surfs up, dudes

     he can hear his father’s voice as he starts to panic internally, his entire stature first stiffening to the point that he feels as though he were a statue, followed by the anxious shakes and jitters.      ‘ tuck-- you need to stop worrying so much. everything will be alright in the end. ‘      the young man inhales quietly, steeling himself as he struggles to fight against his body’s initial reaction. it’s fine, it’s fine, he’d find her without much of a problem... probably. maybe. potentially.      a chance, no matter how slim the outcome, was worth taking-- another one of his dad’s pieces of wisdom.      ❝ okay, okay. it’s fine-- it’s fine...      has-- has uh..      YO ! has anyone happened to see a mantyke wandering off on its own !? ❞      all that answers is the confused looks of surrounding people and pokemon alike, nobody seeming to have an answer for him. oh, arceus...      skipper bumps against tucker’s leg at this point, the mudkip tilting his head in confusion as he tries to understand what’s going on. for all the water-type knew, his friend had vanished into thin air and would be back soon,      ❝ hah. sorry little dude, we can’t uh, swim anymore right now.      gotta go find doodle before she gets into trouble, if she hasn’t already. ❞      the mantyke blinks up at the new individual she’d chosen to follow after, her form doing a little flip in the air before she excitedly starts to fly around in a circle. trainer ? what trainer ? he was back at... wherever they’d been, but that place was boring ! she wanted to explore ! and this guy’s dance moves were just too fun to not go along with !

     the panic is there immediately, the young man whipping around as he searches for her-- where had she wandered off to ? or-- or had someone TAKEN her ?      ❝ doodle ?!      doodle-- where’d you go ?!      it’s time to come out ! ❞      little does tuck realize the baby pokemon is happily following after someone else, blissfully unaware that she’d just up and ditched her trainer.

     ecruteak city seemed... nice. peaceful. almost like home, but not on the water.      he’d heard the stories about the city-- more specifically the bell tower that had earned the name of ‘ burnt tower ‘. fitting, given that was it... well, toast.      tuck glances up at the massive building, a hand coming up to shield his eyes from the sun as he admires what’s survived from the fire.      skipper runs circles around him as he takes everything in, the little mudkip not having much interest in the architecture or anything like that. if the water-type could have his way, he’d much rather he and his trainer turn back the way they came and go back to the beach ! that had been much more fun than this place !      ❝ hey-- relax little dude, we’ll be back at the beach in no time ! we’ve just gotta get there first, and dad always said to enjoy the journey instead of focusing on the destination. ❞      the mudkip makes a noise before pawing at tucker’s leg, a hint that he wanted to be carried.      ❝ let’s get some lunch and keep exploring, we’ll stay here for the night and keep moving come tomorrow. maybe there’s a river where you and the others could swim in nearby. ❞      but first, food, as the surfer’s stomach gives a loud growl. oof. where was a local when he needed one ? oh-- wait !      ❝ hey there uh. dude with the sick scarf ! do you live around here ? i’m uh, trying to find a place that me and my pokemon can get a good, hearty meal... any suggestions ? ❞