Duchess seemed excited at the concept of being in races. It didn't surprise the Gym Leader one bit; after all, Saber, his own Manectric, was his most trusted Pokémon! He couldn't help but flash a smile at the Electrike's enthusiasm. "When Duchess grows up, you'll be able to get her fitted, just like Blinky here, and you'll be able to enter her in races. I have a Manectric of my own I use regularly at my Gym. I'm sure you'll get to see him if we keep seeing each other."

It seemed Ettie truly was cut off from society. Who wouldn't be at least passively familiar with the Gym circuit and with Hoenn's Rangers? He breathed a deep sigh. "It's pretty standard across every region of this country to have at least eight Pokémon Gyms. They're each ran by a Gym Leader, such as myself, who test the skills of challengers looking to collect Badges they need to enter a really big battle tournament. You gotta have eight different Badges to enter the tournament." At least that was how it worked in several other regions. Hoenn could have its own rules, after all. "My Gym is on the very north end of Mauville City. It takes a while to get there from here even if you're riding a Pokémon."

Next, he turned to the topic of Rangers. "You know Julia Davis ? She's one of my best friends, too!" He wondered how she was doing after their last run-in with Isaac Merlo . It was one of their most traumatic experiences, both for the Gym Leader and for her. "Becoming a Ranger is twofold. There's a written test and a field test. As an Elite Ranger of Mauville, I can administer both of those tests for you if you want to join Mauville City's Rangers. I'd love to have you aboard." Of course, administering that test would require annalise henderson 's approval, but those two were great friends already.

Once Anne had taken off, Josh let the Lycanroc get almost out of sight before locking his helmet's visor down and squeezing the Jolteon's sides, commanding her to chase down Ettie's Pokémon. Electricity arced among all four of her rapidly-moving legs, the rider leaning as low as he felt comfortable with. He needed to minimize air resistance as much as possible, not to slow his Jolteon down, but to avoid being blown off his mount entirely. "Blinky, QUICK ATTACK!"

Ettie may have been able to hear the popping noise of a strong electric discharge as the electric-type zoomed toward them, and eventually past them, in a yellow, comet-like blur. Her sprinting stroke was violent, taking all of her rider's focus for him to maintain his balance at the breakneck speed the two achieved. It did not take long before the two were forced to slow down for a curve, the g-forces of which would have surely ripped him out of the saddle had he taken that curve at full speed.

Ettie would blink a bit as Josh spoke about Gyms. Some of it went over her head - she didn't quite understand what the significance of the regions having eight gyms was, for example. Why not have more gyms, or fewer gyms? "... Why eight?" Ettie questioned, cocking her head. The badges apparently were necessary for a big... battle tournament? She wasn't sure what a tournament was - but she guessed it was something competitive, since people were fighting! "Lots of fight..." She'd muse out loud - having to fight eight gyms, and then a tournament, sounded like it'd take a lot of energy. More energy than just basic play-fighting and sparring, for sure - was it worth it to do it?

Well, Ruffian certainly seemed interested, the lillipup's gaze locked on Josh. His tail was twitching the slightest bit - as if he wanted to wag it, yet was trying to hold still to keep up appearances. Ettie couldn't help a soft giggle at this - maybe if Ruffian was so interested, she could try sometime..?

It also sounded as though Josh's own gym was at the northern edge of Mauville City, to which Ettie nodded. "Duchess grow big, Ettie bring Duchess to Josh-Gym!" She spoke, smiling brightly. Getting to race around sounded like a lot of fun - and Duchess, in particular, would give eager yips of agreement to the idea. "Run together lots!"

But on top of that, Josh knew Julia, too! Ettie perked up, before smiling brightly and nodding. "Yes! Julia-friend good! Very good!" She spoke with clear delight - wiggling happily, as if to wag a nonexistent tail. "Julia first-human. Teach-ed Ettie lots!"

Though then came the talk of how one became a Ranger, which... Ettie couldn't help but frown, half-pouting in disappointment. "Ettie... No-read. No-write. Makes head hurt..." Certainly, attempts had been made for Ettie to learn - and she could recognize and write some of the alphabet, if you showed them to her or asked her... But it definitely was a work-in-progress, and it most definitely wasn't the wildchild's strong suit.

Maybe becoming a Ranger would have to wait, then...

It was hard to be sad about that for very long though, when Josh was about to show Ettie just how fast his pokemon - namely Blinky - could go! As Ettie nudged Anne with a heel to signal for her to keep going, the young wildchild would turn around on the lycanroc's back to watch behind the pack - riding atop Anne in reverse. And there, off in the distance, was the Jolteon in question - fast approaching!

It was awe-inspiring, the sheer speed that Blinky would catch up - and then ultimately surpass - them with, a golden comet of crackling electricity! Ettie would whoop and giggle with joy as she watched them go - once more turning atop Anne's back to watch them go.

However, Ettie wasn't the only one enthused by the display. Clearly encouraged and excited at the sight, Duchess would throw back her head to briefly howl in an expression of sheer delight! And without much more warning, she'd begin to run ahead of the pack - using Quick Attack as well, darting along the road in an attempt to match - and perhaps catch up to - Blinky and Josh!

Ettie, laughing at this, would decide to howl with Duchess - "Aouuuuu!" - encouraging the little electrike's shenanigans! She wanted to see her packmate make an impression, too!

Skipping

Josh Devlin

Josh was nothing short of stunned.

He thought Shalin Nariya was a wild child for living off-grid, but at least she could carry on a conversation. Ettie was a nice child, but she seemed to understand little to nothing about the civilized world. "It's been eight since the inception of the IAPL. They're the ones that manage the Pokémon Leagues as a whole. It's an international standard." He returned Ruffian's gaze with a smile of his own, keeping his thoughts about the Lillipup silent.

Duchess' enthusiasm continued, Ettie equally excited about the prospect of racing. "One reason I chose a racing challenge for my Gym is unlike almost every other Gym challenge I've seen, this physically involves you as a Trainer in a way a simple battle doesn't. It is a true test of the bond between you and your Pokémon. To be able to race at their full potential, rider and steed must be of one mind. Though I prefer bit and bridle to control my Pokémon, there are some out there that will only accept the bridle of trust. That's really important to recognize, no matter how you engage with your Pokémon." The lesson Josh was trying to teach was that bonding with Pokémon was a two-way street. Sometimes, a trainer's Pokémon would train the trainer.

Basic reading and writing skills were a requirement to get a job just about anywhere, let alone an important government job such as a Pokémon Ranger. It seemed like Ettie had practical skills that would be invaluable in the field, but she wouldn't make a paycheck unless she was able to sign up for contracts. Contracts that would require careful reading, at that.

The speed of Blinky's QUICK ATTACK was difficult for even Josh's trained body to handle, which is why he only had the Jolteon sprint in straight lines. Even if he retrofitted Blinky's saddle with a cocoon, he would pass out in it from the sheer whiplash behind such a turn. Recognizing and working around one's limits was an important part of being a successful racer.

Shortly after Josh woozily slid down from his Jolteon, the familiar-sounding roar of a Pyroar caused him to flinch. Duchess and Blinky's electric runs had led them into the tall and powerful lion's territory. While he wasn't quite the size to be a former Alpha, or even as big as Aslan was, this one was still quite the large specimen. While a new Pyroar would in no way replace Aslan, he loved riding the big cat so much that catching a second one would be worthwhile. After all, it was not expected for his loyal companion to be strong enough to carry him again until the spring. This was a golden opportunity.

The two charged one another, Blinky crackling with electricity and the wild ready to perform a pouncing TAKE DOWN. Their closing speed was frightening, and almost certainly would have left a human grievously injured. Truly, the kinds of punishment Pokémon could handle was amazing. The large cat easily overpowered the now riderless Jolteon, flipping her onto her back and pinning her to the ground. As the wild was about to chomp at the pinned electric-type's neck with its FIRE FANG, Blinky loosed a wicked THUNDERBOLT that sent her predator reeling but not out of the pinning position completely. Josh, seeing the emergency unfold, he hurled an empty Poké Ball toward the aggressive wild merely to get his injured Pokémon back to safety.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD GRIMMSNARL APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] FRISK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FALSE SURRENDER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SWAGGER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FLATTER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]FAKE OUT
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD FURRET APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] RUN AWAY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SLAM	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SUCKER PUNCH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FURY SWIPES	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]COIL
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE PYROAR!

Ettie frowned a bit. That... She guess it answered her question, about why eight gyms - but not really in a way she could understand. Certainly not in a satisfactory manner. It didn't explain why these... IAPL - whoever they were - chose eight, either. But the look on Josh's face as she had asked the question - misinterpreting the stunned expression he had - it gave the feeling as though she had asked something wrong... Was she asking too many questions? Maybe she should just ask Julia this stuff, instead... In the meantime, she'd just nod - pretending that she understood so that she wouldn't have to talk about this any more.

The talk of racing and whatnot was a bit easier to figure out, anyways - and it was a lot more fun, too! As Josh spoke of the trust and cooperation required in racing, Ettie was visibly interested - nodding along as he explained it all. "Ettie trust Pack." She spoke, a gentle smile on her face as she pet Anne's neck. "Pack trust Pack!" That was what being in a pack was about, after all - mutual trust to be able to care for each other and oneself. So surely, they'd be able to do well, in their races!

But as Blinky and Duchess both raced on ahead down the road, trouble arose - namely, in the form of a wild pyroar! As the lion let out a ferocious roar, The young electrike yelped as she stumbled back and away - ears folding back and tail tucking, resorting to making herself as small and as harmless-looking as possible to avoid a potential fight. She meant no offense, straying into another pokemon's territory! She just liked running!

Yet, despite it all, Josh and Blinky would react much differently - the jolteon instead charging straight at the pyroar! For as impressive as the electric-type's bravery was though, it was pretty clear at a glance to even the young pup, that Blinky was not made for a fight against the larger feline. As Blinky was brought to the ground, Duchess stumbled back - before throwing back her head, and letting loose a Howl of distress!

And at Duchess' call, the pack came running - just in time for Blinky's Thunderbolt to stun the pyroar, shortly before Josh tossed a pokeball at it. Ettie blinked owlishly - glancing between the injured Blinky and Josh - before she'd move to tend to Blinky, in all the same way that she had tended to the other Eeveelutions before. "What happen?" She asked - frowning deeply at the wounds she could see. "... Was hunt? Why hunt bigger?" Ettie questioned further, wondering if what had happened was the same thing that had happened with the Cyclizar.

If that was indeed the case, then it seemed a bit irresponsible to not back off and regroup with the rest of the pack... But then again, Josh could've just not hunted the Pyroar in the first place - his pack was getting even more hurt, as a result of this...

But nonetheless, she'd bandage up Blinky - speaking softly and comfortingly to the jolteon all the while. "Is okay... Is safe... Pack is here..."

Skipping

Josh Devlin

Understanding Ettie's life in the wild would explain her apparent lack of knowledge of the intracies of Hoennian and national government as a whole. "Think of it like a... tradition." He hoped that would be a word Ettie would understand. After all, not everyone took training Pokémon as seriously as a Gym Leader had to! He had made being a trainer a career, giving him job security.

Ettie was understandably confused at Josh's confrontation and capture of the wild Pyroar they had encroached on the territory of. "She'll be okay. You'll see." With the coast being clear, the Jolteon made a WISH for her own recovery. Combined with Ettie's care, she would be good as new once her wish came true! That would take time, though. "You rest up, okay?" he smiled, withdrawing the Jolteon and sending out yet another ride Pokémon.

"Pinky, you're on!" On being released from the Poké Ball, the white-and-pink Eeveelution squealed in greeting, her feelers flapping in a gust of wind. The overly friendly Sylveon trotted toward Ettie and Duchess, and would tickle them with her feelers if they allowed it.

Ettie seemed concerned about the battle Josh had with the Pyroar. "There are a lot of different ways to go about befriending and catching Pokémon," the Gym Leader explained. "I always make sure not to harm wild Pokémon any more than necessary to catch them. It's just unfortunate that a lot of the Pokémon species that are the fastest runners tend to have a... violent disposition. Might is the only language a number of Pokémon listen to."

Once Ettie was ready, Josh would climb onto the Sylveon's back. Reins firmly in hand, he would continue on, this time at a much more relaxing pace.

Tradition... That was a bit of a strange word - one that Ettie didn't wholly understand, either, but... She'd nod. That was one she could figure out, another time; but maybe once she learned the meaning of 'tradition', she'd be able to understand exactly what Josh meant by it all.

In the meantime though, there were the Eeveelutions - namely, her looking after Blinky until Josh recalled her, and then switching out to Pinky!

As Pinky came out, it was safe to say that the sylveon was immediately friendly - coming up to Ettie and Duchess both, and immediately attempting to tickle them! Ettie would end up tipping over onto her side - from her knelt position by where Blinky was but a moment ago - giggling and squealing with laughter as she attempted to push back the feelers (not out of wanting Pinky to stop, but more just out of sheer reflex!)

Duchess, meanwhile, would manage to dance just out of reach of the sylveon's feelers - before going into a playbow and barking at Pinky, as if trying to encourage the fairy-type to try and catch her before she could be tickled!

Once Ettie had a chance to catch her breath after the ticklefest though, Josh would speak to her - namely, about her concerns regarding the prior battle. As Josh spoke, she'd mull it over thoughtfully. "... But... Why hunt alone?" She asked, as she got up and dusted herself off. "Safer with pack. Less hurt." And making sure you reduced the risk and severity of injuries was important, in Ettie's mind. Not even solely for survival reasons (though those reasons existed, too.) Even if pokecenters were there to help expedite a pokemon's recovery, an injury caused by hunting alone was still pain inflicted that they could be spared.

As the group moved on though, Ettie would hop onto Anne's back once more - the lycanroc falling in line alongside Pinky, and the pack following at their heels.

Josh Devlin

It seemed like Ettie was having a great time, if possibly overwhelmed from how ticklish the Sylveon's feelers got. Pinky was being a bit more aggressive about it than Josh liked, especially in chasing after Duchess. "Pinky, that's a bit much, don't you think?" He whistled for the fairy-type to return to his side before heading down the road with Anne.

Ettie's concern over Josh's hunting tactics were valid; if he sent his entire squad of Eeveelutions after the wilds he intended to capture, they would each have been significantly less hurt. "It's... a bit hard to explain if you don't understand how Pokémon League regulations work." He simply could not think of the best way to explain to someone not familiar with international standards for Pokémon battles why he fought the way he did. Ever since he became a Gym Leader in the Minor League, following those regulations was second nature. Then it came to him.

"Instinct. You know how some Pokémon hunt alone and others hunt together? Think of it like that."

All of a sudden, Pinky bolted off after a wild Pokémon her trainer didn't notice right away, Josh letting out a yelp as an unexpected QUICK ATTACK from the Sylveon shook him up. "What's gotten into you today, girl?" She only responded with a low-pitched squeal that sounded almost alien, turning toward the Pokémon Josh identified as a Furret. A furret that was positively massive. It reminded him a lot of Techu, one of Aki Kumori 's Pokémon.

Spooked by the sudden display of speed, the Normal-type began swerving madly back and forth to confuse Josh and his fairy-type mount. She was barely keeping up, too, and was going to get away if Josh tried to swap Pokémon or use any of the Sylveon's attacks. Quick Balls were expensive, but they were very useful for catching the types of Pokémon he liked. The ones that weren't overly aggressive had a tendency to be skittish in the wild, fleeing at great speed at the first sign of danger.

Josh's problem, of course, was getting close enough that he would be able to bop the Furret with said Quick Ball. "QUICK ATTACK, Pinky!" Josh commanded, this time able to brace himself. As he squeezed her sides for a burst of speed, the agile Furret about-faced. Josh could have sworn he heard a mild screeching sound as his quarry turned around. That had to have hurt the poor thing's paws. It was, however, a very effective attempt in getting the duo off their trail! He would only have one chance at this catch, as turning Pinky around would put enough distance between the Sylveon and Furret for the wild to escape the Leader's sight. He attempted to time the drop of his Quick Ball onto the oncoming Furret just as it was going to shoot past them.

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MANDIBUZZ APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] BIG PECKS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]PLUCK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]LEER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MIRROR MOVE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SKY ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD CACTURNE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] WATER ABSORB
[attr="class","wildtabox"]LEER	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SAND ATTACK
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SPIKY SHIELD	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ABSORB
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Ettie Josh Devlin

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Josh Devlin CAUGHT THE FURRET!

Indeed, if Josh had tried to explain why he did battles the way he did from the perspective of League regulations, it was unlikely that Ettie would've understood it. But, when the gym leader explained it to be a thing of instinct - Ettie blinked, before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Ooh..." She murmured, slowly nodding. "Ettie understands." Even if Josh traveled in a pack, his pokemon were more suited to lone hunts - like some of the larger predators in the wild. She still felt a little unsure about the idea of having picked a fight with something as big as that pyroar, but at least she could comprehend why it was taken on solo.

It also made Ettie more curious and attentive as to the methods used by Josh and his pokemon. As a furret darted by, it seemed that Pinky's prey drive must've kicked in - because she darted straight after it without a second thought, with poor Josh being dragged along for the ride! All the whilst, Ettie and her pack chased after - watching the sylveon in action, as the furret was sent running for what it must've thought to be its life.

And in watching the chase and capture attempt, Ettie couldn't help but ponder over the differences in how they hunted. For her and her pack, they were persistence hunters - pick a target, separate it from the herd if need be, and then chase it down at a steady pace until it tires out. A battle of attrition, of stamina. But on the other hand, Josh and his pokemon were clearly about out-speeding their prey and just running it down before it had a chance to even blink - and with how fast a lot of them were able to go, they clearly excelled at that. Perhaps that was part of why Josh's pokemon preferred hunting alone? Because it was harder to get into position for a cooperative hunt, when everyone was moving as fast as they possibly could?

It made sense to Ettie, even if her train of logic otherwise wasn't 100% correct.

Nonetheless, much like with the hunt before, Josh would make to catch the furret - throwing the ball as it made a sudden 180 in a last ditch effort to shake Pinky off its tail. Ettie blinked - awe apparent at just how quickly it all happened, from the moment the ferret-pokemon turned around to it suddenly being caught in a Quick Ball. But once the furret was secured, Ettie giggled and let out a whoop of excitement. "Friend caught it!" She cheered, her pack catching up to Josh and Pinky. "What name?" She wondered out loud - peering down to the ball that the furret now rested in.

Josh Devlin

"Yep, every Pokémon has their own hunting preferences," Josh added. "Being a Pokémon racer, all my Pokémon need to be big and strong enough to hold my weight on their backs." This was the biggest reason the Mauville Leader was so incredibly picky about what Pokémon he captured. Even though being stored in Poké Balls left Pokémon nearly in metabolic stasis, a large portion of Josh's budget went toward keeping his many Pokémon fed. Though his Gym covered a substantial amount of it, it wasn't quite enough for his menagerie of ride Pokémon! Sometimes, the young man's patrons wondered if the place was more of a zoo than a Gym.

"Large predators like Pyroar tend to be solitary hunters, and small predators tend to hunt in packs, but that's not always the case," Josh continued. "To hunt alone, they also have to be fast. Really fast. And that's what makes those types of Pokémon so amazing to ride on." Catching Simba, what he had named the new Pyroar, made his mind drift yet again to Aslan, the shiny Pyroar currently staying at Lilycove Regional Medical Center. While out of intensive care and looking like he was going to make it, he was still bedridden, with an expected discharge date of January 6. That felt like an eternity of separation from one of his closest, most loyal Pokémon. "Once Aslan, my other Pyroar, is feeling better, it might be fun to bound across Hoenn on him and Simba together. Pyroar are so loyal once you've started to bond with them."

As for a name? Josh shrugged. He had never thought about catching a Furret until he had seen the size of Aki's. "I... I need time to think on that. I'm not very good with names."

Ettie nodded. "Anne big and strong!" She proudly spoke with a bright smile - wrapping her arms around the lycanroc in question in a big hug. "Anne carries me lots!" Certainly, she was able to run alongside her pack - and she enjoyed doing so! But sometimes, when the terrain was just a bit too tricky for the wildchild to manage on her own, Anne was there to help - ferrying not only her, but also the pups, as need be. Glancing down at said pups though, Ettie couldn't help but wonder - when they evolved, which of them would end up being big enough to carry her? Duchess seemed like a no-brainer, from what Josh said - but what about Princess or Ruffian?

She hoped they all grew big and strong, really - not only for the sake of getting to ride with them, but also just for the sake of them being healthy!

Though, the mention of pyroar being solitary hunters made Ettie blink. The males, she could see that - but she could've sworn she'd seen some females in a group before? Nonetheless, she'd nod in understanding once more - smiling brightly. "Ettie meet Aslan, when better?" She chirped, adding "Ettie wanna meet all-Josh-pack!" How big was his pack? How many different kinds of pokemon did he have, given the variety he already had on display? It was a fascinating thought, to say the least.

Ettie would be distracted from her thoughts, though, when something came out from the undergrowth- namely, a little maschiff. Upon emerging, the pup would glance between the others with a hue of shock - as if she hadn't expected for there to be other people out here... Before beginning to try and bristle, baring her fangs and attempting to give off the most fearsome growl she could muster..!

... Which, it was a shame for the maschiff then, that the sound came out as a bit of a squeak.

Ettie couldn't help but giggle a bit at this, though at the same time she found herself curious - what sort of pokemon was this? It certainly wasn't one she'd met before. Gesturing for her pack to back up a bit, Ettie would sit down in a knelt position on the ground - making herself appear as small and harmless as could be. And smiling, she'd give the maschiff a friendly bark of greeting! "Arf!"

All the whilst, Ruffian would be peeking around from behind Ettie, visibly curious. Who was this, he wondered?

The maschiff seemed a bit caught off-guard by the reception - blinking owlishly... But doubling down on the tough-'mon act, she'd bristle and bark at Ettie - even when each bark sounded just as squeaky as her growls.

However, the barking would stop when Ruffian approached - the lillipup barking something to her, and crouching down in a readied stance. Clearly, something about the maschiff had gotten Ruffian's interest - and he wanted to know more.

Quietly, both pups would peer to each other, intrigued. The maschiff would be the first to make an approach now - gradually stepping closer and sniffing. And when Ruffian's tail began wagging in response, she'd seem to catch on to what he must've wanted - because without warning, she'd tackle into him! Before Ettie or the rest of the pack knew it, the two pups were playfighting with one another!

Ettie blinked a bit at this, but smiled and giggled at the sight. "Have fun!" She chirped to them both.

However, the maschiff was not the only pokemon they'd be meeting - namely, a honchkrow watching from above, head cocking every which way as he stared down at the gathered group. Noticing his presence, Ettie would glance up and smile - digging through her bag for something. "Hello!" She chirped to the honchkrow, and - pulling out a fruit - she'd hold it up, to offer to the dark-type bird. "Friend?"

The honchkrow regarded the offering for a few moments - before seemingly deciding that it was acceptable, jumping down from his perch with a flutter of wings. He'd land before Ettie, pecking at the fruit to begin eating with an air of composure - all the whilst, the wildchild simply sat and watch with a warm smile. "Honchkrows friends!" She explained to Josh, all the whilst. "Flock find prey, tell pack. Pack catch prey, share!" It was a symbiotic relationship, through and through.

Catching Maschiff