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"This one is a bit far from my station and where I live, but I try to make it up here at least once a week," Ed told the other trainer.

Odin darted off to one of the trees and came back carrying a stick, which he dropped at Essa's feet, completely ignoring Ed.

Odin raced after the stick, determined to catch it and bring it back!

Ed watched, wheels begining to turn in his mind. He didn't say anything about what he was thinking yet, he would see how the day played out. "Why don't you go ahead and play with him for today? You kids have a lot more energy than I do," Ed suggested.

That hot dog stand a few yards away smelled delicious. Hm, was it close enough to lunch time to justify buying one? Oh, who was he kidding? "You want a hot dog?"

Ed shook his head fondly as the energetic trainer played with the pup. "Two with the works, no mustard on one, no onions on the other," Ed asked the vendor. He took the delicious smelling dogs and found a bench. Meanwhile, his puppy had eagerly dove straight into the water after the stick. For a fire type, the puppy didn't seem to mind water much. Ed laughed outright as Odin dropped the stick at the girl's feet and proceeded to shake. His fluffy ruff and tail held a ridiculous amount of water.

Odin promptly took advantage of his new elevation and licked a stripe straight up the middle of Essa's face.

Over on the bench, Ed watched and took a nice big bite out of his hot dog. The puppies were getting along.

Odin didn't wait for permission. As Essa's hand dipped just that little bit lower, he leaped up and slurped the last bite right out of her hand. Ed just shook his head ruefully. "I've yet to find anything that disagrees with him, though like all dog-types, keep him away from chocolate. Other than that, if you can eat it, he can probably eat it too. And if you don't eat it fast enough, he'll help." Odin licked his muzzle and sniffed around hopefully, looking for possible dropped food.

"He's ten pounds of mischief in a five pound bag," Ed told the girl, with a mildly amused look. "He does whatever he thinks he can get away with. His mother has a stubborn cuss streak too, though she buckles down just fine when it's time to work. He might grow out of it some, but there's no telling right now." Odin gave up looking for dropped food and flopped over to lay on Essa's feet.

"Well, not every dog can be a police dog. Some are better suited for other things," Ed said reasonably. "I've seen show dogs that it would be downright criminal to try to make police dogs, and nice sweet companion dogs that would never be able to take down a fleeing suspect. Odin just has too much energy and mischief to go for K9 training. It's not about being good enough, it's about personality. With his energy, he might be able to make it to the Pokemon League with the right trainer. He's a good dog, just not a good police dog," Ed told Essa.

Ed watched the girl's hands stroke Odin, longing clear in her features. Odin seemed to get along with her well, and she clearly was already falling in love with the puppy. Ed gathered the trash from their hot dogs. "Drop me a post card when he gets his first badge, okay?" Ed said, and sauntered off. On the bench where he had been sitting sat a shiny red pokeball with Odin's name etched into the top.