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☆ ☆【 Bit by bit, Zane felt a sense of relief come over him as the distraction provided by Kukicha’s battling and theatrics and the bit of small talk helped the young girl calm down, offering a warm smile to her in return. He chuckled under his breath at her declaration at wanting to find a Fennekin, and that if they were almost as cute as ‘Teddy’ then she’d surely love them as she snuggled the little plush Teddiursa that he’d noticed her carrying around. Adorable… A part of him wondered if maybe ‘Teddy’ was something that she kept with her for emotional and moral support, as a kind of comfort toy to hold onto if she got scared or upset. He made a quick mental note of that, nodding and offering a soft smile at her comment of her mom saying that she shouldn’t be a bother to people but that she’d keep his advice in mind.

”Of course!” he agreed brightly, feeling content enough with just knowing that his suggestion was being taken to heart at least. Of course, there was still the situation going on around them that had to be taken care of first and foremost, and they’d have to catch up quickly with their blue-haired acquaintance as well. Taking off into a hurried run, Zane intentionally lagged just a bit behind the blonde-haired girl and Kukicha as they took off ahead to cover their rear and make sure nothing might try to sneak up behind them. Though it hardly took them long to find themselves in a bit of a different kind of predicament as the open path and the bright blue skies above became crowded with dense thickets, the bright sun shining from above now slightly blotted out by large clusters of leaves from the towering trees all around.

Being out in the Petalburg Woods was definitely far from the best kind of situation, especially since Zane wasn’t as familiar with the lay of the land here to know the fastest route out, and he couldn’t say for sure if either of his companions really knew either. But at least now, they could deal with this ongoing dilemma that they’d had on their hands without worrying about the sudden influx of agitated Pokemon being a bother to any nearby bystanders. And the brisk chill of the sudden cold snap that seemed to be moving along with them was now starting to fade away with the help of Kukicha and the blue-haired boy’s Sizzlipede as they slung fire attacks around here and there, bringing some much needed warmth and a sense of overall relief to the three kids.

The white-haired boy glanced over towards the blonde girl as she asked if anyone knew why these Ice-types kept appearing seemingly from out of nowhere, since it seemed they were still coming in even after they’d moved away from town and into the woods. ”Hmmmm… I can’t really say for sure… At least it seems like they’re taken care of easily enough by pretty strong attacks,” he hummed with a frown. Of course it was still really strange that they were showing up in an area that they weren’t exactly found in, almost as if they might be drawn in by something or someone in particular. And the fact that the Ice-types themselves seemed especially hyperfocused on their blue-haired companion and his Pokemon to the point that they paid virtually no attention to either of the other trainers or anything else in the area… maybe that was a telling sign.

Zane’s eyes slid over towards the aforementioned boy as he voiced his agreement with his comments on them sticking together, nodding his assent that they should be able to handle themselves well enough between the three of them. Though he couldn’t help cracking a small grin at the other boy’s statement of being relieved to have ‘competent companions’ near. ”You can say that again,” he chipped in with a small laugh. Though with the combined efforts of their Pokemon taking care of things for the most part, they had a bit more breathing room to think and try to sort things out in the meantime. ”That doesn’t sound like a half bad idea, ja. I don’t think we have any tents or equipment to actually set up a proper camp if we need to, but we can try to make do with what we can find,” Zane spoke up, humming thoughtfully as he cast a quick glance around their immediate surroundings, taking note of things like thick bushes and shady trees that could provide cover and any berries that they could use for food. ”I do have some food on me, and I can probably prepare a pretty decent meal with any ingredients we can find if we get hungry and can’t make it to a Pokecenter tonight.”

He furrowed his brows in thought at the mention of the blue-haired boy not knowing how large the woods were, so who knows how long they could be out here for in the meantime… ”Your guess is as good as mine, really. But if we came in from that way,” Zane gestured with a thumb roughly in the direction they’d come, ”I believe Rustboro is to the north, ja? So maybe if we continue going towards that general direction, we could find the other way out from there.” Probably might not be the most foolproof plan ever conceived, but it didn’t seem like either of the other two were any more familiar with the lay of the land in Hoenn than he himself was. And if need be… he could probably send Jaffa up ahead to scout out the general area from above and show them a rough idea of where to go if they got lost along the way. The blue-haired boy’s voice pulled him from falling too deep into his thoughts, suggesting that they should at least introduce themselves and saying his name was Uhroa.

”Uhroa…” the white-haired boy murmured, getting a good feel for the name and committing it to memory. It was certainly a very unique one that he hadn’t heard anywhere else, and pretty easy to remember. ”I’m Zane, it’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,” he returned back in kind, giving an amiable smile and a polite dip of his head to each of them. Even if they’d only met each other maybe about five minutes ago and were just starting to learn each other’s names, not that it’d been the most appropriate time beforehand all things considered, Zane couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort and relief wash over him. While he felt pretty confident that he could’ve tackled navigating through these woods and the overall Hoenn region alone if he really had to, it honestly felt much less daunting and a lot nicer with company along.

And in a strange way, he couldn’t help but feel like wanting to step in and be a kind of big brother-esque figure to these kids, even though they were likely about the same age as he was, currently at least. Though technically Zane himself was actually a young boy with the brain and mentality of a 20 year old adult… but for the sake of not wanting to alienate his new companions or risk coming off as, well, ‘completely ******** insane’… It was probably for the better to just not mention anything about his personal situation to them, not now… or ever for that matter.

Meanwhile, Kukicha held her own easily enough as she hovered close by, sweeping her thorny staff out and conjuring up another heated blast of wind with a shout, ”Zephyrus infernus!” Easily blowing away a pair of Slakoth that had jumped out of the bushes, glaring and and baring their claws at her, apparently quite agitated from their naptime was being interrupted by all the commotion going on. Hearing a rustle from nearby, Kukicha whirled around to face towards it as she brandished her staff with a daring snarl. ”Show thyself to me, fiend!” she called out with a challenging crow, spreading her legs out in anticipation of whatever might come jumping out at her next. Upon catching a squawking call and a flurry of beating wings and feathers, the Braixen quickly leapt to the side in time to avoid the incoming Tailow as it rocketed out from the brush with an almost uncanny burst of speed and nearly crashed into her on the way. Skidding to a stop as she dug her claws into the soft earth, Kukicha bared her teeth and pointed her staff at the bird as it started to bank upwards, either trying to run away or come around for an attack. ”Zephyrus infernus!” she roared out, the rolling gale of blazing hot air catching the bird handily and knocking it out right then and there as it fell back into the bushes below.

”Haha! Once again, the most glorious Violet Magi stands victorious!” Grinning broadly, the Braixen twirled her staff with an especially flashy flourish, turning to head back towards her trainer before the sight of something on the ground nearby caught her eye. Padding curiously over to it, she bent down to inspect the ground and saw what looked like a small bag of black cloth with some crudely made rope tied around it at the top. Seems it might’ve been attached to that Tailow that she’d knocked down for some reason, maybe it was full of valuables that the treacherous bird had tried to steal! Seizing hold of the bag using the rope still tied to it, Kukicha ran back towards her trainer with a bit of a bounce to her stride, clearly quite pleased with her accomplishment.

”Master! Master! The most fortuitous Violet Magi hath an offering thou might find quite pleasing!” she called out as she approached Zane with a grin, holding up the bag of stuff she’d found with a broad smile. ”Ah, you got something for me, Kicha?” The white-haired boy glanced at it curiously, reaching out to take the sack from her hands and opening it to see what was inside. Which, to his mild surprise, seemed to be full of an assortment of TM and TR disks and a pair of large-rimmed Wise Glasses, quite an interesting and unexpected find indeed... could be quite useful too. ”I retrieved it from the claws of a conniving feathered fiend that tried to make off with them, so I believe we’re well within rights to staketh claim on them if we so wish,” the Braixen affirmed with a nod, gleefully grinning from ear to ear.

”Well, I suppose there’s no harm in keeping these. At the very least we can make good use of them in the meantime. Here, Kicha, I think these might actually suit you pretty well,” he said, pulling out the Wise Glasses and handing them to her to wear as he tucked the disks into his TM case, figuring that the Braixen would appreciate having a bit of an extra boost to her ‘spells’. ”Go ahead and take a break from battling for now, Kicha. Might not be a bad idea to conserve your mana for in case we might need it later. Marzi, would you mind taking over from here?” The green-eyed Lopunny gave a nod, stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders as a brief warm up before stepping out onto the field, fists up and at the ready as she took on a fighting stance. Kukicha, on the other hand, pouted as she watched Marzipan go out to take her place, a bit disappointed at being withdrawn from the fight when she was really getting into it but otherwise didn't argue. She supposed her master had a point, especially if they might require her aid later on if they couldn't make it out of these woods before nightfall. ”Hmph, very well! The most gracious Violet Magi will stand by at the ready in case she may be needed. Just speak thine name, and I shalt answer at once!” In the meantime, the Braixen figured she could still be of some use as she hovered close by, holding her still flaming staff aloft to continue providing warmth and light to the area around them. 】☆ ☆

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