change the subject his ears perked up and he looked at her. "So, Darcy? Do you like to sing? Or listen to stories?" His ears slowly perking back up as his smile grew once again. It seemed nothing could keep this little Pokemon down. He smiled a lot, sure, but was that a bad thing? He was just happy to be able to go on an actual adventure with some other Pokemon that isn't himself.