Cass walked along Route Six on her way to Saffron City, Haunter had retreated into her shadow, due to the harsh sunlight. A lot had changed from her mother's day, she saw vehicles driving along the route to speed up peoples journeys. Though Cass did prefer to walk to her gigs, she could admit the comfort and speed of driving did appeal to her.

As she meandered along practicing her songs in her head, she caught sight of two trainers having a double battle. Their pokemon giving all they had to win and make their trainer proud.

I only have pokemon to stave off the wild ones on my walks, and to keep me company. Although I must admit, my darlings are my friends, and I could never be without them. The young singer thought to herself. About halfway through the route she stepped in something squishy. When she glanced down she noticed she had stepped on an Oran Berry. Cass rubbed her feet in the grass and would have continued on her way, if not for a wild Natu jumping out sqwaking at her.

"Was that berry yours little guy, I am so sorry. I wish I could replace it but I don't carry much with me." The Natu shook itself at the woman and charged in with it's beak. Cassandra jumped out of the way and grabbed the Pokemon at her belt.

"Zues, let's go, I need you. Use thunderbolt." Her Electabuzz popped out and released a zap of electrical discharge. When he saw his opponent Zues switched to battle mode. The Thunderbolt built up and as the little Natu used peck again, he was met with an arc of electricity. The psychic bird pokemon had no chance and fell to the ground. Cassandra recalled Zues and walked over to the little pokemon.

"Sorry little guy, to you left me no choice, next time try not to be so hardheaded." She stroked the Natus feathers and turned and left. She had a gig in a couple hours, and she was told that a DJ from Lavender Towns radio station would be attending, this was her chance to be on the radio!!

"I'm sure it's burnt to a crisp, it won't come back anytime soon." Ceres waves her hand dismissively and looked to the destruction that Delphox temporarily caused, much to the pair's dismay, it wasn't enough to burn down the whole forest. With a sigh she turned to Quilo and raised a brow.

What did he mean "restraint"?

"Now why would I do that? If my Pokemon want to go all out if I command them to then they go all out. The forest didn't burn down." Her Delphox seemed to agree, glaring at the gym leader with a growl.

Although the part where he owns the gym of Viridian city gave her a surprised look. "You own the gym? Did you clear out some old Team Rocket stuff while you took it or something?"

She looked out into the pathway of the city and smiled. "Alright, fine. The forest was getting boring anyway."

@Regitnui

The woman seemed... Unbalanced. Maybe there was a good reason why her Pokémon was so uncontrolled. They did reflect their trainer and methods, after all. Quilo felt a small amount of trepidation at leaving the woman to her own devices, but he had to confirm that the carnivine would no longer be a problem. "Come, Haze," he ordered. The froslass drifted along at his shoulder height, what she thought was proper, but kept an eye on the delphox.

Though Haze could move through the bushes, Quill had to push his way through, feeling the burned vegetation crack under his weight. "The previous leader would have cleared that out," he responded. "I just run a clean gym and community centre." An unstable woman asking about Team Rocket... That couldn't be a good sign.

"I prefer Wolfenheim, thank you." he said kindly. Nove shyly rubbed her head against Clive's shoulder as the girl complimented her. The Duck Pokemon seemed to like her so far; she was nice. The male trainer listened to the girl's story, and couldn't help but smile at it.

"I'm glad you have such a love for your Pokemon. And actually, I'm not far off from where you are now. I'm new to being a Pokemon Trainer." he said. "But I used to be a Pokemon Ranger until a few weeks ago...when I decided I wanted to travel the region."

The girl's next question was one he had never really asked himself. But he felt he knew the right answer anyway. "I put a lot of trust in my Pokemon. I trust that when they do get hurt in battle, they will forgive me. I trust that they know I'm doing it to make them stronger. And the risk is well worth the reward when it strengthens the bond between us." he finished.

Jeez, I sound like such a softie. he blushed. He checked his watch again. He'd be getting to his destination much sooner than he had predicted.

"Wolfenheim it is then" Marie nodded, not wanting to offend the more experienced trainer. She did look surprised though when he said he was a new trainer as well! It was clarified however.

"A Ranger? I see...so you have like, worked with pokemon all your life but not to battle before now? What was being a ranger like? Surrounded by so many different pokemon...which were hardest to work with? Oh um, sorry if it's too many questions! I just like...kind of wanted a warning ahead of time of which pokemon might be tougher to tame" she chuckled nervously, looking down at Ninetales shyly. Ninetales just looked happy to relax, barely moving while she was being stroked. She tilted her head at the Golduck, inquisitive of the duck pokemon that seemed very tame and happy.

"Thank you for all of your advice. I...I don't know what I'd do if Ninetales or Seel got really hurt. I believe in them though, even though we've really only had a few battles. I know Seel needs to get stronger, but Ninetales is really strong and is always happy to come out and help Seel" there was a small smile on Maries face. The Ninetales clearly knew she was being talked about, and nodded at the words before turning slightly and licking Marie on the nose.

"Ugh, Ninetales!" she laughed, wiping her nose and looking out of the window. "These trains are really fast, huh? We'll be in Pallet town soon. Are you going to Pallet town, or onwards?"

"That's right." Wolfenheim said. "I've never been in a competitive battle- just training, or the occasional disagreeable thug..." he recounted. He normally didn't like talking about his job that much to people, even though he did still love what the occupation stood for. They always asked him the same questions. But he was in a good mood, and ready for his journey. Not to mention, this girl was much more pleasant to look at while he talked than the others he'd come across.

"I still somewhat see myself as a Ranger, to tell you the truth..." he conceded. "The Rangers stand to protect nature- and by extent, people and Pokemon. I aim to still do so, throughout my journey as a Trainer."

Her next question was one easy to answer. "The hardest Pokemon to work with...would be the ill-tempered ones. Or the solitary ones. The can make communication difficult or dangerous sometimes, but your Pokemon will likely be able to help you with that." he said, shifting in his seat to take a more comfortable position.

"I personally have only caught one Pokemon through battle; my Toxicroak, Meistro. But I have seen many senior Rangers demonstrate it."

He sat for a moment before continuing, as a heavy whistle sounded throughout the air. Nove sat beside Wolfenheim, waddling her feet merrily as she listened in on the Trainer's conversation. She looked at the Ninetales, and stuck her tongue out playfully.

Clive laughed after Marie's words, and the reaction she had to Ninetales licking her face. "Of course. I'm glad to help." he responded. "And yes, my stop is Pallet Town. Where are you headed?" he inquired.

Marie nodded along as Wolfenheim spoke, explaining that he still felt like a ranger but had caught a pokemon. She was holding onto his every word, running her fingers through Ninetales fur as she listened. It was all valuable information that she would need to learn.

"Ah, I was hoping you'd name a specifc pokemon" she finally answered as he explained about pokemon to work with, laughing softly "but I guess I need to learn that myself. I know Ninetales and Seel will help me through my adventure. Hopefully I don't completely embarrass myself!" she laughed again, smiling.

"Pallet town for me also! So we're going to the same place. Um...If I'm not going to be a bother, mind if I tag along with you? I'm really new at all of this at you can clearly tell and I've said before" she looked away a bit shyly "it would be nice to have company, right?"

@Bartimaeus

Wolfenheim nodded, removing his hand from Nove's head after patting her. "I doubt you'll embarass yourself." he assured her. "Though I hear that builds character" he smirked.

They soon began to draw close to their destination, Pallet Town.

The next question threw the young man off guard for a moment. T-tag along..?
"Uhh..well-" he blushed. "Y-yeah! Sure, yes...of course we can travel together." he blurted out.

He twiddled his fingers a little as he went silent, turning his head towards his Golduck while pulling his collar up to try and hide his reddened cheek. The duck Pokemon looked at him and laguhed.

He looked up and noticed they were arriving at Pallet Town. "Hey, look. We're here." he said, dropping his arm and gesturing towards the window. While the town was still quite small, despite its popularity, it could be seen from the ocean as the train drew upon it.

"I hope my character isn't built on mistakes! I'm not used to messing up" Marie said with a smirk, looking out of the windows as well. While talking with other trainers was fun, she did enjoy the peacefulness of just listening to the world around them. His confirming that he'd like to join her was met with a softer smile, a nod in his direction as they both sat quietly looking out at the world.

The train though didn't leave them much time to enjoy the peace, as it rolled into pallet town.

"It's...really pretty" Marie commented quietly, feeling Ninetales nodding as they both looked at the city. It still remained quite small, the but focus on pokemon was obvious throughout; advertising for the newest brand of Pokemon food covered billboards, and you could see the famous Professor Oak laboratory not far from the station. They finally rolled in, and Ninetales hopped off Marie before she could say anything, moving to sit in front of the door and barking at the two trainers. Marie laughed.

"Looks like we've been given our marching orders!" She stood up, collecting her backpack and walking to the door as it opened, turning to smile at Wolfenheim, waiting for him before she departed the train.

@Bartimaeus

It is beautiful indeed... Wolfenheim thought as he gazed out the window longingly. He remember when he was a kid, he'd wanted to someday visit pallet town. Back before he'd decided to be a Pokemon ranger. He'd heard stories, saw shows, bought merchandise of the legendary Ash Ketchum. The guy who'd traveled the whole region and beat the elite four- and at an impressive age to boot. He'd always wanted to visit Ketchum's hometown.

Seeing it now, it was smaller than nostalgia let on. But that didn't make it any less awe-inspiring. That such a legend could derive from a humble place like Pallet Town.

Soon, Marie's Ninetales would set the pace for them as the train made its slow halt at the station, making her way to the door, before ushering them over.

Wolf didn't want to get up. One, because these seats were really comfy for a train. And two...because he was more nervous than he let on. This would be almost like a whole new world to him, despite the feeling he gave off outwardly. Though, someone observant enough could see the hesitation in his eyes. And Nove could feel it.

The Pokemon stood in front of him. She gripped his wrists with her webbed hands and pulled his arms until he begrudgingly stood in front of his seat. She gave him a hug, then turning towards the front of the train and waddling after Ninetales and Marie, leaving Clive to gather his bag and follow suit shortly after.

He would follow the rest of their group off the train, looking around at their surroundings as they did so. "It's just like I remembered from the books.." he mumbled to himself. To anyone who didn't know what Pallet Town meant to the young trainers to come after Ash Ketchum, the town wouldn't be impressive at all. But to him, it was almost description-less the energy the place fed into his very core. He felt like he could travel the whole region in a night- if he could walk that fast.

Celestia could only find such wholesome things as boring. Seriously, this gym leader owned the ex-Team Rocket gym AND turned it into a community centre for the less fortunate folks.

With a huff, she sighed. A hand on her cheek with a crestfallen look. "Really? A community centre? I thought you would at least try and make it more fun like giving it a practical battle arena or your personal Pokemon Centre and stuff like that." This woman seemed to be on the necessity type of things in the world.

As for why she would ask the battle arena first, maybe she's looking to pick a fight with some kids and crush their dreams? After all, she's giving off that kind of vibe to anyone near her. Even her Delphox was snickering.

@Regitnui

This woman was beginning to strike him as a problem. Not that Quilo was prone to rash action. Nevertheless, his instincts told him it would be safer for his town if she went in a different direction. "Who's to say I don't have those things? A gym must earn its keep somehow, and I'd much rather have the building be useful. In fact," He turned back to face her, Haze drifting to hover behind his shoulder as if asked to, "why not visit? I'll be having a Challenger's Day soon. If you have sufficient skill, you're welcome to test yourself against my gym. You can decide then if you think my gym is not 'fun'." He rested his hand on his sword hilt, nodding respectfully to her. "Maybe I'll give you a tour, and you can find any Team Rocket corners I may have missed."

Haze murmured something, an odd whisper that barely seemed like a pokemon sound. Quilo turned his head to her, reading his longtime companion's intentions. She felt as uneasy as he did; the delphox would be an even match for any of his pokemon alone, and though she had some experience with those types, Haze didn't feel she could protect him alone. "If you'd like to walk with me," Quilo said, cuing a surprised sound from the froslass, "I can escort you to Viridian unmolested by any other wild pokemon. I'd just ask that you leave the local children and League-goers alone. That's heavily regulated, after all."

@Seirei No Hai