Montagne Khastil - Unranked
July 1 - Lumiose City, Kalos
“Partner” had a nice ring to it, and Monty returned Esther’s enthused grin. He’d have to remember to shoot Cormier a text and let him know he found someone to pair up with.
As if on cue, Oracle stalked out from behind the counter as Esther mentioned her name. The Absol's coat was freshly cleaned, courtesy of the lovely Pokémen Center, and she had a pep in her step that was immediately soured when she remembered who was waiting for her on the other side of the counter.
Monty hadn't gotten rid of their tag alongs yet?! How annoying. Her trainer was getting into the habit of making decisions that entailed
massive consequences for her general quality of life, and this was like the straw that broke the Numel's back! Trainers brought pokémon, and other pokémon meant
constant annoyance for her!
Sure, Chauffemagne and Abnégarde learned their place quickly enough, but the Absol's mind flashed back to a couple weeks prior when she was subjected to the yip-yapping of Vulpix and Pikachu all day. These trainers seemed equally as chatty as Monty's decrepit comrades had been, but she just hoped their pokémon wouldn't be as loud and obnoxious.
Maybe it was a good thing that the girl was still around, though. Oracle might get another chance to thrash that insolent little drake of hers. The Absol eyed Nico's Scovillain warily, not recognizing the foreign pokémon, so she opted for a glare as her gaze passed over it.
"Welcome back," Monty said to Oracle as she sulked up to him, recieving a disapproving look in response. "I was just about to tell Esther about your teammates." The criminal turned back to his new acquaintence as he withdrew two balls from his coat, one Dusk and one Quick. "I've got two others," he explained, "A Houndour of my own, and an Eevee. I've only had Houndour half as long as Oracle, though, and Eevee less than that.
Monty didn't want to release them just yet, so he slipped the balls back into his pocket. He didn't want Chauffemagne off-putting their new companions just yet with his patented interrogation-by-smell, and he wasn't trying to deal with Abnégarde's smothering just yet, either.
Monty wanted to hear about the rest of Esther’s team, though. If her other pokémon were as strong as Pyrrha, they’d be in good shape for whatever the tournament threw their way. "If you two don't mind a little walking and talking," his gaze bounced between Esther and Nico, "Santalune’s not getting any closer. Best to get started while the morning's still young, eh? And-" Monty's gaze settled on Nico, "-we should be able to stop by a galette vendor on the way to Route 5. There isn't a better breakfast in all of Kalos, I swear!”
Oracle rolled her eyes at the galette suggestion. It really wasn't anything special, and
definitely not worth the wait. Her claws flexed in eager agreement with his desire to leave, though. It was about time they got this show on the road!