While still out of sight, she stretched once more, taking a deep sigh. A deliberate action, given that she had to kind of psych herself up a little bit. And she did not want to be seen doing it, really, because that was kind of weird. They were just going to travel, after all. Nothing ground breaking. Something she had done over and over in the past. Not as often with this woman, but it was still kind of normal. A nothing to see here kind of moment, as far as she was concerned.
[break][break]
But it still kind of felt weird, after everything that had happened. Weird, but not necessarily bad. In fact, she had a kind of good feeling about it all. The fresh air and sun were already doing her good and she enjoyed being on the move again instead of cramped up in or near a hospital.[break][break]
Megan tried to focus on that as she put on a smile, rounded the corner and started walking towards the two azure beings on the bridge. That was the kind of positivity they needed. So, she would do her best to conjure it up, by force if necessary.

[break][break]

+ Johanna Joy

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Whelp. Nothing helped with the blue groove like an enthusiastic smile from a blue girl. Well, something like that. “Hey there, hope you didn’t have to wait long,” she replied, her spirits actually lifted as she approached those two. It was good to see Jo being this chipper again, especially after everything that had happened to the girl recently.
[break][break]
“Seems like the big guy wants to get a move on already, so let’s walk and talk,” she added, offering a brief nod to the Balstoise as she closed the distance. That one wasn’t difficult to read. Though her attention shifted back to the other quickly. Not like she could help it. For obvious reasons, Johanna had kind of dominated her thoughts lately.

[break][break]

+ Johanna Joy

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Offer accepted, it appeared. Good, because she had more than enough energy after having been cooped up for quite a while as the other recovered. Not that Megan faulted the girl for that, of course. In fact, she had been surprised by how quickly the other had regained her bearings. She certainly had come a long way from the scared girl Meg had met in a space-time distortion, that much was for sure.
[break][break]
“Actually, I am not quite sure,” she replied, honestly, as they started to cross the bridge. “We did go through just about anything randomly on my mind while you were still stuck in that hospital, after all.” A laugh followed. Her usual way of dealing with even minor awkwardness. Mostly because, well, after that initial big discussion, she had kind of shied away from the more difficult topics. It was probably time to give up that somewhat cowardly position. She sighed. “Though come to think of it. Have you made a decision? How to move forward, I mean.”

[break][break]

+ Johanna Joy

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Megan briefly stopped when she heard those words. They felt kind of familiar, but also foreign. This was what she had told Jo all the way back, hadn’t she? Becoming a gym leader had been her goal, after all.
[break][break]
Yet, the difference clearly was in the presentation. When Megan had said it, she had spoken of far-off aspirations, of ultimate goals that she would eventually try to realize. But when Jo said it, there was something so deterministic, so urgent in them that even those familiar words felt alien.
[break][break]
So alien that briefly, she just stopped entirely. “I…see,” was all she could deliver initially. It took her a few moments to shake her head as if shaking something off, before trying to laugh that episode off. “Sorry about that. I just had the thought that I really ought to get around to doing that too, don’t I?”

[break][break]

+ Johanna Joy

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Megan had to chuckle. “You make it sound so easy,” she started, only to then trail off for a bit and stretch. “Thing is, I like doing what I am doing right now. Travelling, getting stronger, better. Meeting people I grow fond of. Those sorts of things. When I started this journey, I kind of only saw it as a means to an end, a chore on my path to becoming an awesome gym leader. But somewhere along the way….I kind of started doing it because I liked doing it, you know?”
[break][break]
Naturally, she knew that this was not sustainable. Yes, she could probably live on the loam for quite a while, but she had to start to look into the future at some point. Settling down was inevitable. But since she had wasted so many years not moving, the thought of stopping was simply kind scary. “Plus, once I actually go all in, what do I do if I fail?”

[break][break]

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Ironically, said death had the opposite effect on Megan in that regard, in a way. “Sometimes, failing is the end,” she muttered, not even in really in response but rather half to herself, as she was reminded of her own failure to help back then. If they had not been given a second chance by, well, chance, then that failure truly would have been an end. In a way, that had only made her more scared of messing up when it came to the big stuff.
[break][break]
Though learned she had, at least. Unlike Blastoise and Lucario, who were still warily eyeing one another. Those two, ironically, created distance between them out of a common denominator – they were protecting their trainers, after all.
“But I am always glad about your help. I usually don’t ask for that and don’t like it too much when I need it, but you’re the genuine sort. That helps me with that.” It was probably quite introspective of her, too. Having spent so long being the one to offer up superficial help had left marks on her own perspectives, so it was actually an accomplishment already that she was willing to try and forge proper bonds.

[break][break]

+ Johanna Joy

[attr="class","pokeclass"]