Wherein Prudence Needs Some Training
"…Thank you, Prue!"
Prudence took great delight in the fact that she had made an acquaintance in Robin, face demonstrating her enthusiasm as she took one last good look at the pair. The new nickname also hung in the air, instilling a new sense of wonder in the young woman.
"Prue sounds… amazing!" she chirped, eyes twinkling with wonder. "Now that I definitely have to tell my parents! They'll love this new nickname. Right, Toto?"
The quadruped refused to budge, catching up on lost slumber.
But it was a short one at best, Lusamine's voice soon breaking his nap.
"The time has come to depart, yes? Take a look at your Pokedexes! There's a town map, detailing each of the routes." Out of curiosity, Prudence peeked at her Pokedex, confirming Lusamine's claims. "Let's start with Route 2, yes?"
"Y-yes!"
Her Mudkip made an appearance, head popping out of her string bag in response to the ruckus around. "Kip."
Prudence cocked her head to the side upon his small voice, an endearing smile escaping her lips. "Are you excited? Ready to meet new friends and maaaaaaybe train and stuff? Because I am!" But all she succeeded to do was vex the poor creature, who simply didn't carry a single care in the world. He simply wanted to sleep the rest of his life away.
"Iiiiiiiiiiip," he complained, voice husky.
"Well, that didn't sound too cheery now… are you still tired? Oh! Hahaha, here I am again interrupting your nap, right?" she sheepishly replied, face reddening from shame. "Eh, how about I snatch you up a companion? You can choose? Like-Oh, um." Toto had retreated to the lair, refusing to cooperate with his trainer any longer. "Well… that works too, haha. Well! You can sleep away, go ahead, can't let anything bother me juuuust yet! Journey just started after all-Ow ow ow," she yelped upon her partner's sudden kick to the side, emanating from the string bag. "Okay okay, I'll be quiet nooooow."
Trainers began to make their way onto the route, their partners in hand, Robin amongst them. However, before following the crowd, Prudence collected her new batch of empty Pokeballs from the staff.
"Thank you! Have a good day sir!" she would greet the staff, only to giggle upon realizing her mistake. "Oh, uh, I mean, I say thank you for the Pokeballs I'm about to get because, you know, I didn't get them yet? Hahaha… um. Yep! Again, good day!"
Her trip into the route was short and uneventful, filled with ideas as to how to coax her new partner out of the bag without annoying him. Nothing came up, though.
The city gave way into the route, the swaying grass, smell of the glistening sea, and refreshing wind a good start to Prudence's journey. If anything, it only encouraged her more. Its scenery reminded her of her childhood trips her family would embark on to discover more of Hoenn. Whether it was getting stuck in brown muck, experiencing stomach cramps in response to horrid fast-food goodies, car sickness, or simply the whistling of the trees, the company of many within the outskirts of cities were where her best memories formed.
Knots formed as she began to feel skittish, not knowing how to go about training her Toto as her eyes gazed upon the entrance of the route. "So… is it okay if I ask you to train with me? Gotta start somewhere, right?"
"…iiiiiiip."
"How about you help me catch a Pokémon?" Prudence insisted, sliding her bag off her back and on to her sight. "Then I can let you sleep as long as you want?" The idea was tempting to the creature, who began to rustle inside the bag. "As looooong as your heart desires-"
Without hesitation, he sprung out, yet his eyes appear to conflict with his show of enthusiasm. "Kip," he forced out, determined to get his desired rest with eyes half open.
"Awesome! Alright, let's go… oh? I mean," she paused, watching as her partner began to jump into the route's grasslands, impatient to get the mission finished. "…I can work with that, let's get it done quick!"
Toto leaped and bounded, his sudden burst of energy surprising his trainer. This made her realize he carried the potential to succeed quickly, yet… he seems to prefer his slumber. There's nothing wrong with that, nothing at all! But how will she go about befriending him?
A pang of guilt surged inside of her, seeing as how she found herself bribing Mudkip out into the open instead of letting him do it when he wanted to. "Actually, how about I just let you rest a bit and-"
"BUN?!" Oh shoot, it was a Buneary!
Her Mudkip had been rummaging through the grass, its plants tall enough to engulf the blue quadruped out of sight. The rabbit's lone ear gave it away, twitching upon the sound of an approaching opponent.
It leaped out of Mudkip's sneak attack, briskly landing behind its new opponent. Toto remained in place, its head swiveling towards Prudence, awaiting a command with a stern look.
"O-oh! You're waiting for me?!" she blurted out, surprised by Toto's sudden change of heart. He was no longer taking charge, now giving the control over to his trainer. However, her reaction was slow, and the rabbit swiftly fled the area, causing Toto to groan in displeasure. "W-wait! No! Sorry, come back!" she panicked, nearly tripping over her own feet.
After a few hurried steps, she halted, not wanting to abandon her partner, who was stuck in place. Prudence turned awkwardly, bashful as her teeth sucked in air upon seeing her partner's unsympathetic gaze.
"No problem," she began, swaying back and forth with hands that clapped every second to prevent the silence from taking over. "We have… that one!" Her hand pointed at an unsuspecting Drowzee. It grew curious upon her signaling, courageously approaching the two.
Toto leaped, turning itself around and facing his second victim. His front body lowered, adorable back limbs and fin sticking up like a dog ready to pounce.
"Okay okay, um… what moves do you know? Ooooo I should have asked or something, right? Ah, uh!" Distressed, she began to scour her mind for any possible move her water-type Mudkip could know right off the bat.
"…kiiiiiip?!"
She blurted out the first move that popped in her mind. "Water Gun!"
Finally given a command, Toto straightened his pose and allowed his cheeks to pop out as they filled with water. The Drowzee continued to approach, hands pushing aside the tall strands of grass blocking its way. When it took its next step, Toto released a stream of water, catching it off guard.
Unprepared, it was propelled feet away, startled by the show of aggression. Aware of Prudence's intentions, its body posture dramatically changes, no longer open for communication.
"Er, what's another move?" she mumbled, eyes shifting between Toto and the Drowzee. Toto remained in place, showing his impatience through the wag of his tailfin as the enemy closed their eyes. This worried the Mudkip. "Oh! Tackle! Go!" And Mudkip sprinted off his position, but mere moments before impact, his body stopped in its tracks.
Both Drowzee and Mudkip were outlined by a purple aura, sending Toto slamming to the ground beneath with a single swipe of its hand.
Prudence panicked, mind blank as she tried to think of how to counterattack. "W-wait, no-Ack, that looked like it hurt… how about-wait, there he goes again… tackle with-Ouch." The Drowzee continued with its onslaught, ramming the Mudkip against the ground in rage.
"Okay okay that's enough! I think you won, we get it!" Prudence shrieked, dashing into the battle. The Drowzee flinched, halting its assault upon her approach. While she dropped to her knees and tended to her wounded partner, the wild Drowzee fled the scene.
Shit, she didn't go to the PokeMart. The very thought didn't cross her mind, and here she is holding a friend who needs a potion. "Don't worry, I'll take you to heal veeery quick, just watch," she reassured, holding her partner close. However, he thought otherwise despite the bruises and hobbling.
Disgruntled, Toto slipped away from Prudence and into the grass, unwilling to heal himself. She followed him, worried as to what other foe he may encounter.
It didn't take long for him to come across another wild creature, worrying Prudence. Aware of his condition, she advanced towards him, attempting to convince him towards safety. "Forget about the deal thing I said a while back. You can rest for now, okay? I know you got a big beating just now and… well, it really looked like it hurt, and I don't want you to-Oh why do you do this," she moaned near the end, seeing him initiate a battle with… a Pikipek. It was feasting on a berry, hungrily devouring its contents.
"It didn't see you, let's go now!" Prudence whispered out, legs wanting to buckle.
"Kip," he protested, refusing to budge from its fighting stance. Prudence gave an anxious glance towards the bird, who glimpsed at them in return. "Mud?" Toto questioned, awaiting a command.
The Pikipek was soon joined by a flock of its kind, who began to hover around them, alert. Within that second, both Prudence and Toto gaped at the scene.
While Prudence froze in astonishment, Toto quickly gave up and leaped back into his trainer's bag. He wasn't going to deal with an unfair match, aware that fighting more than one was impossible.
"Y-yeah, let's um… yeah let's go," she mumbled, slowly leaving the vicinity. The Pikipek tilted its head, hopping closer to Prudence. "Hey there! Sorry to bother you, hahaha… I was about to actually heal up my partner here." The small chat only enticed the bird to come closer, yet Prudence equally distanced herself away whenever it would.
Suddenly, the flock of birds began to dive down, beaks reflecting back the sun's strong rays. With a yelp, Prudence make a dash back to Hau'oli City, a trail of birds flocking behind her. Meanwhile, Toto hummed iiiIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIiiip inside her bag, the sudden fluctuations in his voice created by the bag's rough movement.
"Wait a second," she murmured under her panting, suddenly recalling the events that just transpired. "I could... have used the Pokedex to search up your moves! And other stuff!"
"...IIIIIIIIIIP."
"Sorry!"
Prudence Flowers
Route 2
Route 2
