Following with his hands in his pockets, Desmond listened to April carefully as they began travelling towards Santalune City. He blinked as she mentioned the Gym Leader, listening closer. Her Pokemon were bred, huh? He considered this to be interesting, as they were raised, rather than being wild like Desmond's... He wondered what the difference would be? Maybe he was thinking a little too deep for the moment, since he wasn't even there yet. "A breeder, huh? That's neat." He replied, expressing mild interest. He'd never met any breeders, but had heard of them. They had it kind of rough, in his opinion. Though he figured to really say that for sure he'd have to see it for himself.

The topic quickly faded as she seemed to turn the talking onto him instead. He looked down momentarily. "How I met them, huh...?" He kept the smile on his face, that topic seeming to ring alright with him. Though, honestly, he never was a story teller. Though he assumed it wouldn't be too interesting, he began speaking anyways.

"Well.." He began, smiling. "I took off about a year ago, with Fluff here." Though he seemed happy to mention her, the Flaaffy wasn't happy being mentioned. Desmond continued anyways. "She was a little Mareep back then, though. My father caught her on his way back from work, and surprised me on my birthday. It was, to say the least, a little rough at first. But we manage to get along." He nearly fell as Fluff delivered a mean-spirited punch to his leg. It wasn't with all her strength, but enough to prove a point. "Eheheh... Aah, yeah..." 

"This fella right here..." Desmond gestured to his Crobat, seeing it stare at his hand curiously. "Fluff discharged some electricity while we were in a cave and it startled him when he was just a little Zubat. He picked a fight with her, and, well... Lost." Fluff snickered, while Crobat looked away, seeming to not have forgotten what happened. "I decided to catch him, since I had a spare Pokeball on me. He was really shy with me for awhile, but now I'm one of the only things he'll hide behind aside from Pip."

As soon as he was mentioned, Pip barked. Desmond chuckled in response. "Of course, then there's Pip himself. We didn't meet under the best circumstances, what with him being left by his trainer." He had a small frown, not enjoying remembering. "He was beside a Pokemon Center, nearly starved. I took him in for treatment and to get something to eat, and tried to get him to come with me. He was reluctant at first, though. Because he's really loyal." He clenched his left hand into a fist within his pocket. "But that guy... His trainer didn't care about him. Even sent out one of his Pokemon to get rid of him, and me."

His smile returned slowly, as the rest was more peaceful for his mind. "Pip managed to win, though. It didn't mean that guy wanted him back, but..." A whine escaped Pip, seeming to want Desmond to stop. Desmond nodded and decided to stop, understanding it was painful. "... All that matters is that we're friends now, y'know? He's a good boy, and I couldn't ask for someone more dependable." 

Pip barked, and Desmond laughed in response. He didn't say much else, as he wasn't sure if there was more to tell... The four of them were together, and friends. Desmond couldn't ask for anything better. His journey was going to be long, but as long as he had them, he knew he could pull through. 

"... Sorry." He apologized quietly. "Didn't mean to go on like that..."