A Proper Story (Open)

the things that you might like don't grow inside of me

It was a funny thing, how much people could change over such a short course of time. Human beings - Pokemon as well, for that matter - grew with time and experience, but just the same Ryusuke couldn't help but be surprised by it. When he'd left home nearly half a year ago, Ryusuke had been under the impression that he'd be in Hoenn for a lot longer than just a year. Between getting kicked left and right by wild Pokemon, dealing with simply finding enough to eat and sheltering himself on a night to night basis, that first year had taken a lot longer to get used to than expected and the teen had assumed that his mother had planned to stay around until those lessons were learned.

As stubborn as even he was, though, Ryusuke hadn't even noticed the subtle change as it happened - as he began to get the hang of battling, of cutting out most of the excess effort involved in the traveling aspect, he began to find being away from home more entertaining than it was a chore. It was a kind of freedom that he hadn't yet tasted before, and it was only then that he began to understand why his mother had set out the way she did. Simply put, when they had been out on their own, they didn't need to answer to anyone or anything aside from their own consciences and the Pokemon that had decided to tag along with them - they were free to do what they wanted, to choose their own paths and their own fates, and no one was there to tell them otherwise. Ryusuke had always been independent, even as a kid - back home that had often resulted in him butting heads with the other kids and the adults in his life, but out here it did nothing but earn him peace of mind, and it was that more than anything that had allowed him to make up his mind once he'd finally set his mind on leaving Hoenn.

After having spent nearly two weeks aboard the ship that had brought him and his sole companion to Stellara, Ryusuke wasted no time in grabbing his bag from the cabin and making his way topside with the PA announcement that they'd be pulling into port within only a few minutes. After spending half a month on board the ship, makin sure that they were front and center off the boat was the least he could do. Indeed, even as Ryusuke made his way to the top of the stairwell leading to the ship's deck - red duster trailing behind him as he went - Treecko could already be seen perched atop the metal railing by the door, impatiently waiting for his human half to get there. As soon as Ryusuke did the Grass type wasted no time hopping from the railing onto the trainer's shoulder and clambering up for a more solid grip atop the blond's head. Normally it was something that Ryusuke wasn't all that happy about as it frankly looked ridiculous, but in a crowd like this it was something he tolerated as the smaller Pokemon chirped out vague directions towards the exit from the higher vantage point. A few more minutes of shoving and pushing through the crowd and the pair would finally feel the renewed warmth of the sun, following the stream of people down the ship's boarding ramp and finally finding solid footing once more on the pier below.

New city, new region. Where to first?

@tag