The sun was partially obscured above, creating a refreshingly cool day as far as Vivien was concerned. It was a huge relief compared to his travels down route one, anyway, when the sun had been hot enough to pinken his skin. The evidence was strongest on his face, sunburn flushing over his cheekbones and shoulders. It wasn't horrible, but it hurt, and he hated looking like the sheltered city kid who wasn't smart enough to wear sunscreen. He'd just walked out of a small shop, and held a bundle in his arms - he'd promised Emily a journal like Valencia had, and he was at least true to his word. He tucked it into his bag, to be held for later, because the Poochyena was currently tucked away in the PC for the time being. < She'll love it, > Valencia squealed, jumping along at Vivien's feet as he walked to a bench in the center of the small village. Vivien smiled, settling down onto the seat. He'd decided to only bring Valencia and his Carnivine, Hesperus, with him for now, feeling that they both fulfilled a very clear purpose in his journey. Valencia, with her adventurous attitude and friendly disposition, was the perfect partner for helping him collect data and Pokemon to study. That, and she was his first partner upon arriving in Inset - and that was important. On the other hand he had Hesperus, who was very kind to him but vicious to others, including even Valencia. He would be able to help protect them in a pinch. He was kept safe and away in his Pokeball though, because his Chikorita had first rights to fresh air and he didn't want to listen to them fight.

"I'm surprised we got through Route One without much trouble," Vivien said honestly, kneeling down to adjust Valencia's bag around her neck. The Chikorita hummed agreement, standing still but proudly - the way she did whenever anyone fussed over her in any way. Well, at least, whenever Vivien fussed over her. < Maybe it'll all be that nice! Though the Grubbin was a jerk. >

"That he was," Vivien responded, thinking about how cute 'jerk' sounded from the small Pokemon. Well, he could only hope their luck would hold, though he had the nagging uncertainty in the back of his mind telling him that he at least needed to train Hes when he got the chance. Otherwise they'd be completely defenseless if something more aggressive did come along. He hated forcing them to fight, he'd never been comfortable with it, but Hesperus was more than willing. Plus, he was incredibly curious about evolution, and different moves, and how they were utilized... so if he wasn't forcing them, he was willing to learn. Well, they'd work on it, when they had time. In the meantime he'd hope for the best. "If you want you can look around, see if there are any wild ones hanging about? I'd like to do some research here." He wasn't trained, nothing like the Lab techs were, but Vivien had a passion for learning about Pokemon both wild and tame, and he had his own slightly worn notebook in his bag - lightly used, for now, but he was incredibly eager to do something about it. He wanted to explore Inset like he hadn't been able to explore his own hometown.

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Word Count: 560
Tag: @staffer
Notes: Exeggcute or Paras would be A+ but I'll take anything!