Oldale is so beautiful this time of year.

The countryside that surrounded Petalburg was in full bloom now, dotting the grassy fields below with a gorgeous display of reds and yellows and pinks. Locke was careful not to disturb the budding landscape as they landed Ji-Ji in the open field just outside of town, gently sliding out of the Drampa’s saddle on arrival. Even from this distance, the aroma of the flowers was mixed with the warm, inviting scent of baked goods, reminding him it was breakfast time for most people.

But for him, work came first.

Locke turned back to Ji-Ji and reached into the stuffed saddlebags the large dragon carried, retrieving the sparse few deliveries for the small town and carefully transferring them to his own tote, before returning Ji-Ji to his Pokeball for a rest. A tug on his coat brought Locke’s attention downwards to the red-and-white penguin beside him. “I know, I haven’t forgotten you,” he said, and bent down to hand De-De a few of the letters and a small package, which the Delibird happily accepted with a trill. “All set?” they asked as they stood again, adjusting the bag at their hip, and smiled when their companion copied the movement with her sack-like tail.

Deliveries in Oldale, while few and far between, had its own unique obstacles. The townsfolk prided themselves on the hamlet’s harmony with nature. Indeed, many homes and businesses spread out deep into the surrounding forest, and while not as hidden away as the almost maze-like canopies of Fortree, were still easy to miss without a helping hand. It was an elderly client who provided that assistance in locating their final stop, a small flower shop they’d never visited before now, cheerfully pointing out the backroad that led there with one hand, while taking her own mail with the other.

The shop, like everything in Oldale, was quaint and well-integrated with its natural surroundings, even more so given the abundance of plant life both native and foreign. Outside stood an older gentleman and a pretty, humanoid Pokemon that resembled a tropical flower. They both seemed to be enjoying the weather as much as everyone else in town.

”Good morning,” Locke said with a small wave as he approached, but it was De-De who reached them first, excitedly producing the package from her tail and presenting it to the blonde man before he could even finish greeting the pair properly.”Ah, pardon, she’s a little eager. Would you be Mr. Fox?”

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De-De happily accepted the attention, twisting her head to guide Simone’s hand to that sweet spot at the base of her neck and softly cooing as it followed. She waddled after the older man and back to Locke's side, pleased with her delivery. They gave her head a warm pat before accepting Simone’s hand, giving it a firm shake along with their name.

“Locke. We keep a pretty tight schedule, and the weather’s been good for flying.” Below, De-De cheerfully extended her wing to the other Pokémon, though it seemed a bit wary of the smaller bird, keeping as close to its trainer as possible. They bent down and gently picked up the overzealous penguin before she could overwhelm Simone’s floral companion.

“Do you need my signature?”

Locke shook his head. “I won’t be needing any signatures today, but De-De here likes to collect them,” nodding to the Delibird in his arms. She lit up at the mention of her name, quickly retrieving a marker and a small, leather-bound journal from her tail. Its pages were littered with several names and messages, and even a few messy prints left by different Pokémon. De-De eagerly held out an empty page towards Simone and his partner with a beaming expression.

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Locke smiled as De-De showed off the encouraging message. The flower Pokémon-Peony-caught their attention as she shyly approached with something in her leafy hands. They bent down to let De-De accept the gift; a small petal matching the flower on Peony’s head. “Thank you very much,” Locke said brightly.

De-De held up the petal as though it were the valuable treasure in the world. “Careful not to lose it, alright? I’ll help you press it later.” Not that they were particularly worried, the Delibird always kept very good track of everything she owned. It was what made her such an excellent assistant, despite her impulsive nature. The penguin nodded with a serious look on her face, not even pocketing the gift away in her tail so she could keep a close eye on it.

“How many deliveries do you have left today?” The small talk brought Locke’s attention back to Simone, and he stood up to meet his gaze again.

“This is actually the last one for Oldale, we’ll be heading out to Slateport once we’re done-” The rest of Locke’s reply was interrupted by a loud grumbling from his stomach. Apparently it had a few complaints about skipping breakfast. “Well, we’ll probably stop to eat first,” he admitted.

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Locke knew he should decline and he could conjure thousand reasons to do so. This was a stranger. He’d hate to impose. He had a schedule to keep.

“That’s very kind of you! Breakfast sounds wonderful.”

Pushover.

De-De was far more enthusiastic about this turn of events, giving a little cheer as she wiggled in her trainer’s arms. Which did remind Locke that the rest of their party was probably ready for a meal too. “Er, if it’s not too much trouble though, could I release a few of my other Pokémon? They’ve been cooped up for a bit and could use a good stretch.”

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Locke resigned himself to his fate and followed Simone inside. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected going in, but for some reason it came as a shock to find the little shop was actually just the older man’s home. Not that he really had any place to judge someone for making their work their entire life.

It was a lovely home, as well, popping with color and covered floor to ceiling in greenery. As they slipped out of their shoes and took a seat at the dining table, Locke couldn’t help but feel out of place. Not just in the other man’s house, but merely being in a house at all. They rarely found themselves with a roof over their head these days.

Not quite ready to open that can of worms, Locke busied themselves with fishing around their bag until they produced two Pokéballs. With a press of a button a Fletchinder and a Vivillon were summoned onto the kitchen floor, both looking around curiously at their new surroundings. De-De happily greeted the pair from her seat in Locke’s lap. “Mind not to knock anything over,” they cautioned.

Chiro-Chiro wasted no time in finding a perch on the windowsill, inspecting the potted plants that resided there. Vi-Vi, however, was a bit more reserved, sticking close to the table and not really moving far from where she was initially released.

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Locke’s stomach made its appreciation known with another growl. “Milk is fine, thank you,” he said as he started breaking some of the warm toast apart to share with his Pokémon. It was already out, and he didn’t want Simone to have make another trip. Maybe it’d even help him even grow a bit. It’s possible.

They looked over at the Vivillon in question with a small frown. “Vi-Vi. I got her from a young couple backpacking around a bunch of different regions. The touristy types that catch ‘souvenirs’ for themselves on a whim. I dropped some stuff off for them, saw her, and she seemed pretty miserable, so I offered to take her instead of the usual payment.”

Locke tried to coax her over with a bit of the bread, but the snowy butterfly stayed right where she was, too nervous to eat. They sighed and continued, “I’m thinking I might need to find her a proper home, travelling just stresses her out too much.”

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