[color=00aeef]"Satomi! Don't go too far ahead!"[/color]

Having found the main road to the Oak Research Lab, Hana and Satomi had begun the uphill trek to the front doors. Being both lighter in weight and not having to carry a backpack and suitcase, the little Pokémon had simply dashed ahead as if she were in a race with Hana. She paused about twenty feet ahead of her Trainer at regular intervals, then sped uphill again as Hana got closer. But eventually Satomi ran out of road to travel, and Hana caught up with her at the top of the hill.

[color=00aeef]"You're a little rascal sometimes, you know that?"[/color] Hana crouched down and lightly scratched the underside of Satomi's helmet-shaped head with one fingernail. It was a ticklish spot that she'd discovered early on in caring for Satomi when she was still super young. Even Steel-type Pokémon could be ticklish, and Satomi wriggled away, half-squeaking and half-laughing as she did so.

[color=00aeef]"At any rate, we're here. But I think we might need to wait for more Trainers to arrive for registration."[/color] [i]It'll be easier to speak with the Professor as part of a group,[/i] was the part she left unsaid. There were some wooden benches outside the Lab, looking down at the rest of Pallet Town, and Hana took a seat, setting her suitcase and backpack down as she did so. From the former, she dug out a half-finished case of Pokémon food and set a cube of it down on the grass. Satomi instantly rushed over.

But Hana raised a finger. [color=00aeef]"Not so fast. You can have half now, and half when we start on the road out of town. Okay?"[/color] Satomi raised one bladed arm and obligingly cut the cube down the middle, taking one piece for herself. As she returned the other half to the case and put the food away, Hana sat back on the bench and did her best to relax after the effort of the walk.