Erika breathed a sigh of relief, hearing directly from Lesley's mouth that they were okay. Still, there was the matter that Erika couldn't help but think about as her attention wandered to Lesley's Salamence and then onto the mountainside where the dragon families were. For sure, a Dragon Type would be a nice teammate in Erika's roster, complimenting Sno and Poli well.
"Mhm.." Erika nodded in agreement with Lesley. The Dragon Trainer had a point and Erika certainly sympathized, though due to her own conflict about it, she didn't provide any additional comments as her gaze moved to the sky, jealously watching the dragons fly freely in the sky. One day...
Erika's attention was brought back at the mention of her name, shortly followed by her mother's. Erika brimmed with pride as her face lit up. "That's my mom, yea!" No matter what, Erika's mom would always be a hero to her daughter but hearing confirmation outside by a complete stranger felt good for some reason. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear her recognized now that I'm a trainer, though..." Erika scratched the back of her head bashfully, still encouraged by hearing her hero validated.
Erika froze at the mention of what they were going to do now. She knew what she wanted to do but whether that would be okay or not was something else. "I.. don't know. I'm glad we stumbled into you and this place but I..." Erika swallowed, considering her next words carefully. "I thought it'd be great to catch a Dragon Type this early in my adventure. My mom always said they were strong Pokemon and fiercely loyal, so I would have loved to have one on my team but..." Erika took a fleeting glance at the mountainside before turning back to Lesley. "..You're right they have to be safe somewhere so I understand."
Considering Lesley's position and experience, Erika thought of asking, "Umm... If a trainer were looking to catch a Dragon Type, where might be okay?"
Hmm.. Tough question. A lot of those groups would be hilariously fun for Margie to be a part of. Drama, photography, cooking, or maybe coach of a sports club would all be fun so whichever!
@Pirouette Teh-heh. I'm happy it's delightful. And yupp, feel free to ask. That's really the only way to find out for sure~ ... That and not ask and try capturing on your own. That'd also result in a definite answer immediately, but, eh, that's way less recommended. Hahahaha.
Oooohhh, I don't think Erika has the guts to run off and try capturing one after meeting Lesley. Anyway posted.
Erika has happy to take on the hitch-hiker, and shook Pikachu's little hand. "Hiya Pikachu! Aren't you just a little cutie~" Erika gleamed, letting Pikachu ride on her shoulder all the way to their destination. It was only a little sad to see her riding companion hop off, and Erika made a little mental note to catch a Pikachu.
For now, however, there was something else on her mind. Anxious to see what the murmurs of what the ladder trio was talking about, Erika finally climbed high enough to glance over the crest of the cave ceiling to see a magnificent sight.
"Wooaaah..." Erika gasped as she climbed up, dumbfounded with wonder in her eyes as she scanned up the mountain. The natural landmark was impressive, sure, but there were Dragons everywhere. Some flying, others squabbling on the cliff side. The whole thing was amazing to witness. In her amazement, Erika flipped open her Pokedex to get a few scans of everything here as that was her duty but also to get a bit of scouting done. A Dragon type is a perfect competitor but more to it than that, Erika fantasied about how majestic it would be to fly on something like a Salamence.
"To think I had wanted to just go straight through the caverns with you guys..." Erika offered her two pence in her friends' discussion. Erika turned back to look at the mountain, noticing that the ladder trio were talking, rather loudly as it was pretty easy to overhear them. Erika didn't know about capturing them all, thinking it to be a bit much but thought that they might have been exaggerating.
What wasn't exaggerated was the startling arrival of an armored woman, causing Erika to also jump from sudden surprise. Lesley the Major League Gym Leader of Lakewatch Town? Erika had never heard the name but the title was enough for Erika's eyes to go wide from being star stricken, forgetting she saw one of the Elite Four awhile ago.
But the thrill of everything soon faltered as Erika witness Lesley threaten the ladder trio for attempted poaching. Backed up by the sudden appearance of Salamence (whose arrival had startled Erika again), the ladder trio fled in a hurry nearly knocking Erika aside in their quick escape. Erika watched the caped man's face vanish before she heard Lesley address them.
Erika turned to face the Dragon Trainer biting her tongue initially, nervous that she had also done something wrong. Erika took a glance over at Joshua and Ewan who were lost in their own respective thoughts and didn't say much. Erika turned back to Lesley and cupped her hands nervously before replying. "I-I'm one of Professor Kalmia's new Trainers, Erika Olsen, and these are my friends." Erika gestured to Joshua and Ewan. Erika gulped, worried that Lesley was still expecting something despite not showing it. "I'm sorry if we are trespassing, too! We just followed those other people here because they seemed to be onto something."
@PlatinumSkink Wow. A dragon sanctuary was unexpected but delightfully pleasant of a surprise! But I get the feeling that there is a strict no-catching policy here. But Erika will still ask about it.