This or That?

[Bayhound]

Much to Vero's delight, Roha had done exceptionally well on his Breeder's Test, and it was high time that they move on and away from Gustella. Not that it wasn't a nice town, but... oh, there was only so much of a hicktown that the young man could take. Sure, he had been born out in the country himself, and had grown up in a relatively small town, but Gustella was a bit of an overload. Y'all this and over yonder that... still thinking about it gave him the shivers.

Gypsy wriggled in his arms and huffed, wishing he would move his mind away from whatever it was he was thinking about. She could feel his general emotions, you know, and the aggravation and edginess was transferring to her. She didn't need any of that! Vero sighed and turned her around to face him, studying her for a moment before squeeing to himself and giving the Snivy a cuddle. "Sorry hun, I'm just so glad to be on the move again~"

Sonrei trotted ahead and snuffled around, both scouting and putting herself a distance away from the humans and other pokemon. It wasn't like she didn't like them - she had chosen Vero for a reason, after all. But she did enjoy her privacy as well. The rest of his pokemon were tucked away in their pokeballs, and when he placed Gypsy on the ground and curled his arms around his waist, the coordinator gave a long sigh. He'd been doing well in contests, but... he needed some new moves. He wanted to train his current pokemon more, but Roha wasn't keen on battling, and adding another pokemon to his roster would only further prolong equal leveling. Perplexed, he flipped his green hair and glanced over to the larger man.

"Have any current plans for your pokemon, Roha?" he asked, smiling a bit.

[sularis]

Roha was by a body of water, looking very solemn. He had been trying to do his best by Dante, but the Piplup refused to open up to him. The breeder in training had done a lot of thinking while they were in Gustella. He rubbed the little penguin's head as a tear rolled down his cheek. It was a part of his duties to assess whether a Pokemon was able to work with humans..And it was clear that Dante was not slated for that fate.

Dante was scowling a bit as Roha pet him. He wished he could just go back to his peaceful life on his own. Little did he know he would soon get his wish. Roha snuffled and stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Go, little Piplup..You are free now. This place is perfect for you..and I am not." The blue penguin Pokemon did a double take. Really? He could leave? FINALLY! The Pokemon turned to dive into the water...

But he stopped. He turned back to see Roha fighting back against the sadness he was feeling at this moment. Dante walked up to Roha, patting him on the leg. "Pip. Pip pip lup." Thanks..for everything I guess. Roha nodded and then the Piplup ran into the stream nearby, diving headfirst into the wild waters of his home.

Roha moved back by Vero, his eyes red and irritated from the tears. He stood there for a moment before hugging his traveling partner, bursting into a fresh storm of tears. He didn't understand why he was holding on to Vero so tightly..But he felt better having the coordinator close. "That...W-was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

[Bayhound]

For the first time in a long time, Vero had embarrassed himself. When asking about Roha's team, he had not expected to hit a raw nerve, let alone be the only other human witness to a sudden release of a pokemon. The coordinator's lower jaw fell slack in complete shock as he listened to his friend's admittance in apparently not being good enough for one of his own pokemon, and when a tear glistened in a beam of sunlight... his heart sank lower than a Relicanth could ever hope to submerge.

Gypsy crawled up and onto Vero's head as she too watched, at first intrigued, and then not quite feeling up to being part of the whole event. Unknowing to her trainer she dropped to the ground and pretended to be very interested in one of the few bushes left in the area, and she was utterly thankful for her decision when the large man suddenly turned and clasped Vero in the biggest bear hug of all time. Said human was still internally heartbroken at having to see Roha do that to himself, and as he both felt and heard the man sobbing against him, he too started to cry, arms reaching around to squeeze his traveling partner back.

"Oh, Roha... only a person with a heart a big as yours could have know what that pokemon really wanted and let him go" Vero sniffled, smiling softly. "A true breeder lies within you, love." He patted Roha's shoulder a few times and could hear his Snivy's feet shuffling on the ground awkwardly as he held the embrace, ready to burst into a fit of dramatic tears himself. Oh Vero, you empathetic person you.

[sularis]

Roha sniffled and sighed deeply. The time for tears had passed. He had a journey to focus on, and he didn't want to upset Vero any further. He let go of the smaller man, wiping his eyes dry. "R-Right..Onward to Torrentia..I hope that I get an egg this time..My grandparents used to let me observe Pokemon eggs all the time."

He grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it gently into the air. Out came Romeo, sniffing the crisp riverside air. "Tep, Tepig Tep!" Finally! Fresh air! Roha smiled and patted his Tepig on the head. "I know! Fresh air is great right,Romeo?" The little fire pig definitely agreed. "Its time to get some training in little buddy!"

[Bayhound]

Vero sniffled, albeit a little dramatically, but smiled as Roha pulled away. He was glad his friend could move on and focus on the pokemon in front of him. Gypsy rolled her eyes at the pair, but twitched her tail in silent encouragement for Roha. He'd done a good thing, even in her eyes, and at the sound of training, she puffed up and swaggered over to Romeo. "Snivy Sniv!" Me too!

"Well, looks like my pokemon are ready to hit the road too" Vero commented plainly, still focusing on not sobbing in front of the other man. "Shall we?" He bowed and winked at Roha, obviously gaining more charisma back as he also waved a hand outward in a gentlemanly way. "I need to clear my head for some appeals as well, and battling will help."