Lost Soul

Emmeline entered Grassveil Town,looking for a place where she could relax a bit.She had been walking for almost two days and her feet were begging her for mercy.Noticing a lone bench near a tree,she immediately reached it.If she had been alone,she definitely would have jumped on it,curled in a ball and fell asleep...but since she wasn't,she just sat on it,a little nervous about the glances other pokémons were giving her.She knew Krokoroks had a bad reputation and she didn't want people to be scared of her.

"Sometimes,I wish I was a Mudkip...",she thought,sighing.

She looked her surroundings,trying to ignore the stares.Still,it was a pretty nice town.A bit crowded for her taste,but nonetheless charming and inviting.Soon or later,she would have to find a place to live...

Tank had been wandering about town yet again. The Zigzagoon had grown bored of sitting about, and felt he needed to do something to pass his time. Walking sure was a good option. Stretching my legs felt great! The optimistic Zigzagoon thought to himself. He had been wandering around town for at least an hour. The area was familiar to him, but he didn't seem to mind. By now he was gaining familiarity with the Pokemon as well. Tank had stopped by stalls to take a peek at what they were selling and had greeted a few storekeepers as well just to be friendly. Overall, the Zigzagoon was in a great mood.

"Ho hum..." Tank hummed as he wandered along the pathway. The day was his to make the best, but as soon as his positive thoughts on the day kicked in, he noticed a Pokemon sitting on the bench. She seemed tired and somewhat troubled. He wandered over to her, curious as to if she was okay. "Erm.. Miss? Are you alright?" Tank asked while tilting his head to one side. He'd never seen a Krokorock in town before, and this one was either a newcomer or he was as blind as a Zubat.

Emmeline looked up at the Zigzagoon,surprised.She wasn't expecting that someone would speak to her...especially not a little guy like the one standing before her.After all,she could eat him in a single bite if she wanted.She mentally laughed at this...eating a pokémon?Even if it would be her last resort,she would still let herself die from hunger.

Pushing those silly thought aside,she remembered that the pokémon was still waiting for an answer.She offered him a smile and said:

"Oh,I'm fine,just a little tired...thank you for asking,it is very kind of you!"

This really made her day.It was so rare that people were asking for her well-being.

Tank tilted his head the other way. The Krokorok didn't seem to be okay from his point of view, although she didn't seem to want anyone to worry about it. "Well gosh miss, I just... Your footpads and all look really sore. Like, awful sore." He said with an indication to her feet. "You must've been walking for a while. Or walking on something really rough." He commented. It wasn't that Tank was trying to be insensitive, he was just generally concerned. Her feet looked somewhat raw. To him it looked like she had been walking for a while.

"If ya want, I could get you an Oran berry or something. You know, just to ease the pain and all." The Zigzagoon offered. He figured the berry would at least take away some of the pain and heal it a little if not completely. "Walking around town like that would be awful uncomfortable."

Emmeline's eyes widened and a tint of blush could be seen of her cheeks.She really didn't want anyone to worry about her.True,her feet did hurt a bit,but this kind person probably had other business to attend to than help a complete stranger like her.

"Oh,n-no!Thank you very much,but...I mean,I don't want to disturb you in any way..."

She felt stupid.She could just have said 'thanks' and accept the offer...but no.She just HAD to feel bad about everything...but she couldn't help herself to feel a bit timid around others.

Tank did a small hop, landing on his stumpy feet with surprising ease. It was more out of shock that she was refusing the help. "Well shucks miss, I uh... Hm.." The Zigzagoon tilted his head left and right while thinking. Surely there could be a loophole around her desire to refuse aid. A sudden idea popped into his head that made him snap his head back into it's regular position.

"Well! Why don't you come to lunch with me at the cafe?" Tank offered. He hoped that just inviting her for some berries would help her, and he would gladly either share his meal or treat her if it had oran berries in it. He gave the Krokorok his best smile, even though he had a zigzagy mouth to begin with.

Now Emmeline was pleasantly surprised.If she wouldn't have expected someone to speak to her,she definitely wouldn't have imagined someone inviting her to dinner!She happily smiled at the Zigzagoon,showing her wide set of sharp teeth.She just couldn't refuse such an offer from such a sweet person.There was also the fact that she was extremely hungry.

"Oh,are you sure?I would be very happy to eat with you,mister...?",she said,silently asking for his name at the same time.

Tank couldn't help but let out a laugh at being addressed as 'mister.' He was still a young Pokemon really, so being called that was a rather strange thing for him. Although he considered it more humorous than anything. "Oh gosh miss, you don't have to call me mister. You can just call me Tank." He said with a smile and a nod.

"Yeah, we can go to the cafe down the road over there. You're okay to walk I'm hoping?" The Zigzagoon asked. He wanted to make sure she could make the trip without any serious trouble. If that was the case then he really would have to take her to see the guild nurse most likely. "They have really great berry salads there and all sorts of drinks." Tank said with another nod.