"...And you [i]KNOW[/i] just how vulnerable it is to be when you're taking a shower! You're wet and naked and slipping and sliding all over the damn place!" Ezra laughed as he made his way down the mostly linear trail, having a rollicking good time conversing with his cousin. 

"Of course imma freak out if something lands on my face while I'm washing up, I don't care how many black belts I have!" He laughed some more. Through his earbuds came a series of beeps, indicating a incoming call. "Hold on Mel, someone else is calling." He switched over. "Hulloooo?" Ezra slowed down his jog to walking speed. It was Ato calling.

[i]"Hey, Ezra, just me. Had a thought. Y'know how there were three or four others who signed up yesterday, before you turned up? Might be a bit late to catch up to that group, but there's a bunch of newcomers registered this morning. Just got out of Regala, on their way to Mystriver. Maybe you could tag along with these guys, if you want company on the road?"[/i]

Naturally if it meant new forms of social interaction, Ezra was intrigued. "Really? Shouldn't be much to catch up to them, doubt they gotten to Mistriver already...d'you remember any of their names? What should I be looking out for?" He asked.

[i]"They're a bit of a mix and match. Most of them came in from overseas. One's from Hoenn, two from Unova, and one from Sengun. I'm supposed to be leading them through the forest to Verdan, so they'll catch up to me soon enough."[/i]

"Overseas?" Now Ezra was excited. It would be his first time meeting someone from out of region. "Now I REALLY gotta meet up with 'em. What's one of them look like? D'you remember?"

[i]"Take your pick. Lab coat and glasses, dark-skinned girl with a Petilil, or the tall one with the hime cut."[/i]

"Hime cut..." Ezra reiterated. "Alright. I'll be on the lookout. Meet you at the forest." As Ato hung up, Ezra patched back over to his cousin. "Sorry for the wait Mel. Turns out there are people coming from all [i]over[/i] the place to take the league challenge! Hoenn, Unova...wait, did he say Mistriver?" He paused.

"Ain't the first gym leader here?" Melanie asked her cousin. Ezra almost kicked himself for overlooking such a detail. "Had no idea...well damn, if that were the case, I could've just stayed home and saved the money!" He chuckled and sighed. "Okay, let's see if I can find any of these trainers..." His voice trailed off as he surveyed the scene. "Lab coat...dark skin...tall...hey Brie, d'you know what a Petilil looks like?" He asked the Oshawott.

[color=lightblue]"Oshawott."[/color] [i]"Nope."[/i] She shrugged back.