Alia stared down at her porcelain reflection, which stared right back at her with the same deflated expression she wore on her pale, youthful face. She let out a heavy sigh and kicked some nearby pebbles into the calm waters before her. What was she meant to do now? She was on her own yet again, isolated with little to no support. It was an all too familiar feeling which characterised much of her existence, so she often anticipated returning to a state of abandonment. Alia brushed aside silver strands of hair which obscured her view as she continued pacing about the parimeter of the small body of water. At least the scenery around the area she was banished to was nice.
"Well, if it isn't my best customer!" Alia stopped in her tracks at the sound of that familiar voice and pivoted around. Her heart skipped a beat. This guy always managed to catch her off guard with his random cameo appearances wherever she seemed to go. "What brings you out this way, Alia?" She faced the vertically-gifted man standing behind her, his masculine build concealed modestly beneath his form-fitting navy-blue-and-yellow Ginko Guild merchant uniform.
"It's a long story." Alia couldn't help but notice how short she was compared to the man before her. She has seen him occasionally wandering about, selling his wares across the region, but she was always mesmerised by his impressive stature. The crown of her head met the height of his chest--he had to be well over six feet, she presumed. Alia reiterated events that transpired earlier that day regarding her expulsion from Jubilife village. "Despite what I've done to try and help out, they still find me rather sus..."
"Sus?"
"Suspicious," Alia laughed a bit to herself. She was used to the lingo of the modern time period she originated from.
"It sounds like you're in a tough situation!" He crossed his arms in thought before lighting up, "I know someone who might be able to help you out by giving you a place to stay while things get straightened out. Would you like to join me? I was heading out that way to speak to her anyway and would be honoured if you tagged along." A warm smile spread across his face as he proposed this possibility.
"That would be nice. I'd love to come along!" Alia didn't have anywhere she had to be anymore, nor did she have any prerogative. Her original goal--to "seek out all Pokémon"-- remained intact, though she was stripped of her rank in the Survey Corps after being expelled and no longer had regular contact with the professor or any of his assistants. She was still able to make it on her own with the convenient crafting kit she was bestowed upon admission into the Corps. All she could think was, "where do I go now?" Alia nodded, accepting the travelling merchant's offer. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. Her sense of intentionality was restored. The two were off to their destination.
This man was definitely in his early twenties, Alia thought to herself as she walked beside him. He probably has nice hair under that silly fluffy hat. She looked up, then quickly back down at the ground so as not to stare, but he looked so aesthetically-pleasing. His charming regal features and silky blond hair were difficult not to admire while trailling so physically close to him.
"You really travel a lot don't you?" Alia commented on his resilience. She was not an outdoorsy type even before she was thrusted into this alternate dimension, but he sure seemed used to strenuous hikes and adventuring; he didn't seem phased by the distance at all.
"I sure do. We Ginko merchants are wandering salespeople, so it's only natural to enjoy travelling," the man agreed. "Besides, there is so much to explore here that interests me outside of my profession!"
"The ruins?" Alia recalled tue other times she previously encountered him. He always showed up around historically-significant sites just like an archeologist would in her own time period.
"Yes! There is so much to explore and it continues to fascinate me. The friend I'm out to see actually knows a lot about the mythos of the region, so I go out that way to chat or learn more about it from her."
Alia grew tired from the distance and slowed down to catch her breath.
"Tired are ya?"
"Sure am. I'm not used to any of this to be honest," Alia clarified shyly. Before she was yeeted into this dimension, Alia was a researcher herself. Her natural habitat was the laboratory, her home, or academic spaces. She did plan to work out more, so one plus side of being tossed into an earlier time period was at least the fact that she'd have to get out and be more active.
"We're pretty close! Would you like me to carry you the rest of the way?" Alia's pale face flourished a rosey shade of red at the suggestion. She wasn't fond of hills so... YOLO. "Sure, if you want to." Hills suck, especially when you're running on a single serving of potato mochi.
The taller man hoisted the smaller woman into his arms and carried her princess-style the rest of the way. The fact that he didn't even seem phased by lugging the extra weight meant he must've been pretty strong too. Get you a mans who--
A rustling could be heard from the man's backpack; a small feathured figure emerged from within. A tiny togepi hopped into Alia's lap. It seemed friendly, so she let it nestle into her and hugged it. They say togepi are drawn to peaceful dispositions, so it must have been curious about the silver-haired lady resting in the arms of its travel partner. "Hello there!" Togepi joyfully wiggled its stubbly little arms.
"Togepi likes you!" The man chuckled. "Very cute. We've reached our destination!" Alia looked around. It really did feel like out in the middle of nowhere. A small secluded hut stood by its lonesome self amongst meadows of wavering floura. The merchant placed Alia next to him, his togepi still blissfully cuddling up in her arms. For some reason, the man carrying her felt nice--not because she was lazy or anything, but because it felt nice to be so close to another human. The warmth, the cadance of their heartbeat. She didn't get to experience any of that often.
The two walked up to an older woman clad in black posted at the façade of the hut. She appeared to be The Goth Girlfriend™️ with her wide-brimmed scalloped chapeau and matching elegant floor-length ensemble. Her hair was snow white colour, pretty close to Alia's bright silvery hair colour.
