Even all the way in Kalos she'd heard about him, he was apparently a master of Contests, given the title of the "Charmer" for the innate ability both he and his Pokemon possessed to woo the judges. What had specifically caught her attention about him, though, was the fact he designed his own outfits for both himself and his Pokemon. She needed that skill. Which was why she had just sent off a very official and important invitation to Ruby, inviting him to Kalos -- all expenses paid.
There was no need to spend a long time considering it. Kalos was a dream of his, and an all expenses paid trip there? That was even better! And he had been specifically sought out too!
So needless to say, he had sent a reply accepting the offer and the arrangements had begun...
Holding his bag secure, he stepped out of the airplane and onto the platform beginning the set of stairs. Overhead in the clear, vibrant sky, several unfamiliar bird pokemon flew and momentarily caught his attention.
Pulling in a deep breath of the Kalos regionsā fresh air, he smiled and then started to make his way down the staircase. He tried not to rush, but there was a definite swiftness to his movements, excited to get further into this new place and new experience.
As soon as he was able, he released his pokemon from their pokeballs and grabbed out one of his cameras. He looked around and shifted himself to the best position.
āNana, Zuzu, Coco, Ruru, Mimi, Lulu! This is Kalos! Isnāt it wonderful!? Weāre going to have so much fun here! Now, smile! I wanna record our first moments here!ā
āZuzu, straighten up and move closer to Nana, okay? Coco! Look over here, cutie!ā The camera clicked and flashed as he snapped dozens of pictures, happy with the composition.
Memories of their first Kalos wouldnāt be complete without a shot of him with his team of course, and so he picked the nearest suitable person (whoever seemed capable enough of taking a good photo) and asked them to take one for him. He moved among his pokemon and smiled as Lulu jumped up to his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.
The photo was taken and he retrieved his camera from the helpful stranger, giving them a handful of pokeblocks as thanks (Ā āTheyāre for the wonderful pokemon in your life! Theyāll love them, they were made by a professional!ā ).
Being in very high spirits, and followed by a fairly large team of pokemon, he was attracting many looks as he headed through the airport, but he took no notice of the attention for once. The place was bustling, and even though he was fascinated and excited by everything he saw, he made sure to keep an eye on his pokemon, he didnāt want any of them wandering off and getting lost after all (or worse, stolen).
He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and read it over, despite the fact he had the thing memorised by now. According to the plan, he would be met outside the airport and by a fountain featuring a milotic statue...
Zuzu and Ruru helped him collect his bags of luggage before they ventured out of the building, and he ended up carrying Coco since she kept trying to follow strangers around (her attraction to shiny objects was an endearing but painful thing). He didnāt once think of returning his team to their pokeballs, he didnāt want them to miss out on this.
āMimi, look!ā he said, grinning as he pointed out the fountain,Ā āMaybe one day thereāll be a statue of you somewhere in Hoenn like that! Itās so beautiful, dont you think?ā
Mimi gave a somewhat bashful nod and moved curiously closer to the stone imitation. She hadnāt met many other milotic before.
āOoh, thatās a brilliant shot!ā Ruby praised, gently setting Coco on the edge of the fountainās low wall,Ā āStay there a minute, Coco.ā
He took several photos of Mimi with her statue counterpart, she even managed to move to seem as if she had taken the stone figures place. When Ruby was satisifed, he sighed and smiled, sitting beside Coco while his other pokemon gathered around him.
āKeep an eye out for a girl like this okay, everyone?ā he instructed, showing them an image heād found of Serena. Once they made various sounds of agreement, he nodded and looked around too.
Excitement and mild nervousness twisted in his stomach, making his hands and feet feel as if they needed to be doing something. He kept himself seated on the short, stone barrier but his foot was bouncing and tapping while his fingers ran through Cocoās fur restlessly.
He almost couldnāt believe heād been given such an opportunity. Kalosian magazines were something he tried to keep up with, and so news ofĀ āSerena the performerā was something heād heard about for a while now. He was going to get the opportunity to design things for her, it was amazing!Ā
Of course, being the paranoid prepared person he was, heād thoroughly researched what he could of her and the whole situation (one couldnāt be too careful after all!), only relaxing and trusting the deal once he was sure it was no trick.
It would have been better to have Sapphire with him, especially if he had time to travel and explore Kalos, he was sure she would enjoy it, and traveling the regions was never as fun without her. Why hadnāt she wanted to come with him?Ā
His thoughts began to draw him inwards, his gaze becoming unfocused as his mind ticked along multiple tangents. It wasnāt until Coco gave a nip to his fingers that he tuned back in and realised his other pokemon were also trying to get his attention.
āHmm? Did you see her?ā
Approaching him now was Serena. He gently nudged Coco to move her back from him, standing up to greet his generous host. The girl looked as fashionable as expected and surprisingly friendly.
āSerena! Its nice to finally meet you!ā he said, moving forward and offering his hand,Ā āMy team and I are already enjoying Kalos so far! Do you think you could give us a bit of a tour on the way to the hotel?ā