Bonjour, Adventure! [Oliver/Closed]

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

The horn blasting in the air was a sign that the boat had finally docked. Oliver looked up from his spot on the deck, smiling a bit and standing up to follow the crowd out. This was it. This was his fresh start. Well, sort of. Oliver recently found out that his old friends traveled to the same region that he decided to travel through. It was a pleasant surprise, especially since it had been a while since Oliver had seen any of them. Now that he thought about it, it had been months - possibly a year - since he had seen any of his friends in person. Sure, video chat and IM's made it easy to keep up with people, but it was always fun to see friends in person.

Following the flow of passengers, Oliver found himself lost in the crowd. It was surprisingly packed, and he wasn't a fan of how close everyone was. He felt like a Remoraid stuck in a can. People pushed and shoved, eager to get off the boat, and Oliver ultimately decided to stay back and let most of the crowd get off first. Once it thinned enough, he hopped off the platform and onto land, looking eagerly for Gozu in the crowd.

Oliver wondered if he could even spot Gozu out in the crowd, or if his friend would recognize him. He and his friends had all grown considerably, he didn't need pictures ( or selfies, as Nina would call them ) to know that. For Oliver, his injuries had healed well from that one encounter of theirs. All that was left was a small scar on his cheek. He also had grown a bit, allowed his hair to grow out and invested in contacts. He actually wondered if Gozu would know it was him without the glasses.

Walking through the crowd, Oliver looked around for any sign of Gozu. And then, he finally saw his friend. And Oliver couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight. There was Gozubura, jogging in place and looking around back and forth, probably in search for him. And there was a unfamiliar Pokemon on his backpack. Oliver raised his arm high above his head and waved over at his friend. "Gozu, over here!" He said loudly. Then, he jogged towards his friend.

Gozu looked much different, as Oliver had expected. His blonde hair was growing back again, it was a nice look for Gozu. He wondered if Nina had convinced him. The two of them were closer in height now too, only by a couple of inches if Oliver had to guess. He smiled brightly at the other boy and offered a fist bump to the other. "It's good to see you again, Gozu. How've you been? What have you been up to?" Oliver glanced at the Pokemon on Gozu's backpack. "Who's this?" He asked, pointing at the Grimer. Only a few questions that Oliver had to ask. It was comforting to see some familiar faces in a unfamiliar region.

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

Oliver could tell Gozu was more than thrilled to see him, and he felt the same way. He smiled brightly at the other teen, then blinked as Gozu... er, exploded the fist bump? Was that right? He tried to mimic the action, but it awkwardly faltered midair and he just let his hand fall to his side.

He noticed Gozu looking up him and down, and struck a dramatic pose. His hand framed his chin and he tried to look sharp, in a dorky, Oliver way. Honestly, it was rare he could actually pull of a cool pose. It just wasn't in his blood. "You could say that. I went through a bit of a growth spurt, I'm not that short little dork anymore." Oliver said. Well, he was still a dork, but he's not short anymore.

When the Grimer was in front of his face, Oliver paused and hesitated to shake the Pokemon's hand. Sure, it was safe. Grimer were just sort of... Grimer. There wasn't any nice way to put it. But Oliver didn't feel like washing his hands about ten times to get that slime off his hands. Instead, he opted for waving at the poison type. "Hi there, Goopy."

He paused at Gozu's threat and blinked at his friend, before laughing a bit and shaking his head. "No, Gozu, no one beat me up or took my glasses. I got contacts. I still have my glasses as a back up, though, see?" Oliver said. He reached into his bag, rummaging around before he pulled out his old pair. They were exactly the same as before. Large, round and thin framed. It was no wonder that they broke so easily.

"What made you decide to bring along, uhh, Goopy was it? Also, I don't remember you having any Pokemona long the Grimer evolution line, guess you picked up a few new Pokemon since the last time we talked, huh?"

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

Oliver snorted at the comment. "I eat well enough, Gozu. But I have to admit, I do miss some of Nina's baking." He was relatively lean and had a less than average build, compared to Gozubura who was a bit taller and had more muscle on him. It didn't really bother him though, not anymore anyway. He learned that a brain could fight brawn.

He blinked as Gozu leaned in, telling him about Nina's fake glasses. At one point or another, Oliver was sure he had accidentally tried them on, only to find out that the lens were fake. It wasn't a pleasant experience, especially when he proceeded to nearly walk into Gozu trying to find his actual glasses. "I hope she ditched those finally." Oliver said, laughing a bit.

Following Gozu's cue, Oliver followed him to the bus stop that was near, listening carefully to Gozu. "Ahh, got'cha. I can understand, I left all of my Pokemon with my parent's too. They're helping out with their research and around the house. And unfortunately, that means I left Squirt behind too, so no, uh, 'shaky shaky' time. He still does it though, if you're wondering. But I did bring a familiar face with me." He opted to show instead of tell, and stopped right before the bus stop, pulling out a Pokeball and tapping the center.

In a flash, a Aerodactyl stood on the sidewalk, standing above the two boys only slightly. Screecher blinked and once she saw the familiar face, she chirped happily and proceeded to try and lick Gozu's face. Oliver snickered slightly, and peered around the fossil Pokemon to look at Gozu. "I figured that Screecher could come along with me on this adventure, plus I wanted to start researching more fossil Pokemon in general, so it only made sense for me to bring her."

"By the way, do you know when the others are going to arrive? I've been busy preparing for the trip, so I haven't gotten around to texting everyone." It was a miracle that Oliver had gotten in contact with Gozu. Everyone had been busy with their own personal business, there was little time for socializing. But it made Oliver realize just how much he missed his friends, and he was glad to be reunited with one of them, even if it was for a day or so.

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

The Aerodactyl chirped happily, returning the hug to Gozu. She seemed to remember him fondly. Although Screecher wasn't a part of their adventure to the end, she still cherished the memories she did had.

"Cards? You pegged me as a cards person?" Oliver asked, laughing slightly, crossing his arms. He was a nerd, he would admit that. But a card collection? And stamps? Was he that much of a nerd? Those were such mundane items to collect, they hardly had any worth to Oliver. Fossil Pokemon on the other hand was something he had always been fascinated with. Ancient Pokemon from centuries, maybe even eons ago, were being revived and allowed a second chance at life in modern day life. It was something Oliver could ramble on forever about, but Gozu would probably fall asleep halfway through his first sentence.

When Gozu went still Oliver raised a brow. "Are you oka---" and then he saw it, he saw the pure fear that ran through Gozu's features. Oliver wasn't sure what to do once Gozu started frantically searching for his phone, reaching forward to try and help with... whatever he was trying to do.

"Crap crap crap, I forgot to tell Nina you were here today."

Oh. Oh Gozu... Oliver instantly felt pity for his poor friend and patted his back in a comforting gesture. "Oh boy... she's not gonna be happy about that." He said. Gozu's fate was sealed, and there wasn't much Oliver could do to help his friend. He paused when Gozu asked him to stick around until she was able to come meet them. There wasn't anything stopping him really.

"Umm, I don't see why not. Is she gonna be able to make it today or tomorrow you think? Also... I'm not gonna stand between you and Nina when she finds out you forgot to tell her." He said. Gozu's fate was sealed, there wasn't much Oliver could do about that. Poor Gozubura.

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

The good pat on the back was enough to shove Oliver forward ever so slightly. He smiled a bit and enjoyed the short silence between them. Then, the questions were bombarded onto him. But it made him feel a bit more comfortable. Sometimes, Oliver didn't give Gozu enough credit, the boy could be a great friend in his own way.

"The ride was fine, no issues arose. I didn't puke, I don't get sea sickness. There weren't any sharks or Sharpedos, and there was no opportunity to surf." Oliver replied, listing off each question on his finger as he answered them. It wasn't his first time on a boat, he actually rode on to visit his parent's in Alola, so he was used to the sensation. Thankfully, the waters they traveled through weren't infested with a lot of Sharpedo either. And surfing... well, he wasn't the most athletic person, Oliver didn't have any interest in it.

Once he boarded the bus with Gozu and sat down with him, he set his bag aside and pulled out his phone to check the time.

"So, where are we going?"

Pause. Oliver looked over at his friend, checking to see if he was joking. By the pure, innocence look on his face, Gozu was not. Oliver might be misinterpreting the question too, which was a common trend between the two back in Kalos. He quickly checked his phone for bus routes and which one this was heading to, just so he could cover all his bases.

"To the nearest Pokemon Center, then maybe we can just hang out in town and catch up? Wait for the others to arrive before we set out? I'm open to any and all ideas, if you have one in mind."

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack

[attr="class","linkeru"]Gozubura Yamamoto

Politely declining the offered jerky, Oliver paused for a moment at the suggestion. A friendly battle between the two could be fun. Both of them had learned a thing or two on their own time, he was sure of it. Plus, Gozu had a new Pokemon, one that Oliver never had the chance to study. It would benefit both of them. And maybe drain some of Gozu's energy in the process.

"You know, a friendly battle doesn't sound that bad. I'm sure you have some things up your sleeves you've been saving, right? It'll give time for Nina to prepare too." Oliver said, playfully poking Gozu with his elbow. Given Oliver's strength, it probably hardly moved Gozu at all. It was like wind blowing at a rock probably. At least an attempt was made though.

The bus ride was short lived as it stopped in front of the nearest Pokemon Center. Oliver got off first, stepping foot onto the ground and taking a look around. The center was no different than the ones back in Kalos. They were designed a bit differently, but there was the main building and the practice field off to the left. He motioned towards the field and pointed. "After you, Gozu. And I'll let you start things off, since you mentioned it." Oliver said, making his way towards the practice field.

He took his spot on the opposite side of the empty field. Thankfully, this field was empty and was behind the center. Oliver hated attracting attention. Screecher took her spot in front, stretching her wings out wide and taking a battle ready stance. She waited patiently for her opponent to get on the field. It was a while since Oliver and Screecher had battled together, hopefully they weren't too rusty.

Aerodactyl - Lv 5
Tailwind - Ice Fang - Iron Head - Thunder Fang - Bite - Fire Fang - Wing Attack