First Steps:
"We should get badges for each new region we visit, don't you think Wobbs?" Juniper's hands were clasped behind her head, face to the sky but eyes closed. Her pokemon partner, a croagunk named Wobbles, trod ahead of her. Eyes closed, she blindly trusted the sound of his *pat pat patting* footsteps to guide her. For the moment, she just wanted to enjoy the quiet and fresh air.
"I mean, I guess technically what I'm asking for is just passport stamps. But cooler! Not that we get the stamps anyway, with Mayten's Hoopa flinging us through space and all that. Not that I'm complaining about bypassing the airport fees..."
"Croah!"
"Maybe I'll look into getting our own badges made. Just because, y'know? We could start a travel board, mark off all the places we've already been. Fill it up with pictures and pins and souvineirs. We don't really do that kind of thing, do we bud? Never the sentimental type. WhA-OOF!" Juniper stumbled a few steps after a shoe snagged on a tree root. "Wha? Wubby?" The hazards of following a pokemon blind, she supposed, this one especially. Her own fault really. Disoriented, Juniper spared a moment to take in her surroundings for the first time since they set off.
A gentle trickle earned her attention first- she hadn't noticed it above the noise of her own ramblings- and the gleam of running water reflecting sparkles of sun before her. A curtain of crystal clear water cascaded down a rocky cliff face. Following the stream she noticed quite a steep dropoff to the pool it ultimately collected in. The space above was fenced in at least; it appeared to be a viewing area. Lush greenery, even richer and thicker here than the city's outskirts, towered above her, clinging to not just the cliffs but tree trunks, drooping vines, and any surface it could find.
Wobbles made himself known shortly after, rummaging not so discreetly in nearby berry bushes. He popped up munching loudly on a massive aspear berry. Juniper just grinned, and after testing the rail's integrity, drank in the scenery.
"You know, we're really lucky to get to do what we do." The sun kissed her skin so tenderly. Meanwhile mist from the waterfall tickled her face and cooled it's heat a neverending cycle of perfect balance. "We get to travel to all these places, meet so many different people and pokemon... Sometimes I can't believe it's not a dream. I worry one day I'll wake up, back in that boarding school, and it'll all be over."
"Ro?" A tug at her pantleg signaled that her usually noisy partner had crept up on her. Wobbles looked up, leaning into her. The corners of her mouth twitched up; she couldn't stay out of it for long with his goofy little face gazing at her like that. Wobbles always made everything better.
"You're right, bud." Juniper turned her face back to the light. "We've come to far for that. And we've got so much more to go! Come on, ready to go? Belly full?"
"Rib!"
"Good. You're still navigator. I have NO idea where this Baazar is. You get us there, and I'll find this Camila person once we're there. Deal?"
"Croagunk!" Her little blue friend darted back to the original path. Beaming after him, Juniper moseyed in tow.