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Flora gratefully accepted the winnings, and watched as David left. The Dragon-type Elite Four was certainly someone worth befriending as well as fearing. However, as Ray walked up to him, he jolted back into attention. Of course, he had plans to teach the new group of trainers how to catch new pokemon to add to their team. Ray seemed to be a severely outgoing trainer, which Flora appreciated. Being incredibly eager to learn only helped Flora do his job.

"Of course!" Flora confirmed loudly with a nod. "We'll be moving onto route 1, so I can teach you all how to catch pokemon! I suggest that before catching a pokemon, you all consider how the pokemon will factor into your team. Some people work better with a team of different types--while others have a team consisting of only one type." Flora told the new trainers, withdrawing Buster with relative ease. Flora moved to leave the small clearing. The Route 1 Entrance was nearby.

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[i]"WAIIIT!"[/i]
A loud, feminine voice called out. A short, pale-haired young woman in a large, flouncy coat hurried up to the group. A Treecko clung onto her shoulders. Unfortunately, the two seemed to be almost in tears. The female trainer slumped over--and it was clear that she had hurried to get o the location. "I'm Malia! I'm also a new trainer but I came late!" The girl cried out, sniffling. "I'm sorry! I was so scared when Professor Willow told me you all had left the lab!"

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[i]Sterling's One Weakness! A Crying Girl![/i]

Immediately, the pale-haired young man seemed distressed at Malia's crying. He never liked seeing girls cry. It hit a deep nerve in him, and he wasn't really sure why. Before Flora even made sense of the situation, Sterling was rushing forward to the young woman, putting his hand hesitantly on her shoulder. 

"It's okay! You're not late!" He quipped quickly, causing the brunette girl to peer up at him curiously. "New trainers can come in through the week! So, you're not really late. And you didn't lose us--we're right here! No one's mad at you." Sterling consoled her, and amazingly, her tears seemed to clear up as she looked at him.

Flora approached as well.

"Sterling is most certainly right!" The mentor stated clearly. "It's absolutely fine. We were just about to go to route 1, so you haven't missed much. I'll be sure to fill you in later."
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