Elio wouldn’t deny that he still hadn’t gotten used to Alola quite yet. He was still quite anxious, far too timid to try to make friends or even ask strangers for help or directions half the time. On some levels, it made sense - Kanto had been crawling with Rocket grunts for as long as he could remember. Living in Saffron City for his entire childhood, his mother scarcely let him leave the house, often terrified he’d get caught in the crossfire of the constant wars between the Rockets and Interpol. He knew her feelings on the matter - how she didn’t want him to become yet another child hero forced to take on things far too big for him to control.
At least, here, things seemed calmer. He’d made friends - both human and Pokemon, as the Torracat playfully nipping at his shoelaces reminded him. He laughed a small bit, giving his companion a little scratch behind the ears. He was much bigger now that he’d evolved, which he didn’t seem to have realized yet - his back was still sore from when he tried to climb up onto his shoulders to perch like he had as a Litten. It was a learning process for sure - not just for his Pokemon, but for himself as well. And of course, such things were tiring - which made it unsurprising he’d found himself tugged to the Malasada Shop again.
After making sure all his Pokemon had eaten and were accounted for, he walked out of the shop to the sights of the purple and orange-streaked dusk skies - as well as an unfamiliar voice calling out to him.
Looking up at the woman, he was slightly startled - he hadn’t been expecting to speak to anyone upon walking out of the door, and for a moment he was unsure of how to react. That was, until she mentioned Fluffy. That made sense, after all; he’d been approached by others wanting to pet his Pokemon before, and her comment was accurate as well. He took pride in the fact his Pokemon loved and trusted him, and it made him very happy to see that the depth of their bond was visible even to those they did not know. Despite his unfamiliarity, he offered her a gentle, if not slightly timid smile - he was always happy to talk about his cats, after all.
“Th-Thank you, miss! I appreciate the k-kind words! I-I’m sure F-Fluffy does too!” He looks down at his partner, who true to his words seems to be quite happy with himself. He’s always been a glutton for praise, after all. “Y-You can p-pet him if you want, I d-don’t think he’d mind.”
Behind the two of them, another one of Elio’s pokemon exits the cafe - an oddly colored Absol, seemingly holding a takeout bag in her mouth. She pauses for a moment, looking up at Lusamine. There’s an odd look in her eyes, one that’s quite hard to read.
She just... stares for a moment, before walking to sit beside her trainer. She seems... wary.
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