Lucia had been staying in her little hidey hole that wasn't entirely trashy. For one, she had found an abandoned mattress down here that was clean enough and made a fancy little resting place. And the nearby vendors seemed to give her a cut if she did little odd jobs for them.

But it always felt strange to live like this while the other kids went home with other people. She frequently would sit in the park and sometimes play with other kids until they all split up to go their separate ways. The way they hugged their parents and such had given her a brief surge of homesickness that was ultimately pushed down.

Today, Lucia was taking a walk around the park after spending some time training with her team against some of the wild pokemon nearby, with the occasional trainer. But she came across a forlorn looking kid on the swingset looking lonely. She normally would have let them be and keep to herself.

But the way the kid was just looking down. And that expression made an impact on her.

"Hi." Lucia walked over quietly and gave Sam a timid wave. She was dressed in the Blueberry Academy uniform with an oversized coat that barely fit, reaching down to her ankles. "Can I swing by you?"

If given permission, Lucia slowly sat next to Sam and would try her best to have a conversation. Ask his name, what he likes, the small stuff.

Shalin Nariya

☉

Sure she was a little bit older than the boy, but he seemed like a fun person to really get to know. Something about how he was so open despite not knowing her reminded her a little about what kids acted like around his age. Just a short introduction and what they liked. She smiled a little while her introduced himself as Sammy. At her request to swing with him, he moved aside as if she was going to park near him and do it that way.

But that flash of burnt skin underneath the shirt had caused her mind to freeze. It had to really take a bit to calm her nerves a bit at the sight of that little image, though she had recovered after a bit and continued to keep up that smiling appearance.

"It's alright, I'll just take the swing next to you!"

The sound of a Vulpix caught her ears as she swung around catch sight of a heavily scarred pokemon looking up from the merry-go-ground. It had suffered the same kind of damage that Sammy's markings under his clothing had, though even worse. Lucia could feel her skin crawl by looking at it. What had happened to these two to cause such a thing?

"O-Oh, a detective? That's cool! Does he go around solving crimes?"

Yet she hated herself for this reaction she had. Maybe it was the reason he was swinging alone like this. Her brother would have offered to befriend him and damn it, that's what she would do as well! That's what he would have wanted for her.

"Yeah! Trains and cars can go superfast! I heard Unova have supertrains that are the fastest in the world!" Lucia smiled, matching his enthusiasm and answering his question to her. "I'm Lucretia, but Lucia is fine."

She hadn't noticed the eavesdropping or staring that Nikita was giving behind her. For all she knew, he was a random adult on his phone in the park like this. They were just two kids playing along, Lucia swinging next to Sammy while trying to show him some semblance of having a friend to play with.

"Is that your Vulpix?" Lucia asked, "Are you training to become a Master too?"

Nikita Sokolov

☉

Lucia was so caught up in talking with another child (even if pretty younger than her) that the Houndstone investigating her hidey hole hadn't been on one of the things worrying her. The ghost-type wouldn't have too hard of a time finding it as her scent clung to it pretty heavily. Evidence she had been there for quite a while.

Sammy's grandpa did sound like quite the detective person to do detective work from...whatever that entailed. She wasn't too keen on what it could mean since she thought they sat at a desk and read newspapers all day but there was bound to be more hard work they did! Lucia Did jump at the sudden noise nearby. A startled Deerling that had been caught off guard and was hoping that no stalking predators around to take advantage of it. Having a super famous detective for a dad or an uncle did sound fun!

She smiled down at the Vulpix. The name and the type of Vulpix it was made her assume it was an Alolan species. Sam showed an interest in trains and although Lucia herself wasn't entirely too knowledgeable with how they worked, she could show her support for him though!

"Yeah! I haven't been there myself, but they're said to be the fastest trains ever! I'm sure Blizz would like walks way more though." Lucia said with a grin. "It's old fashioned. My mom said I was named after my grandmother back home in Paldea."

It confirmed that Lucia was indeed whom he had been told about.

The younger child also seemed to share her desire to prove himself in the world of Pokemon. It wasn't an uncommon thing to see in their age demographic. What kind of kid could pass up the chance to daydream about being the best of the best? The self-correction was weird but she didn't mind it much! Not when there was the chance at showing off her party!

"I sure do! Here's my first Pokemon I ever caught!"

One pokeball toss later and a Dunsparce popped out. He wriggled around in front of Lucia and cast his eyes up at Sammy and Blizz. He wasn't too fairly brave, even less so that at the sight of new people, he went back to jumping into his trainer's arms. His drill tail shook in short bursts while Hero's tiny wings fluttered while Lucia held him.

"His name is Hero. The best Dunsparce in the world, and most bravest too! I have a whole bunch more too! Have you ever been to Paldea before?"

Another check on Nikita's list no doubt.

Nikita Sokolov

☉