Alola Afternoon || Kukui + Reiko
royalmask:
Kukui grinned at the sight of the Empoleon. It wasn’t a Pokemon he got to see often in Alola. Plus being with Pokemon usually helped with confidence and were good to have around when you wiped out. Not that the current conditions were unsafe—the waves were relatively small, and the beach very rarely experienced dangerous currents. “’Course! The more the merrier, yeah?”
Steel-types made Nalu a little wary, but Empoleon’s water typing seemed to cancel out any fears he might have as he shuffled alongside the taller Pokemon, waddling inelegantly toward the water. The moment he was submerged up to his chest, however, Nalu disappeared in a flash and reappeared several feet ahead, arching up out of the water in a graceful leap. Not even ten minutes after his impromptu performance and he as already showing off again. “Lookin’ good, buddy!” he called as the Primarina resurfaced, flipping his long, flowing hair over his shoulder.
Kukui followed him into the water. It wasn’t warm, exactly, but after laying out on the hot sand it felt nice to finally get into the cooler waters. When he was waist-deep, he put the board down on the surface of the water and settled himself on top. “Let’s warm up here, help ya get a feel for the waves!” Practicing in the whitewater was less stressful than having an unbroken wave rolling at you, and more forgiving when you lost your balance.
“Just ride the waves, and when you feel ready, try doing a popup! When you do, remember to keep both hands on the board until your feet are in place, then keep your knees bent. And stay confident!” He gave a thumbs up and a big grin, before turning to look at the horizon.
The next wave was already rolling in, and Kukui maneuvered his board to face the shore, ready to try and catch his first—tiny—wave of the day. Nalu had returned to his side, gently paddling in anticipation.
“Yes, the more the merrier indeed.” Plus, she felt more comfortable with her Pokemon, especially Karo being her starter, and one of her Pokemon that she trusted easily. After all, they had been together for quite a long time, so it was only natural that she trusted the Empoleon so much. Then again, she was the only water type she had with her on hand (the Gastrodon in her PC said otherwise to her being the only water type she had).
She could sense that the Primarina was a bit nervous being around Karo, probably due to their types (hey, even if she wasn’t much of a battler, it didn’t mean she was ignorant of all the types). Still, the two of them seemed to be okay with each other as they entered the water, and she couldn’t help but laugh as the Primarina ended up showing off again. Then again, she had been like that before, and she knew a few of her Pokemon were like that as well (it seems that their trainer was rubbing off of them, or something like that).
Reiko follows the two water types, and the professor into the water. After having stood around in the sun for so long, it was nice to be in the cooler waters. Once she gets to be waist-deep in the water, she places the board down on the surface of the water as well, before climbing on to it. She listens to what the professor has to say, nodding in agreement. After all, it is better to start out small with these kinds of things.
At least this was a good place for her to be starting at. She hadn’t done this in years, and while she did have a better sense of balance than most people, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to fall more than likely. Still, she can’t help but return the grin, this was mostly about balance, but also confidence. She could do this. Hopefully.
She could see that there was another wave coming, but she might want to get used to this before attempting to stand up. So she lies on the board, waiting for the wave to come, Karo close but not too close.
