Cold as Ice

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

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[BCOLOR=transparent]"Many great stories start with a small object, or idea. Sometimes they don't. In this particular case, it's a relatively small story, starting with quite the large organization. By relatively small, I mean that to the two it concerned, it meant the world, but to the world, it only meant those two.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The story starts out in Sinnoh, you know, the Pokémon one. Here we begin with a thing as big as a TV station, that grew into a large economic empire. Based in Jubilife City, Evend Glazachio and his wife proudly reigned over the great business of theirs. They had a child as well, a boy they named Zachariah. Growing up, Zachariah happily shared his negative opinion on the strict hierarchy and high upper class society he was raised in. Tea parties, meetings, choking tuxes? It was no life for him. Zachariah dreamed of adventuring, seeing the world up close, not just through their countless TVs.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]But of course his plans for life collided with those of his father. Ensured taking over the Glazachio Empire when he got older was a good idea, he sent Zach to a marketing school, thinking learning about economy would trail his interests in that direction. It probably would, hadn't he spent most of his time at school focusing on Pokémon instead. It wasn't because he had a particular interest in them, he simply needed something to do all day. Because he certainly wasn't going to actually study economics.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]One day, things went wrong. Were they tricked by professional con artists? Did undercover agents infiltrate their corporation and destroy it from the inside? Did they simply just do a couple bad investments? Either way, the Glazachio Monetary Fund rapidly ticked down, finally reaching a halt as Evend agreed to sell his entire business. Having crashed down the societal ladder in such a fashion as they did, Zachariah and his parents were forced to move to a much humbler home in Sandgem City. Zach cherished his fallen family name either way, and bore it just as proudly as before.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There the family lived for a few years, and Zach was becoming more self-reliant by the day. However, being busily occupied with their new work, Zach's family never got the time to travel. That is, until he one day met Tasha."[/BCOLOR]

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

It was a regularly sunny day. As if every day wasn't. Living by a beach sure had its ups and downs. The distinct smell of salt water spread through the air, the small town of Sandgem going by its regular busy routines. People strolling between houses alongside their Pokémon, for those who had the time to raise one of those, children playing by the beach, all signs pointed to this being a relaxing and peaceful day.

Zachariah, dressed in his usual attire, a blue shirt, corduroy pants and sneakers, sat leaned against the wall in the town's Pokémon Center. Whenever not busy helping his parents with whatever or studying his strongly disliked economics, he would spend his time here, watching, listening. Especially the air conditioning above him made staying here worthwhile, it reminded him of the polar, nail-biting cold that was common in Sinnoh. At least in the northern and center parts of the region. Places like those, he wanted to discover. To travel far and wide, and to see what the world had to offer of mountainous landscapes.

Although that dream only seemed further and further away every day that passed. Ever since the Glazachio company fell, his father had gotten work in Jubilife, under the Pokétch company, administrating some sort of economics there too. After all, that's what he does best, even if he managed to crash all of what now is Jubilife TV. Either way, his father and his work makes sure to keep both him and his son busy, far too much to be able to take vacations. Perhaps if Zachariah'd be able to show some form of independence, allowing him to live on his own, then travel as much as he wanted!

But for the time being, that was just a dream. Zachariah sighed, rising up from the bench and making his way to the door. On his way there, nurse Joy peeked her head over the counter. "Leaving already, Zach?" Stopping up, he slightly turned his head, enough to see her. "Yeah, I'll be… studying or something." It wasn't like him to be so down about this, he had after all known about it pretty much all his life. At least for the last ten of his 16-year old life had he known his father had routed out his entire future. Nurse Joy answered him in her regularly cheerful voice. "Now be a good student and make your father proud!" He didn't answer as he stepped out of the sliding glass doors, and into the sunlight. Which by the way was far too hot to his liking.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Traveling had always been something Tasha loved, it let her see so many different places and even pokemon. It was just amazing and she loved it.

Her most recent travels had brought her to the seaside town of Sandgem, she wasn't taking the gym leader challenge or anything like that, it had just been awhile since she had visited the place she grew up before her mother moved them to the other side of Sinnoh. So, with her Shinx and Lucario at either side of her, Tasha began to walk around the familiar town she once called home.

The taste of salt on her tongue, the sun shining down on her, it brought back warm memories from when she was just a little girl and her Lucario was just a newly hatched Riolu. The brunette smiled, letting her eyes drift to her companion who was watching her Shinx with careful eyes, keeping an eye on the curious pokemon.

Tasha looked away from the two and let her eyes drift around, smiling when she spotted the telltale red roof and white walls of the pokemon centre, she glanced back at Lucario and Shinx and gestures for the two to follow her before starting to walk towards the building, "We could do with a check in at the pokemon centre, since we have traveled quite the distance." The traveler mused to her pokemon, Shinx just darted ahead of her and Lucario gave a curt nod.

The pokemon centre's doors opened and a male walked out, he was around her age in a blue shirt, but Tasha didn't look for long, instead choosing to focus on her Shinx who had already gotten Nurse Joy's attention by jumping up and down. The brunette rolled her eyes and shared a look with Lucario before walking over to the desk, ignoring the slight chill of the air conditioning. She scooped up her Shinx and offered a smile to the pink haired lady.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Everything pointed towards this becoming just another relaxing, boring day. So Zachariah thought, anyways, until three peculiar figures caught his attention in the corner of his eye. His pastel blue hair waving softly in the inland-bound breeze, he turned to face the person there. A girl, around his age, walking this way with her two Pokémon. Standing just outside the Pokémon Center, the girl's Shinx running in his direction put him off. "Wh-watch out!" Just for which reason her Pokémon was running towards him he didn't know, he was sure a Shinx wasn't something he wanted to collide with.

That is, until it turned away from him and ran into the Center. He let out a relieved sigh, before turning to the girl and her stern-looking Lucario. From the little he had experienced of trainer culture, there were many aspiring trainers that sought a Lucario. But that wasn't his main focus of attention at the moment. Something about her oddly compelled Zachariah to talk to her. He wasn't normally one to go after girls, he didn't consider the company of one to be a good way to spend the little time he had on his hands. Although, now that he thought about it, sitting around in the Pokémon Center, reminiscing about unattainable dreams wasn't either.

There was something about the girl, Zachariah couldn't put his finger on it, but he wanted to know more about her. But for that he'd have to walk up to her and ask. Mindlessly following her with his eyes as she entered the Center, Zachariah found himself standing outside for a few moments, thinking about whether actually taking contact with her would prove a good idea. After all, he knew nothing about her, so what was he to assume? Still beaming widely, Joy gave Tasha her full attention. "Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center! Shall I heal your Pokémon?" she asked, bending her back to get a closer look at her Shinx.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Tasha grinned, "That would be great if you could do that!" She pulled out a quick ball and an ultra ball, returning Shinx and Lucario before passing all four of her pokemon over to the pink haired nurse and taking a few steps away from the desk. Tasha closed her eyes to momentarily enjoy the cold breeze of the air conditioning, but after a moment the brunette opened her eyes again and continued to wait for her pokemon to finish healing. Once Nurse Joy handed them back over to her she realised Lucatio and Shinx (who seemed more hyper than before) and gave a friendly wave before exiting, Shinx running ahead of her.

"Shinx! Slow down would you, not all of us can run that fast!" She called after the small blue and black pokemon, laughing slightly when he almost tripped over in order to stop and run back towards them.

"Car, car, lucar." Tasha smiled and petted her Lucario's head gently, earning a soft murring noise in return for the affectionate gesture. Shinx whined and jumped up, climbing up his trainers body so he could sit on her head. Tasha giggled and pulled Shinx off her head and against her chest, stroking the pokemon. Then somebody caught her eye, a male around her age was stood watching her, he was wearing a blue shirt and had pastel blue hair to match.

She blinked in surprise a few times before smiling at the male and giving a small wave, Lucario followed her gaze and grunted before turning his head towards the beach. Shinx, upon noticing the direction Lucario was looking in, began squirming until Tasha let him down and darted towards there a little, stopping to call back to his trainer.

"Shinx! Shinx, shinx!" Tasha shook her head and chuckled.

"Yeah, we're coming." She gave the boy another wave before darting after her pokemon, Lucario following after her.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

"Sure thing, one moment!" As gleefully as before, the nurse accepted Tasha's Pokéballs. As quickly as she took them, she returned, handing her them with a wide smile. "Here you go! Have a nice day!" Happily watching the girl leave, she kept standing behind the counter in her regular welcoming pose, patiently waiting for more customers.

Zachariah quietly chuckled to himself watching the Shinx practically fly by. This girl's Pokémon are lively, he thought. Being able to raise one must be nice. If not a Shinx, he'd really like to have a Pokémon himself.

She smiled at him. Zach was as if stunned. Anxiously attempting to form a smile in return, he in a similar fashion waved at her. The mere way she looked at him, it made him tremble. There it was again, something indescribable in her that made him want more. Following their movements with his eyes, he noticed they were going towards the beach. Perhaps he could join? He hadn't really known her for long, or at all for that matter, but perhaps meeting up with her could change that.

Picking up his pace after her, he was just about to call for her, until a familiar voice resounded behind him. "Zachy! Long time no see, old pal!"

Despite being described as an "old pal", Zachariah knew very well that the arriving person had all but good intentions. Not now, not him, was the first thing coming to mind as he slowly turned to face the voice. And surely, there he was, a fellow classmate of his. From his economic studies, the ones he wasn't really invested in. And for that, the incoming person had pecked on him for just about the entirety of his three years so far.

"Hey hey hey! How's the businesses going?" The boy, in a straight white shirt and clean-cut black pants, threw his arm around Zachariah's shoulder, much to his unamusement. Proving this to the boy, he muttered a "Leave me alone, Rowe".

Though that didn't stop him. Retreating his arms from Zachariah's shoulder, he now raised both while walking threateningly away from him. "What's the matter now, Zich-Zach? Are you too puny to be talking properly to your good friend?" He turned to his belt, grabbing a Pokéball on it. "Let's beat some sense into ya. Makuhita, go!" Landing with a thump on the dust road, the ball opened with a bright light, fading to reveal the requested Makuhita.

At the sight of Rowe's Pokémon, Zachariah took uneasy steps back. Getting a beating from a Pokémon was in no way his plan for the day. "Please, Rowe, let's talk this through." "No!" The opposing trainer snarled at him. "A wimp like you deserves to be put in your place! Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" The little muscular Pokémon glared evilly at Zachariah, like its trainer. Upon hearing his command, he started running in Zach's direction, letting out a loud cry, preparing to punch him repeatedly. "Makuuuuu!"

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Tasha glanced over her shoulder, something about that boy made her curious, she wanted to actually talk to him, but what she saw upon turning around made her momentarily tense up. It lasted a few moments before she jumped into action, "Lucario! Use Aura Sphere!"

Lucario nodded and bolted towards the Makuhita, a glowing blue ball appearing in his paws and growing bigger as the pokemon powered up the attack. Lucario jumped in front of Zach and flung both of it paws forward with a cry, sending the Aura Sphere flying through the air until it crashed into the ground just in front of Rowe's pokemo. Dust was sent flying and no doubt so was the small yellow fighting type.

Tasha ran over as Lucario relaxed his posture, her Shinx hot on her heels. The brunette looked Zach over for any damage before turning to her attention to Rowe, "How dare you! Using your pokemon to attack somebody is just pathetic, not to mention it's not allowed! I could call officer Jenny right now if I really wanted to." She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at the male.

"If I was you I would leave and hope that this guy," she jerked her head in Zach's direction, "doesn't decided to press charges. Now scram, or else I'll let my Shinx get playful." The small pokemon snapped at the air, lightning sparking from its mouth as it did.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

The dust Lucario's Aura Sphere whipped up, stayed in the air for long, effectively blocking the view of the Makuhita. "Ah, so Zachy's little girlfriend's here to save the day, huh? Makuhita, Sand Attack!" Rowe snarled at the two. Suddenly, jumping out of the dust, Makuhita came. Whipping up another cloud of dust once it landed, punching it in Lucario's direction, he proved able of sending large quantities of sand right towards them.

Seeing the girl return to help him, made Zach pleased beyond most he'd ever felt. This girl truly was a compassionate one, he thought, giving her a thank before again turning his attention towards Rowe. "That's right, in fact, I feel like calling for Jenny right…" His comment was cut short as large amounts of dust came flying in his face. He could not see, and much less breathe without coughing wildly. Using one hand to cover his mouth, he waved his other arm, trying to signalize to Tasha that he was retreating backwards.

Before the distinct feeling of a small, round hand met his stomach. In the dust he caught a glimpse of a light in the area of the feeling, the very last thing he saw before flying backwards. The Makuhita's Force Palm sent him with great power out of the dust, slamming back first into the ground with a loud pounce.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Lucario shielded his eyes and turned his head away from the sand attack, grunting in discomfort. Tasha let out an annoyed growl of frustration, but her attention was quickly pulled away from the battle when she heard Zach talking, but he didn't get the chance to finish before the sandstorm was sent his way.

Tasha shielded her eyes, whipping around to face Zach again when she heard the thud of something hitting the ground. She didn't waste a second before rushing over to Zach's side, kneeling down next to him as her Shinx licked his face and pawed at his shoulder.

"That's it!" Tasha spun back around to face the little area they had made their battle ground, "You want a battle, you've got one. Lucario, return!" The blue pokemon shook it's head, looking momentarily confused before it spotted the luxury ball Tasha had in her hand. He nodded and bolted back towards them, kneeling down to help Zach.

"Let's see how your Makuhita does against this." The brunette practically growled, pulling her arm back and throwing the ball forward. It opened and with a flash of light a new pokemon stood on the field.

A Garchomp.

"Garchomp use Dragon Claw!" The dragon let out it's cry and ran forward, it's claws glowing bright blue and extending. It slashed down at the yellow fighting type.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

The dust slowly settled, revealing the little battle area to its spectators. Makuhita, now retaliating from its Force Palm, grinned just as widely as its trainer upon seeing its assigned target knocked to the ground. Rowe, like it, had few intentions but to harm Zachariah further, but his plans was cut somewhat short as Tasha appeared. Previously, kicking Zachariah around had been no issue, as long as he stuck to having no Pokémon himself, or friends with them. Now, however, if this girl waws planning to stay around him, Rowe figured he'd have to keep his distance. She was strong, and seemingly nothing to mess with. The yellow Pokémon's attention to its target was cut short as a row of purple claws appeared from outside its focus. With much force, it was sent flying from the attack, landing in a similar fashion to Zachariah, next to Rowe. Gritting his teeth at the arrival of her Garchomp and defeat of his Pokémon, he turned to another of his own. "Makuhita, that's good. And after all our practice... You want a battle? Because this is how you'll get a battle. Take 'im down, Piloswine!" A bright flash of light later, and the densely hairy creature stood in front of Rowe, snuffling at the opposing trainer which it ws unlikely that it saw.

Zachariah, even if only thrown backwards once, was aching far too badly to manage getting up, so he rested on his arms in a half-lying position. Despite not getting too much of a view of the battle, hearing the call on Piloswine worried him. While he hadn't learnt much from his side-studying on Pokémon, he knew that Tasha had the disadvantage at the moment. Between the groans and gasps, he managed to push out a "Beware the typing" in her direction. What would happen if she lost? This stranger, he had just met, would she leave? Run, out of fear of this rival of his and his Pokémon? Or would she stay behind, and aid the already battered Zachariah in whatever she might? Being brutally honest to himself, he suspected the former to be more likely. He wasn't going to require more from a complete stranger. For the time being, he relied heavily on her winning. Although, he remained positive. He knew well that in Pokémon battles speed was important, and compared to the Piloswine, Garchomp looked really fast.

"Enough!" Rowe's word broke Zach's musing. "Pilo! Powder Snow!" Grunting at his trainer's command, the Pokémon charged towards the Garchomp, opening its mouth several times in the process. For every time it did, a large cloud of loose, powdery snow was flung out of it, launched in Garchomp's direction. Unaware of the effect of his attack, Rowe planned out an extra use for his Piloswine's charging. "While you're at it, tackle 'em!" Now keeping its mouth closed, Piloswine's feet sped up, intent onn ramming into the hopefully damaged opponent.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Lucario and Shinx both shared a look of worry before glancing towards their trainer and fellow team member. Lucario growled and gave Shinx a look, the pokemon nodded before rushing back towards the pokemon centre, getting the nurse's attention being the idea it had.

Upon entering the building the electric type jumped onto the counter, letting out several cries of its name and gesturing towards the door with its head and paws, darting back over to the door and calling out back to the nurse.

Garchomp was sent back a few steps when Piloswine's attack hit, but it almost seemed to shake it off with a grunt and wince before standing up taller and letting out an enraged cry, "Garchomp, use fire fang!" The Mach Pokemon snarled and lunged towards the ice type, fire sparking to life in its mouth as it did so. Tasha gave a smirk as the pokemon grew closer, making a last minute decision to use a tactic she hadn't gotten the chance to use yet, "Dig!"

The dragon suddenly dived into the ground, fire still burning bright in its mouth. It was silence fir a few tense moments before the ground beneath Piloswine's feet suddenly broke upwards and Garchomp lunged upwards towards the ice type.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Nurse Joy was standing behind the counter of the Pokémon Center, just in the spot where Tasha left her. Her Shinx running up on the counter was originally greeted with a smile and a tilt of her head, though it quickly disappeared as she noticed the Pokémon's expression and gesturing. "Huh? Is there something going on?" Confused, she turned around to pick up a small sign which she placed on the counter, mentioning the Center's absense of staff, before lifting her head to face the Shinx, already in the door. "Hold up, I'm right behind you!"

Piloswine didn't seem to approve of being approached by the Garchomp in the way it was, and for its sake wasn't its trainer either. Fire Fang was a pretty universal move; had a Pokémon got fangs, could it make fire with them. Rowe was disappointed at himself for forgetting his rule of thumb. And it seemed it was now going to cost him his victory.

That was, until the Garchomp started digging. It shocked him, Dig was considered a high-level move. In that case, no doubt it'd be able to shrug off an ice-type attack like that. But he had to do something as well. He couldn't just stand here while waiting for the attack to commence. "Pilo, Mud Bomb!" Grunting, the Piloswine immediately shoved its snout into the dirt, scoffing up most into its mouth. While Rowe was aware of the possible consequences, spitting a large ball of mud in your opponent's face proved effective time and time again. Seeing Garchomp reappear from underground, he held out a finger, pointing it towards the Pokémon. "Spit it, now!"

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Garchomp wasn't able to avoid the attack which landed directly in his mouth, putting out the fires and causing the Mach Pokemon to splutter as it tried to spit out the dirt. Tasha's last nerve was gone at this point and she let out a frustrated cry, "Oh I am so done with this, Garchomp this male hurt somebody who couldn't even defend themself, how do you feel about that?"

The dragon looked back at its trainer and let out a cry, turning back to face the Piloswine and snarling, "That's how I thought you would feel, let's finish this off then! Crunch, and put everything you've got into it." The dragon type moved quicker than before, charging forward and clamping its jaws shut around the ice type before jumping back to its original position and preparing itself for any more on coming attacks.

Shinx led Nurse Joy over to Zach and Lucario, once he got their he nuzzled the male's side again and pointed towards Rowe with an annoyed look that practically screamed 'he did it!'. Tasha noticed the nurse's arrival and glanced over her shoulder, calling back her Garchomp and attaching his luxaryball back to her belt were it belonged, "As much as I would love to continue this, it appears Nurse Joy has arrived and you're no doubt going to be in serious trouble for attacking somebody who didn't have and pokemon of their own."

Lucario left Zach's side to stand by his trainer, glaring at Rowe with his red eyes.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

"Ha! That's it!" Pleased over his Mud Bomb hitting it's target, Rowe laughed viciously at Tasha. Although, he was so far unaware this was a battle he wasn't winning. Making a small pose of victory, he crossed his arms at hearing Tasha's comment, staring her down. Once she turned the comment into an attack, his expression turned fearful. "Piloswine, Powd…" He failed to deliver another command before the Crunch hit Piloswine as good as it possibly might have. Its teeth digging into Piloswine, Rowe was left with his jaw hanging, fumbling to find his Pokéball. "Th-that's good, Piloswine!"

"Not worth bothering with. Not now, anyways." Letting out a short grunt he turned on his heel at the sight of Joy, picking up a pace away from them. Now running, he looked towards a house, then disappeared behind it.

The nurse, however, crouched next to Zach, checking him for any serious injuries. "Are you ok, Zachariah? Can you describe to me what happened?" Zach, still aching from what he assumed to be a broken bone, though wasn't, coughed and muttered in response "You'll have better luck talking to her," he told Joy, pointing at Tasha. She looked towards her, before again turning towards Zach, stabilizing what could be stabilised. "So what exactly happened here? Judging from the snow and marks in the ground I assume a Pokémon battle?" Placing her hand on Zach's back, she tried lifting him up, only to his further grunting.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Tasha glowered at Rowe's disappearing figure before turning her attention completely to Nurse Joy and Zach, the blue eyed brunette made her way over to them quickly and helped the nurse lift Zach back to his feet, "Some kid decided to attack him using their Makuhita, obviously Zach doesn't have any pokemon so I stepped in to help but that punk still managed to get a hit in and take Zach out. My Shinx must of gone to get you without any of us noticing."

Tasha looked down towards the electric type and gave the small pokemon a loving pat, which earned her a happy cry before it jumped up onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

Tasha smiled before turning her attention back to Zach, "Are you going to be okay?"

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Joy turned her attention to where they saw Rowe disappear, sadly turning back to Zach. "Why would anyone attack you with a Pokémon? And a Makuhita on top of it all!" The very thought saddened her, made her ever so slightly lose her cheerful posture, if only temporarily. "Right." Having now placed Zach in a standing position still while holding his back, she gave it one final glance. "There appears not to be too much wrong in your back, nothing but a few bruises. You'll be back up and going in no time!" Crouching down to it, she thanked Tasha's Shinx for calling on her, then bid them farewell and returned to the Center.

Holding a hand on his waist, Zach looked down, still grunting. He lifted his head at the sound of her question, clearing his throat before answering. "Agh, I… Ought to be okay. Thank you so much for helping me out, Rowe has been a literal pain ever since I first met him." Zach was only eight when he was enlisted into Sinnoh Regional Business school, and since day one Rowe had somehow got his eyes set on him. Why, it appeared Zach would never know. Though it appeared this girl intimidated him, or at least would from now on. Perhaps sticking to her wouldn't be such a bad idea.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

((Finally getting around to responding! Stupid writers block....))

Tasha smiled, "It's no big deal, I could never stand back and watch somebody get attacked by another trainer's pokemon. Although if I were you I would probably tell Officer Jenny or your parents, I'm pretty sure that's illegal." The brunette brushed her hair out of her face as her Shinx hopped off of her shoulder and circled around Zach's feet, brushing up against his legs occasionally. Tasha giggled at her pokemon's actions before she realised something, "Oh! I never actually got the chance to introduce myself, did I? My name's Tasha, these are my partners Shinx and Lucario."

Shinx gave a happy cry whilst Lucario just nodded, "I don't recall you introducing yourself either but my memory can be pretty terrible at times." The trainer rubbed the back of her neck and gave a nervous laugh, which stopped when Shinx nudged her leg and pointed towards the beach with his paw, smiling as it did so. "Oh, right, we were going to go to the beach weren't we? Alright, let's go! You can tag along as well if you'd like?" She looked up at Zach with an almost hopeful look.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Zachariah smiled in return. "I would tell my parents, though my father never believes me, thinking I use it as an excuse to leave the school, and my mother wouldn't do anything about it, were she to know. Though Officer Jenny is a good idea, will do that next time." He looked down in surprise as her Shinx cuddled his leg, which he returned with a pat on the head. "You're a playful one, aren't you?" He looked up at Tasha, introducing herself. "Tasha…" he murmured, as if making an internal note, before stretching out a hand, instinctively placing the other on his back. "Zachariah Glazachio! Nice to meet you and your Pokémon!"

He laughed at the cries of Shinx. He had a liking for this energetic little fellow. "No, I do not believe I've introduced myself before. If I had, you'd be asking me all about my family about now, I'd presume." He straightened his back, grabbing an imaginary suit jacket. His posture quickly disappeared, as he looked back to her. "That is, have you heard of the Glazachio's? Dad was kind of big over in Jubilife. Ehm, was." His dismissing glare at the ground beside him vanished, and he followed Shinx's paw with his eyes. "Oh, the beach? Yeah, sure, don't really have anything else to do for some time." With that Zach started walking to the beach. The beach which was known over most of Sinnoh for its fine sand, clean water, and good position compared to the sun.

 

[Wolfiethehybrid123]

Tasha frowned, "That sucks, I've always disliked parents that acted like that. Although no offence to you, it just seems unfair." She offered an awkward smile as she reached over to shake his hand, pulling it back a few moments later. Unfortunately Shinx no longer seemed like he was willing to wait and the black and blue electric type took off in the direction of beach, Lucario glanced back at Tasha with a slightly amused look before taking off after the smaller pokemon.

Tasha shook her head at the two, "It's lovely to meet you Zach! I've heard of the Glazachio's but I've never actually heard about them, if that makes any sense. When I was younger my family and I would travel all the time, to different regions sometimes too, now I just travel with my pokemon since my parents are very happy staying where they are and looking after my niece and helping at the daycare." The brunette shrugged her shoulders a little, stopping when they entered the beach. She tilted her head back and breathed in the salty air, smiling a little when she did.

"Are you doing anything exciting in your life at the moment then?" She asked suddenly, looking away from her two pokemon which were splashing in the water, and towards Zach again.

 

[IntrusivePenDesperateSword]

Zach was just about to grab her hand, but then retreated it in a similar fashion to her once she did. "Oh, we're going to the beach right away, then!" Zach yelled back at Tasha, hesitantly trying to keep up with her Shinx. "I can't wait to get there, it really is one of the nicer beaches in the region. If not the best." He had been down by Sandgem beach several times, it being a nice spot of nature, but not so far away that they couldn't get the time to go there.

Yet again he giggled slightly at her two Pokémon. They seemed really nice. The more he thought of them, the more he wanted one too, despite clearly knowing he couldn't. "Oh, you have heard of us?" He turned back to Tasha, his back somewhat regaining posture. "My dad used to run what now is Jubilife TV, and he…" At the very mention of travelling, Zach stopped talking. His face turned into an expression somewhere between terrified and completely emotionless. She liked travelling around too? After all, seeing the world, exploring all minor islands, caves, mountains, it was all he ever wanted. And this girl did so on a regular basis, and with the exception of her Pokémon, all alone!

Zach was too caught up in this discovery, to notice they actually arrived at the beach. There were almost no one else there, besides an old woman staring at the horizon with a Seedot. The smooth waves crashed drowsily against the long flat of sand. Once she asked him, he snapped back into focus, shaking his head before facing the sunset. "My life currently consists of learning economics. My dad wants me to become a businessman like him, but… I really wish I'd grow up to get time for something else." Deciding for a more subtle approach, he went with not telling her of his dream right away, which he assumed would make it sound like he was hitting on her. Which he in a way was, but he needn't make that clear.