Montagne Khastil - Unranked
July 1 - Lumiose City, Kalos
[hr][/hr]
Monty's ears perked up at Esther's mention of poachers on Route 10, but kept his well-trained poker face intact as he sent Oracle to the back room with Nurse Audino. Was it the same group that he took care of for Clarke? No, couldn't be. Esther said she ran into them in Galar.
So she was a do-gooder type, then? Not a lot of people would cross the channel just to return a pokémon to its home. Hopefully that attitude wouldn't complicate things. The criminal had half a mind to ditch his new acquaintences entirely and try to find someone a little less morally inclined, but there was no guarantee he'd find someone on her same level before the tournament in Shabboneau.
Whatever. He'd just have to keep his cards close to his chest.
Nico's explanation of his motivations brought Monty a little more peace of mind, given the inherently selfish drive behind them, and it kindled a little respect for the kid in the criminal. They were both out to get stronger, just Nico seemed more interested in gaining strength as a chef than as a trainer.
The Alolan's partner was a strange looking critter, but the longer Monty spent as a trainer the more he learned strange meant hard to predict. They'd have to battle sometime, maybe try and get more experience for Chauffemagne before the Santalune battle. Speaking of which...
"So besides Houndour-returning and dish-divining," Monty asked both of his new acquaintences, "Do either of you have bigger plans for battling? Oracle and I are heading to Santalune City for a gym battle pretty soon, and-" he turned his gaze to Esther, since she was the more experienced battler, "-there's a double-battle tournament in Camphrier Town in a few days if you'd like to join us for that. Should be on the way to Menhi- Route 10."