Collax looked over at the lush, tangled green of the jungle and nodded.
"Ah, more than confident. It's only leaves, trees, and vines. I mean, if y'all aren't comfortable with it, I can head in there with Barkley and we can find 'im on our own." Barkley floated up to his shoulder and twirled around his head before sitting atop his grey trilby. "A little bit 'o trees never slowed me down. I dunno about you, though. And that girl with the swole ego don't seem to promising either." He snickered slightly. "I'd be willing to bet money she's gonna slow most of us down so she can trek through without messing up her clothing. Hah.." He turned to face the thick leaves of the jungle and marched right forward, his thick-soled boots crunching along the leaves. Although the swift changes in the biomes of the region did indeed interest him, he was more than happy with it as he hiked through the trees. This kind of land was he and Barkley's home. They grew up in forests, trained in them, fought in them... trees were as much a part of his soul as they were Barkley's. He was itching to delve into them.
Even where he was, he noticed the frustrated cries of Madison, the girl he hadn't met, but watched battling. He recognized her attitude and very self-centered treatment of others, and he wasn't particularly fond of it. Now, she sounded quite irritated, and he heard shuffles of very quick scuffle, then the familiar sound of a Pokeball. Madison must have run into a wild Pokemon.
Collax and Barkley hopped headlong into the thickened jungle, unconcerned with the leaves or vines. Barkley floated higher up and followed Collax, who was hopping over thick tree roots and shoving past large leaves. He trekked, largely unhindered, until he recognized the sounds of scuttling. Insect scuttling.
He stopped, raising a hand to call Barkley down, who had also heard the sounds. When they both stopped, the culprit burst out from behind a thick bush, shrouded by a curtain of vines. It was small, purple, and had a very recognizable tail.
A Skorupi. A Pokemon that Collax had multiple run-ins with back at his home region. He wasn't super fond of it, but this one wasn't outright attacking him as a wild Pokemon usually would. It was standing there, looking him over, as though it had never once seen a human being before, or even a Phantump. Which was completely understandable, given they were both from another region. Collax and Barkley exchanged glances as the Skorupi stared them both down, not entirely sure what to think. Skorupi wasn't a jungle Pokemon. It was a desert inhabitant. What was one doing all the way out here? Was there a desert nearby? If so, how could that be possible? They weren't even half a mile into the continent yet. Jungle, he could understand. Oak forest, not so much, especially so close to the palm trees of the beach, but he could see it happen. But a desert? How could an arid biome like a desert be so close to the jungle? Did the Skorupi travel too far in one direction? Was it lost?
Both Collax and Barkley considered these options as the Skorupi tried to make up its mind about them. Barkley tilted his head towards the insect, pointing with his smaller branch. He had a concerned expression on his wooden face. Collax looked at the bug and understood. He knelt down, watching the insect carefully, which in turn took multiple steps back. It wasn't sure if Collax was attacking it or not. Instead, he held out a small, yellow object. A piece of a Pinap berry that he refused to eat. Barkley spoke up a bit, calling out to the Skorupi a few times, which grew notably less wary and approached, nabbing the berry slice and immediately retreating back a few meters. Thankfully, the Skorupi seemed to like the berry, unlike Collax and Barkley. The Phantump reached into Collax's bag and pulled out the rest of the Pinap berry, placing it on the ground in front of them. Skorupi approached, sniffing it and proceeding to dive into it. The little insect was notably hungry, as though it hadn't eaten in a decent while. Collax and Barkley smiled disarmingly.
Barkley floated back, giving the Skorupi its space. Collax also backed up slightly, holding up his hands to present the lack of weaponry.
"Well, ain't you an odd one." He said, looking the insect over as it ate. "Sittin' all the way out here from your home. I bet you ain't ever seen humans before, eh? Well, I tell you something, I ain't no danger to ya. I promise ya." The Skorupi proceeded with the berry, occasionally looking over at Collax to see if he was advancing. He wasn't. He was sitting, waiting for the others to catch up to him as the Skorupi continued to eat.
