Jewel Walked down the dirt path kicking rocks as her growlithe rested in her hat. "Boom Da Boom Boom Da Da Da Boom Da Boom Da Lalalalalalaaaaa~" she sang making up sounds slowly she was bored and her Pokemon was asleep she sighed as there was no People around she could battle just a peaceful day. "Maybe this isn't so bad..I can enjoy this.." she said walking down the path as she heard her Pokemon snore she got out a macaroon and ate it kicking rocks once more.

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Lost. Was she lost? She had to be, but really, who could figure out where they were going surrounded by nothing but grass and trees! It all looked the same to Koko. Feeling defeated the girl let out a sigh and looked up to the bright blue sky, moving a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun and muttering to herself, "Least the weather's nice..."

With a shake of her head she attempted to shake her melancholy feelings away and take another step down the dirt path before her. She had been told by more than one of her family members that she'd never make it and of course Koko herself had her own doubts as well, most things she tried didn't end up working out. Will I really be alright by myself? She wondered as she glanced down at the red and white pokeball at her side. Well, I guess I'm -technically- not alone...

A small smile graced her features at that reassuring thought, prompting her to press onward with a renewed vigor. She however quickly found herself tripped up as she spotted a figure in the distance walking in the opposite direction as her. Stopped dead in her tracks, all she could really tell from here was that it was a girl. Is... That a trainer? If our eyes meet does that mean we have to fight?! Is that really the rule or did grandpa just make it up?! She groaned and shook her head as she panicked over this rather simple and normal encounter. Still agonizing over the possibilities in her head she stood dead center in the dirt road with her eyes closed tight, her body slightly hunched over, and her arms crossed over her chest, totally oblivious to the stranger's continued approach.

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~CALLING ALL TRAINERS ON YOUR TRAINERPODS~
A CAVE HAS BEEN DISCOVERED. AN ANCIENT CAVERN THAT CAN ONLY BE OPENED BY HAVING ALL 8 GYM BADGES AND A CHAMPION'S MEDAL! UNTOLD TREASURES ARE SAID TO BE INSIDE! GOOD LUCK TRAINERS! IT IS BEHIND THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!
~END OF TRANSMISSION~

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A frown formed across Koko's lips as she watched the girl deflate before her at Koko's lack of helpful knowledge. With several stops of hesitation along the way, Kokoro reached forward to pat the girl's shoulder much like she had done for herself not long ago. "I'm uh... Really sorry, that sounds rough." Being unsure of when it would be appropriate to remove her hand from Serah's shoulder she simply opted to leave it there. "You know... If you can read maps I do have one, it's uh... Not been much use to me so far..." As the girl metioned her continued travels the thought that she'd end up alone again crossed her mind, she hadn't even realized how relieved she had felt just talking with someone. It was something she didn't want to let just slip through her fingers and as her resolve hardened so did her grip on Serah's shoulder tighten. "Uh, you know it's safer to travel in a group! And you know, if you can read maps I've got one! It's a... Win-win situation, right?" Though she didn't want to come across as desperate desparation is indeed what she felt. If she wanted to take this whole 'trainer' thing seriously she'd have to find the professor as well, and right now this seemed like the most promising route for her. On her own Koko was always a failure, she had learned to rely on others early and was not afraid to do so, even now. "Uh... Please?" With that she casted her gaze up into Serah's eyes once more with her large, puppy-like blue eye.

'Dear goodness, that look... I literally can't say no to that.' Not that Serah was extremely opposed to a little company, but that expression was impossible to resist. As Kokoro probably intended, she was like a little lost puppy that needed guidance and attention. Being around Koko was not completely unpleasant and she was at the very least kind. Serah sighed and ruffled the other girl's hair with her hand as it left her shoulder. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll travel with ya for a while. But in return, ya gotta stop being so formal, alright? It's a bit off-putting. We're gonna be friends. It's not like I'm your granny or somethin'." She offered a smile this time before fishing around on her belt. Popping off a red-and-white ball that should be familiar to anyone alive in the world, she pressed the button in the center and let the Pokéball enlarge to full size. "If you're gonna be traveling with me, you should probably meet my little friend as well. Come on out, Louie!" She tossed the Pokéball above her head, letting it erupt into a burst of light, a red beam emitting from it and taking shape beside Serah. In but a second's time, a small and flat creature would be laying beside her. The strange and rather silly-looking brown blob would look up at Koko with a rather blank expression. He held his stare for a solid minute before his strange beak-like mouth would curl up in a smile, his eyes even seeming to shape into smiles themselves as he let out a rather bizzare-sounding cry. The exclamation point design on its back curled up as his tail went into the air and lightning bolt-shaped fins tucked into his body like a happy bird. Serah would laugh and crouch down to scratch under his chin. "This is Louie, my Stunfisk. He seems to already like you." The Stunfisk seemed to take great pleasure in the scratches, letting out a low, hummed version of its cry.

At the sensation of Serah's hand atop her head Koko closed her eyes and let her own hand fall away from the girl's shoulder and back to her side. It was a comforting sensation that, despite Serah's words, conjured up memories of Kokoro's time with her grandmother. Smiling and looking happy enough that she might cry her clear blue eyes shot open upon hearing Serah's agreeance to taking Koko along. "You got it Serah!" With a wide grin she wrapped her arms around the girl's torso without hesitation, "You'll be glad to have be along, I promise! I make some really good tea!" Pulling herself away she spent a moment to collect herself before looking curiously to the Pokéball Serah had pulled from her belt. The light show that followed was impressive to the young girl despite it's rather mundane nature to most. With heavy anticipation she waited for the light to clear to see what wondrous Pokémon would emerge!... What she saw however simply earned a slow, dumb blink from the girl. She tilted her head curiously at the odd creature that sat before her whose stare only matched her own. The creature was in no way elegant or even cool, but its appearance held an undeniable charm that Kokoro couldn't quite put her finger on. As Louie cried out and smiled Kokoro followed Serah's suit and leaned down as well to get a closer look at the Stunfisk. "Well! Nice to meet you Louie." After spending a moment to acquaint herself with Louie she reached back to her side and retrieved a Pokéball of her own.

With a press at the central button and a toss into the air Koko shouted, "Come on out Wally!" From the stream of light formed a floating orb surrounded by wispy purple gas that floated about shoulder height. "This is my Gastly, Waldstein."" The Gastly's gaze wandered lazily from Koko and over towards Serah, the mischievous glint in its eyes was undeniable but it seemed that it would behave for now. Kokoro gave a glance between Waldstein and Louie a few times before giving a small frown, "I can't scratch mine. No fair." Waldstein let out a cry in response to that, almost sounding a bit like a laugh as it began to wisp around in circles around the group.

Serah's eyes would widen with interest at the wispy creature with the mischievous glint in its eyes. "Gastly." She repeated. Before now, she'd never encountered a Ghost-type before. It interested her to say the very least. It would be more accurate to say that she was fascinated with it. "You're a pretty cool dude there, Waldstein. It's great to meet you. I'm sure Louie feels the same." Looking to her friend, she'd find that the opposite was in fact the truth. Louie was seriously unhappy with that creature floating around in the air so free. Without a command, he prepared and launched a Tackle attack, only to find himself going straight through the purple Pokémon. He tried it once more before Serah recalled him without warning, shrinking the Pokéball and putting it back on her belt. "I am so sorry. I have no idea what came over him. He's normally so carefree and relaxed. Super chill, y'know? He must not like Wally for some reason." Her expression was definitely confused. Louie had really only ever been kind to other Pokémon. The Sentret and Poliwags and even Diglets. The pieces weren't really fitting together as she tried to figure out what was up with him.

Kokoro's eyes widened as she watched the two Pokémon interact, she didn't seem particularly alarmed or upset. Waldstein seemed to feel quite the contrary as it cried and cackled at Louie's futile efforts, apparently finding the whole ordeal quite amusing. As the Stunfisk was recalled Koko raised a brow and scratched idly at her cheek, "Hm... Well I wouldn't worry too much about it, Wally doesn't seem to mind." Her head inclined slightly to the side as Waldstein floated gently down to the ground and willed his purple wispy smoke into the rough shape of a Stunfisk and started flopping about. "What a weird-o..." She shook her head and recalled Wally back to his ball before turning her focus back on Serah. "Well uh... Did you wanna see the map now or should we just get moving to find some place to rest? I'm not really sure how many more hours of daylight we have... And my legs are already pretty tired if I'm honest." A sigh passed through her lips as she reached to her pack and rummaged through it for some time before pulling out a plastic tube and popping it open. With a little convincing and a few smacks the old looking paper map slid free from its protective case and Koko handed it over in Serah's direction. "Here you go."

"Oh. Right, yeah. I'll figure this out." She muttered as she took the map from Koko. It was certainly not difficult to read at all and the fact that Koko was confused by it confused Serah a little bit, but she said nothing and turned around from where she was originally walking from. "I missed a fork in the road before. It looks like it'll take us to the nearest town. It shouldn't be more than a couple hours, I think... Yeah. Looks about right. Come on, then. Follow me." Serah turned around and motioned forward with two fingers for Kokoro to follow suit. This would begin the partnership of the two girls Serah and Kokoro as they head towards the town known as Ashen City for a night's reprieve...

" Hello hasonii " he said as he stepped of the boat and smiled as Ralts hold his hand he smiled at the little thing. " this is going to be our new home" he said as they walked towards the lab they would be meeting the professor getting pokeballs and starting the new journey to championship. He saw a girl on the road with a map on his brash packing he had forgotten to pack one. He smiled at ralts and approached the girl slowly "hey !!" he yelled as he tried to catch up to the girl " hey hi im Crimson and this is navi" he said as he finally catch up to her " sorry to bother you but I saw you have a map I forgot mind so would you mind if I ask where the professors lab is at " he said as he rubbed the back of his neck a bit embarrassed by the way he seemed like a noob trainer.

"Oh Nora, you silly little icicle! We gotta stay hidden if we don't want to get caught by that silly man in the uniform. We can't go wandering out into the open or our game will be up!" Hidden in the luggage storage compartment was probably one of the most dubious little girls in all of the Hasonii region with her poor little Snorunt tagging along for the ride. Blending in with the piles of oversized luggage other passengers tossed in without a second thought made it a cinch for the duo to never be spotted. Unfortunately for them, Maya was getting other plans.

"On the other hand, we have been down here an awfully long time. Maybe some fresh air won't do us too badly. Plus it'll be more fun with a sense of danger always around us." With a perky smile she leaped out from the piles of suitcases and dashed up the stairs, with poor Nora waddling behind in a sad attempt to catch up. After Nora struggled to climb up each step, she was snagged and pulled around a corner; and after squirming for a moment she heard a shushing noise that came from none other than her trainer. Maya was having the time of her life playing like a spy, sneaking around corners, ducking in and out of cover, and hiding from the invisible watchmen. While there may have been no one around, she was actually doing a surprisingly good job for a twelve year old as she hid from any possible sight.

After several dashes, rolls, and snaps to cover, eventually Nora wiggles free from Maya's grasp and begins to try and reach a door handle by jumping for it. The rotational-wheel handle was seemingly miles away from the poor Pokemon's reach and Maya felt bad for her, so she picked her up again and allowed the little stubs to turn the wheel and open the door for them. "Aw, thanks my little snow cone. I couldn't have done it without you!"

Stepping out from the dark storage area, the two emerged onto the deck, wide eyed at the beautiful sunshine and sparking water that surround Ashen City, which was growing closer with every passing second. "You see that Norra?" Maya looked down at the Snorunt who wiggle with delight at the thought of being on dry land. "In just a few minutes we are gonna gonna start our new journey together as soon as we meet the professor." With all of her energy being pent up for the short duration of a few seconds, she gleefully sprinted around the deck of the transport ship until they made port.

Literally as soon as the boat came within a few meters of the harbor, Maya, with Nora in hand, jumped off the bow of the ship with a loud battle cry as her high voice cut through the air. After making a perfect, graceful landing with an end pose as if she was an Olympian who did a successful High Bar routine, she walked off as proper as a princess. With one foot gracefully stepping in front of the other, a cute smile came across her face as she wandered into the port city.