"Oh, that's so cute!" Ana can't help but squeal as she spots the Wigglytuff rolling towards her. She crouches down to greet the Pokémon at eye level, reaching out to boop its nose playfully. "Aren't you just the most adorable little puffball? Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Old Whiskers watches from nearby, his tails swishing back and forth in amusement as he keeps a keen eye on the proceedings. His ears twitch at the sound of battle coming from inside the dojo, a distant look in his eyes as if lost in memories of his own.

Ana glances up from the Wigglytuff to see if she can spot its trainer—which she does! A girl with striking blonde hair. "Is this your dojo? I've heard so many great things about the stuff that goes on here! I was hoping to learn a thing or two myself—my Pokémon and I are still pretty new to battling."

She grins, her eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement. The prospect of learning to fight alongside her partner, to forge the kind of bond she's heard so much about... it's almost too much for her to handle.

"I'm Ana, by the way!" she adds, realizing she's been prattling on without even introducing herself. "Ana Harmon, artist and adventurer extraordinaire! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Thea Naito

"Oh, you know, just a bit here and there," Ana replies with a grin, trying to play it cool. In reality, her knowledge of martial arts could probably fit inside a Pokéball with room to spare. But hey, that's what she's here to learn, right?

She reaches down to scratch Old Whiskers behind the ears, the Espeon's eyes narrowing contentedly at the attention. "This here's my partner, Old Whiskers. He's been with me since... well, since before I can remember!"

Ana straightens up, clapping her hands together with an eager smile. "Honestly, I don't know all that much about battling or martial arts or anything like that. But I want to learn! There's so much out there to discover, and I want to see it all! And if I'm gonna do that, I need to be able to hold my own in a fight."

Her eyes grow distant. A very short time ago, an odd man told her that Hoenn is dangerous, and she believes him. His words solidified her need to learn how to defend herself. Thea's dojo seems like a great first step to Ana! She refocuses on the girl in front of her with a grin, and her excitement is once more palpable, a barely contained storm of energy just waiting to be unleashed. "Can you teach me how to fight like that? I promise I'm a quick learner!"

Thea Naito