So Toki's original pack... Wasn't all that big? Ettie cocked her head a little - somewhat puzzled, feeling as though his dad being a conservationist (which to her, meant lots of friends) would mean that Toki came from one that was at least decently sized. But, maybe Toki and his mom were their own pack...? Either way, as Toki seemed to become down over second thoughts regarding his decision to set off on his own, Ettie would reach over to pat him. "Is okay!" She spoke, with a gentle smile. "Can visit!" There wasn't much stopping him from just, coming back every once in awhile, right?

(Granted, Ettie didn't exactly know - or consider - the sheer scale of distance that may have separated the two.) Nonetheless, Malik was there to help snap Toki out of his negative thoughts - and as the young man lamented over having them, Ettie would smile gently. "No-fear, with pack. Pack helps pack." She reassured - even with just Toki and his own pokemon, they were all in it together. There was strength and safety in numbers, and even counsel in having others around.

And all that aside, Toki certainly seemed to have a brave side, if he was willing to square up against that crawdaunt. Though Ettie had initially been content to just turn around and walk away - feeling like it wasn't worth the trouble to try and fight the crustacean - Toki identified it as a potential threat that shouldn't be left as-is. Which, as Ettie listened, she'd come to a stop to mull it over - cause he made a good point. If it stayed here, it'd just bully the next group to come down the road!

And really, it was impressive seeing Malik get right to work in dealing with the threat before them. The young fomantis moved like a well oiled machine, quickly reacting to the situation at large - as well as each direction Toki gave him - with an air of grace. Even when the grass-type got struck in turn, there was a plan that they put straight to use - setting up Sunny Day, so as to immediately use Solar Beam right after...! Which, that final display of lights was enough to defeat the hostile crawdaunt - the large water-type keeling over, to faint on the spot.

Immediately Ettie ran over with a bright smile on her face. "Good Malik! Protecting good!" She praised excitedly, doing her usual no-tail wiggling like none other. Though, the little grass-type was understandably tuckered out from the whole fight. As Azura took the time to tend to Malik, Ettie joined in as well - pulling out some gauze and bandages. "Where hurt?" She asked attentively, wanting to see if there had been any wounds left behind by the fight that needed bandaging. (Though, would a plant pokemon like Fomantis need bandages, Ettie wondered? Or was water and sun enough?)

But all that aside, Toki's actions did not go unappreciated. On one hand, there was the tandemaus duo that had been disturbed from their hibernation by the crawdaunt's rampaging about - and with the bully crustacean being down for the count, they could've easily chosen to just go back to sleep. But instead, it seemed that they were more than happy to follow after Toki and his group - allowing the ranger cadet to catch them without any fuss or mess.

On the other hand though, there was a raucous crowing, like laughter. Up in a branch, a murkrow seemed to be making merry over the fact that the crawdaunt had gotten its rear end kicked by a much-smaller pokemon, and was having an absolute laughing fit - pointing their wing down at the crustacean in what might've been a mocking gesture. Ettie blinked as she regarded the dark-type up above - her eyes lighting up in recognition as she saw it.

Did she specialize in corvid pokemon, the same way she did canid pokemon? Perhaps not as strongly - but corvid pokemon like murkrow were potential friends for any pack. Having eyes in the sky always helped in tracking down prey or food to gather - and in turn, the pack provided protection and a share of the food gathered. Even if this little crow was a rude little stinker, Ettie was willing to try and make friends - pulling out some dried berries from her bag, and holding them out to the murkrow. "Hello, friend!"

Which, in response, the murkrow would blink - pausing mid-laughter to instead glance down and regard the other humans and pokemon present. The offer of food, on its own, seemed plenty tempting enough - and without any hesitance, the crow pokemon would hop down with a flap of their wings to settle on Ettie's arm - plucking each berry right out of her palm. Hm - not bad, they could see an opportunity when it showed its face - or her face, more accurately. Perhaps they could stick around?

Catching the Murkrow

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SNIPER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]PURSUIT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BUG BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]POISON FANG	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]BITE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Toki Akiyama Ettie

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

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

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

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] PICKPOCKET
[attr="class","wildtabox"]PUNISHMENT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]LEER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]QUICK ATTACK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SLASH
[attr="class","wildtabox"]FEINT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]Toki Akiyama Ettie

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

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

Toki sighed "Yeah...my duties as a Ranger, especially a fledgling one, make it hard. Alola's pretty far away from here, so it would have to be when I have a lot of time off. Moving so far away...I guess I still haven't really considered what that means in terms of seeing family. But you're right...I can visit." He gently cradled Malik "Pack helps pack, huh..?" He always appreciated how much he and his Pokemon got along, but he never really considered their own affection towards him. They were like family to him now...but was he theirs? Given their sensitivity to his emotions, perhaps they appreciated him more than he realized.

He would let Ettie dote on Malik after his victory. It was hard earned, so the praise was good for him. She would proceed to help with his injuries, something both Toki and Malik appreciated as the grass type wiggled his little claws happily as he looked at her. "I think he likes you." Toki said with a smile. "He's just got a couple little bruises, nothing a little rest and some water won't fix." He said as he pulled out a little spray bottle of water and spritzed some on Malik.

Toki was taken aback by the sudden cawing laughter that came from the trees and looked up at the Murkrow mocking the downed Crawdaunt's defeat. Then, Ettie immediately gravitated towards the bird Pokemon and offered it a place among her team. He didn't really know the symbiotic relationship between some birds and canines, so he asked "May I ask what some of your favorite kinds of Pokemon are? Clearly dogs, but it looks like birds are on that list too?"

Before that, though, he heard a sharp clang. He turned and just a few feet away, Aylin had clashed her hammer with a Weavile's sneaky claws. "Aylin?" He called out, concerned as the Weavile swiped at her again, though she blocked it just in time with her hammer again. He felt around his pockets to make sure nothing was amiss and thankfully the Weavile didn't get a chance to grab anything. "Careful Aylin, let's do this quick and simple. Play Rough." He commanded, pulling a free Pokeball out of his pocket. Aylin charged with a slightly pinkish hue as she dove headlong against Weavile, giving them a good smack on the head and pushed it away as Toki tossed the ball. Caught off guard and dizzied by the blow, the Weavile was caught with little fuss.

Toki sighed and felt around his pockets again "I'll have to restock on Pokeballs soon at this rate...come on Ettie, let's pick up the pace!" He said with a smile as he continued walking forward with Aylin at his side "Thanks for catching that, Aylin...I didn't even hear them coming. You probably saved a lot of our stuff." He leaned down and pat her head gently, and she looked very pleased and content with the praise. "Aylin's always been super attentive along with Azura. I swear the two are like the big sisters of my group..."

Catching the Weavile

It looked like there wasn't any broken skin from Malik's little fight (assuming that a plant pokemon would even need to worry about that sort of thing?) - and at worst, there were just a few bruises and surface-level scrapes. Which, from the sounds of things, some misting from a spray bottle that Toki had would be enough to help jumpstart the healing process. Ettie giggled at the happy wiggles Malik made - and raising a hand, she'd gently scritch the little fomantis. "Malik friend!" She declared with a gentle smile, nodding in response to Toki's comment. "Malik cute!"

As Ettie spent some time befriending the Murkrow though, Toki had a question - namely, on what sorts of pokemon Ettie liked. She'd blink for a second, thinking on the question as she glanced between murkrow and her pack. "Dogs good!" Ettie agreed - though as she thought over an answer, the words were a little tricky to figure out. "Ettie... Like pack! Want big-pack. Want many-friends! Pack... Like home." She spoke, her words slow and careful, as she tried her damndest to articulate herself with her limited vocabulary.

"And... Black-bird pokemon... Friends with pack! Flock find prey. Pack hunt prey. Pack share prey. Flock find more!" A mutually beneficial agreement, to say the least. Sure, scavengers like murkrow could be troublesome - but the idea of an easy meal and safety was a strong appeal for many wild pokemon. And all they needed to do was cooperate and do what they did best, for both pack and flock to go home on full stomachs. Which, speaking of murkrow - the one that Ettie had perched on her arm seemed content enough to stick around, an appraising gaze looking the group over briefly...

... At least, until a CLANG drew everyone's attentions - the sound of metal being struck. The murkrow would take wing to fly up to a nearby branch, watching as Aylin clashed with a weavile - one who looked to have been attempting to swipe some items from the group!

Anne bristled and growled as she protectively stepped closer to Ettie - certainly not trusting the ice-type anywhere near her. However, Toki and Aylin both had it quite handled - being able to fight the weavile off and catch it before it could cause any further trouple. Once more, Ettie giggled and clapped her hands, praising the little tinkatink with a chirped "Good Aylin!" It didn't look like Aylin had gotten hit by anything either, which made it especially impressive! "Protecting good!"

But with that, it looked like Toki was ready to keep moving - and Ettie nodded, hopping up onto Anne's back once more to lead the way down the path to Fortree. "Aylin-Azura watch good!" Ettie agreed with a warm smile, nodding. The older siblings and cousins in Ettie's original pack always looked after the littler ones - and it was not too different from Anne looking after everyone, or Princess keeping an eye out for Duchess! Or perhaps the Houndoom, too? She seemed to be keeping a watchful eye over the group, too, gently nudging Princess with her nose to make sure the Snubbull didn't fall behind.

Skipping Drapion

Malik gently nuzzled into Ettie's scritches, appreciative of her attention and praise. Toki smiled and continued to cradle the resting Pokemon "He likes you." He said as they continued walking along. It shouldn't be that much longer before they reached Fortree. It was a long day already, but checking in at Ranger HQ and finding a place to stay would add more to it still. He shrugged it off and tried not to stress too much about it.

"Pack like home, huh...? They're your family, so of course you appreciate them so deeply..." He mused as he began to understand how difficult it could be for Ettie to communicate her feelings with her vocabulary. If she really was raised by a group of wild Pokemon like this, then it was frankly a miracle she was as good at communicating with people as she was now. She was intelligent, friendly, and had a positive and outgoing attitude, so Toki was sure she was going to live her life well. She wanted a lot of Pokemon to add to her pack, to her family. It was a pure, kind reason to raise Pokemon...

It was true that corvids and canines got along pretty well all things considered. A symbiotic relationship where both flourished under the right circumstances. Aylin went back to her happy waddling and waving her hammer around joyfully as soon as the quick battle was over. Toki was decent at handling wild Pokemon, and would only consider himself decent at this stage. He had a firm grasp of type match ups and a good feel for tactical move usage, but he still felt as if he had a long way to go.

Toki, Ettie, and their Pokemon would continue down the path with all of the eventful stuff seemingly behind them. "Thank you, Ettie. For taking this walk with me. You didn't have to, but...you did, and you said nice things about my Pokemon. So...thanks." Azura was walking alongside some of Ettie's pack, cheerfully bounding along and barking her unique songs. Aylin stuck by Toki's side, and Malik was fast asleep. "I don't have very many friends outside of my Pokemon...it...never really occurred to me to even try making some."

"Ettie like Malik!" Ettie agreed with a bright smile - giving Malik one last pat on the head, before deciding to leave the fomantis be - just so that he could properly rest and recuperate now. He wouldn't get much rest, if she kept patting and chattering the grass type's ear off, after all. Still, she'd cast happy little glances in the fomantis' direction - clearly endeared to Malik.

Ettie would tilt her head in a thoughtful fashion as Toki compared one's pack to family, though - and as she thought it over herself... She realized that it wasn't too far from the truth! Most of her original family were her parents, aunts/uncles, siblings, or cousins, anyways! "Yeah!" Ettie confirmed with a smile, nodding eagerly. "Pack is family! Ettie loves pack-family!" Love was the name for that warm feeling she got in her chest, whenever she thought of those close to her, right? Cause if so, she held lots of love for those around her - her pack especially!

With everything handled though, the group continued on down the road - and it seemed that there wouldn't be any other wild pokemon emerging from the wilderness beyond. Thus, the group was left in peace - and as Aylin bwarked out a song, Duchess would attempt to bark along (although someone would likely need to teach the little electrike how to sing, before she takes it to stage.)

When Toki spoke, Ettie smiled to him and nodded. "Toki-pack are friends! Toki-pack are nice, too!" She spoke, reaching over to hold Toki's hand and give it a brief squeeze. "Toki good packleader!" She saw how well Toki directed Malik and Aylin - his pack respected and followed him, and he respected and cared for them in turn. If that wasn't the sign of a good leader, she didn't know what was!

Though, it seemed Toki had trouble making friends with other humans - and well... Ettie would smile, mentioning "Ettie is new friend, yes? Toki doing great!" Sure, she recognized that she was... A bit odd, compared to other humans who were raised by their own kin. But nonetheless, Toki seemed plenty friendly and nice, so she was sure he'd find more friends in time!

And she was sure he'd have plenty of opportunities to socialize in Fortree . She could see, off in the distance, the shapes of the treetop buildings that made up the city (even if they blended in with the rest of the forest, to the naked eye.) "Almost-Fortree!" Ettie spoke to Toki with a bright smile, pointing ahead. They were almost there!

Malik drifted to a cozy slumber after Ettie decided to leave him be to recover. New friends were always appreciated, and his rest was relaxed and calm. Toki's other Pokemon were also clearly endeared to Ettie, comfortably getting closer to her and happy for her presence. Toki couldn't help but admire Ettie's energy and how she lived for the moment so effortlessly. Nothing bothered her or got her down, at least not for very long, and that kind of optimism is something that should be cared for and nurtured.

Ettie was someone who was extremely easy to get along with. Extroverted, kind, a bit hyperactive and overall really friendly. Her philosophies on family and love were more than enough to warm Toki's heart. She was someone who could do a lot of good someday, and he knew that she would if she kept going as she is now.

The road was now clear and safe from immediate hostility, so the route to Fortree was safer. Toki let out a sigh of relief "That was...definitely an eventful hike. Sorry if I got a little carried away in handling the wild Pokemon around here, Ettie...I tend to...push myself a little hard with my Ranger duties. I just hope my Pokemon aren't stressed out about it...though they definitely seem to be okay." He said as he smiled at his crew. When Ettie mentioned he was a good 'pack leader,' he couldn't help but blush "You really think so? Compared to a lot of people I'm pretty new at this sort of thing. I appreciate the compliment of course, just...yeah you know what...I'll grow into this. I won't let you down, Ettie." He smiled softly.

"Yeah...we're friends." He said, happy to have her as a friend. "I'm happy to have you as one." Once the two were almost at Fortree, he looked at Ettie "Think you can help give me a little tour of Fortree? At least show me where the Ranger station is?" He asked as he started to put his Pokemon back in their pokeballs so they could get some nice rest.

"If Toki-worried about pack, Toki ask." Ettie pointed out with a gentle smile, as the ranger mulled over how his pokemon were doing. In the moment, the warm smiles were all they needed to know that everyone was okay - but checking in was good, too! "Toki do-great, Ettie knows!" She'd add - reaching up to hold his hand and squeeze it, in a comforting gesture that she had picked up from others. Really, a good squeeze on the hand or in a hug just felt good in general to her!

And with Toki as a friend, well... "Toki-friend make-happy, too!" She spoke with a grin, a bounce to her step. She had a task to do now, though - namely, guiding Toki through Fortree! "Ranger-den this way! Come!" She knew where a lot of places in Fortree were - including a few hidden nooks and crannies - even if she had her own names for half of them!

With that, she'd begin pulling Toki along - even if not with all that much force, given her small size. If he matched her pace, she'd go into a light jog as they entered Fortree proper - the pack following at their heels. The young wildchild was all smiles and giggles all the whilst, glancing back to Toki every so often - as if to see how he was doing, too. Meeting Toki had been quite fun, to say the least - and she was looking forward to getting to spend more time with him, in the future!