▲

'i only have a few hours left.'

ash frequently checked the time stamp on display upon the dimly-lit screen of her pokedex. she wanted to be constantly aware of the going ons, having no desire to waste both her money and time. the safari wasn't cheap, after all, and she'd be damn if she wasted a perfectly good ticket - 

"ah." 

they had been moving for roughly a half an hour in a seemingly random direction. the grass had transitioned from a summer green to a autumn yellow, indicating the transitioning of environments. it was also quite hot, the air a bit more stagnant and the lack of wind causing the heat to permeate and remain a constant. 

'better than it bein' cold.' 

the girl swiped at her brow, a bit of sweat having collected upon the smooth surface of her flesh. 

"wanna rest for a bit, cleric?" 

it didn't take long for her to take notice to her goodra's discomfort, his frown tight as struggled in such horrendously dry conditions. he shook his head in response, but ash wasn't convinced. she raised his capsule and recalled him immediately after, quirking a brow as she did so. 

"right. take a nap, boy." 

he'd be replaced by her luxray, whom raised his head to sniff at the air before moving to press his body against his human counterpart. he released a low rumbling noise, indicating his pleasure to be out and about. 

"mind helping me look for a new friend," ash inquired. 

she gently ran her fingers through his prominent mane, and he would merely cock his head in response to the question. despite him being a matured male with severe attributes, ash couldn't help but find him to be adorable.

"c'mon, asshole. lessgo." 

he butted his head against her hip again and she released a good-natured chuckle before they continued onward. their pace was steady, and much faster than beforehand, with ash managing to keep up with her luxray's lengthy strides. the large feline would pause on occasion, his gaze swiveling to and fro before he kept going. 

"there has to be something around here. we haven't run into anything yet and it's been a solid hour now."  

they had yet to even cross paths with a -

she shuddered 

- pineco. 

"ori-ori-ori." 

ash's head snapped up, her searching gaze eventually settling upon the sight of a boulder with a bird perched upon it. the girl blinked owlishly before her face split into a pleased sort of grin. 

'just what i've been lookin' for.' 

the fire-type bird was in the midst of a rather impressive dance, a relaxed air about it as it displayed its moves prominently upon the stone. naturally, the red-head couldn't help but wonder if it feared whatever predators might be potentially stalking the area, for it could very easily be spotted - even from a distance. 

'then again, this is a controlled environment.' 

the list hadn't really indicated anything that could be considered much of a deadly sort. 

'i guess it only has to worry about trainers, then.' 

ash blinked, and quickly realized that that the bird had taken notice of her. she feared it would flee, but, instead, it remained idle, and would even beckon her closer with the elegant sweep of its wing. the girl hesitated briefly before obeying, her gaze shifting to her luxray, whom remained situated at her side as they neared the bird. 

"ori?" 

the girl blinked for a moment, and suddenly wished that her goodra was around to speak with the wild pokemon. but she would make do, and would go about declaring her intentions openly and clearly. 

"you're what i'm looking for," ash said, "basically, i want you on my team." 

the oricorio blinked, and ash was surprised to see that the dual-type appeared to clearly understand her words. it merely nodded, and then clapped its feathery appendages together,  its dark eyes gleaming. 

'it wants to fight, then. i can do that.' 

the flying-type was both an excellent flyer and fighter; for it favored weaving about in the air, turning this way and that way and always so precise with its motions as it managed to dodge her luxray's various attacks that sought to fell it. it wasn't entirely long before ash realized that she wouldn't be able to properly defeat it with the feline. after suffering from the effects of teeter dance, ash would return the bewildered electric-type with a deep frown. 

'you'd think this would be over by now.' 

"right - right. rook!" 

rook had a far better time of tracking the flying-type's movements, and would wield thunder punch to deliver quick yet powerful strikes that would successfully knock it out of the air. 

'it's tough.' 

the oricorio attempted to stand, and would do so despite the foreign electricity that clung and coursed throughout its form. 

'it's really tough.' 

ash plucked her last safari ball from her belt, paused for a moment to gauge the distance of the throw, and tossed it so that it would impact the flying-type's feathery chest.