As Cap walked up the trail, he couldn't help but notice the growing storm clouds gathering just ahead of him. He winced. The universe wasn't going to do this. It wasn't going to rain on him on his one day off, right? One, singular drop striking his cheek told him otherwise.

"Oh, come on," he grumbled. He knew he should've checked the weather before hauling his sorry ass all the way out here. His brows furrowed. No, he was going to get his hot springs, dammit. He was so wrapped up in his own plans that he almost didn't notice the person walking around a corner of the path towards him. Cap raised a hand and started to call out a cheery hello. The words died in his throat as the figure got closer and it was, in fact, a Machoke. Just strolling down the path like it had any business pretending to be a person. Cap's mouth snapped shut and his eyes darted forward. Just don't make eye contact. The two passed each other peacefully, but Cap could swear he heard the Machoke humming.

The storm tumbled down the mountain path far more quickly than he could have imagined. One raindrop turned to ten turned to a hundred and soon Cap was staring down a wall of rain that barreled right for him. A crack of lightning sent him running, though without any direction he just ended up getting stuck in the rain for longer than he probably should have. Lavaridge Town was too far away for him to try to brave the storm. Eventually, he found an outcropping of rock that would keep most of the rain off of him. It was only once he settled against the back wall that he noticed he wasn't alone. A little figure was huddled just a few feet from him, arms wrapped around its knees. Cap nodded a greeting.

"Helluva storm, huh?" The Riolu started, then slowly turned to make eye contact. Almost as if it thought if it sat still enough, Cap wouldn't realize it was there. It almost worked. "Y'know, at the end of this route, there's a town that's supposed to have the best hot springs in the world. That's where I was headed. Just had to get away from the daily grind for a bit, you understand." He looked to see the Riolu nod sympathetically. "You could always come with me, if you want. As much as it doesn't really make sense to go swimming after all this—" He gestured to the raging storm just beyond their little shared rock. "I think we've earned it."