[color=00aeef]"I suppose this is where everyone really starts out, isn't it?"[/color] Hana thought aloud to nobody in particular as she, Lilith, and Ezra took the lead on the road to Viridian. With the majority of her shock at the state of Kanto's Professor out of the way, enthusiasm took hold anew. But first, she had her end of a deal to uphold. So while Ezra approached Lilith, Hana set her suitcase down by a section of long grass and let Satomi out of her Poké Ball, immediately fishing the case of food out once more.

Meanwhile, her companion got acquainted with her new surroundings. Bladed arms raised, Satomi was on alert quickly. But Hana setting down half a cube of food quickly got her attention. [color=00aeef]"Satomi, the second half as promised."[/color] As the Pawniard ate, a short bark from nearby grass caught their attention. [color=#9d8169]"Zig!"[/color] A brown and cream Pokémon poked its head out from the grass, tilting to one side then the other as it studied this new occurrence.

Hana, however, took a step backwards on a reflex: this was an unfamiliar species. The scene paused for a few seconds, then the creature barked at them again and retreated back into the grass. Moments later, it re-emerged from another point and began to gambol about Hana and Satomi. And it did so in a most strange fashion. Always back and forth, one way, then the other.

Satomi wasn't about to let this stranger have a go at her food. [color=de0000]"Pawn-ya!" [i]Who or what are you?[/i][/color]

[color=00aeef]"Must be a local species... right. Pokédex. Yes. That's what it's for, Hana."[/color] Berating herself a little for being slow on the uptake, she pulled the device from her jacket pocket and began to track the Pokémon's movements to get a proper scan:

[hider=Pokédex Entry: Zigzagoon]
[img]https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/4/47/263Zigzagoon.png/250px-263Zigzagoon.png[/img]
#263: Zigzagoon [color=0072bc]♂[/color]
Tiny Raccoon Pokémon
[img]https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/3/39/NormalIC_Big.png[/img]
[b]Height:[/b] 1'04" / 0.4 m
[b]Weight:[/b] 38.6 lbs / 17.5 kg

A Pokémon with abundant curiosity. It shows an interest in everything nearby, and always moves in a back-and-forth zigzag fashion.
[/hider]
[color=00aeef]"Well, that explains why this one looks like he wants to go for an early lunch,"[/color] Hana mused as the strange Pokémon continued to scamper about. It was travelling in a strange zigzagging arc back and forth while she and Satomi hesitated. What was the right move here? Was this species a good starting point, or could she hope for a more promising candidate? She didn't know. It occurred to Hana that her studies hadn't accounted for species outside of her homeland.

We have to start somewhere, she soon decided. [color=00aeef]"Satomi, time for some practice. Start with a Scratch, nice and simple."[/color]

Instead of giving a verbal response, Satomi shoved the last piece of food into her mouth and got it down quickly. She flicked her arms to clear any scraps, and entered a fighting stance, watching the Zigzagoon's movements for a second. Then she dashed forward to land a solid hit across its flank. The Zigzagoon recoiled, but fixed Satomi with a look and a short rumble of discontent.

[color=00aeef]"Looks like it's about to charge. Daring Strike!"[/color] As the Zigzagoon began its odd back-and-forth runup, Satomi sprang forward herself, leading with both blades for a pair of slashes. The Zigzagoon was undeterred, and continued its charge to meet her head-on. Both Pokémon tumbled into the grass as a result of the collision, but tufts of grass flying everywhere made it easy to find where Satomi was cutting a small clearing around herself.

And it looked like - yes, she had the upper hand, sending her opponent packing with another scrape along one leg. With the battle over quickly, Satomi hurried out of the grass, scraping scuff marks off her arms. [color=de0000]"Ya! Pawn-ya!" [i]Hardly a challenge.[/i][/color]

She received a quick scratch under the helmet for her trouble. [color=00aeef]"Nicely done. But stay close, there may be more of them around. Don't want to push ourselves too far on day one."[/color]

[color=de0000]"Ya."[/color] A monosyllabic response could still hold a lot of meaning. [color=de0000][i]I feel like I'm just warming up. The run earlier was nothing.[/i][/color]