I can only get so far...[C]

He probably should have taken a second to gather himself before venturing off, he knew that, but unfortunately the young man had a habit of acting before thinking it through, which was why he found himself just a tad out of sorts as he wandered route 101. At least... that was where he was moments ago. "This seems new." he muttered to himself as he came close to a treeline, having wandered off the main path when he spotted some wild pokemon. This must have been it, though. He finally found Odale Town! But- Wait a second...

"Are you shitting me?" he groaned. Nope. This was definitely Littleroot... Again... Not that he had anything personal against the small town, but he was getting pretty tired of seeing it. Maybe he should try a little harder and stay on track this time rather than wander off at any distraction. He sighed, resigning to taking another look at the map as if things had changed and he could actually read it this time. Nope. He still had no idea what he was looking at. It seemed quite simple but obviously not simple enough for him to actually follow it like he was supposed to. After glaring looking at it for a good bit he muttered something unintelligible out of frustration before moving to shove the useless thing back in his bag, only to be intercepted as he felt sudden weight on him from out of nowhere.

"What the-?!" his eyes widened, nearly being toppled over but managing to keep upright. Once he'd managed to compose himself, Dex looked down to find he was being clung to. His brow quirked at the sight, a look of confusion and mild annoyance on his face. Shortly after the boy... girl(?) ended up releasing him, managing an apology and an explanation through their obvious embarrassment. After a moment Dexter's expression softened as he released a sigh. "Don't worry about it." he replied, already over it. No harm, no foul, right? Course the map kind of took a bit of damage thanks to him accidentally crumbling it during the impact, but he wasn't going to make much use of it anyway so it didn't count he supposed.

Ignoring the shorty for a moment, he retrieved the map for one last look. He at least recognized that he was supposed to go north. Which might have been useful information if he had a compass on him. He could probably ask for help but he wasn't about to do that. His pride simply wouldn't let him.

Why was this kid staring at him like that? It caused Dex to cock his brow again, quietly wondering if he had something on his face. Before he could actually begin to question that, however, the smaller male seemed to have finally snapped out of it, insisting on the apology which the raven haired teen simply shrugged off. It really wasn't that necessary. Shit happens, no need to dwell on it, yeah? Which was why he'd easily ignored the kid in favor of figuring out what he was supposed to do. In fact he was suprised to find the bright haired male was still there, looking back to him once he spoke.

Dexter's head would tilt slightly at his question, seeming to be just slightly confused. "Uh... Yeah?" Where else would he be heading? Of course with his sense of direction, he might end up managing to somehow find his way back to Kanto. Wouldn't surprise him the least, at this rate. Shortly after, however, the kid offered assistance and the only thing Dex had on his mind was the fact that his dilemma was obvious enough to notice by a complete stranger. That's always good! He did seem to be a trainer though which did seem promising enough if the idea of help wasn't enough already, even if he wouldn't readily admit it.

Regardless of whether or not he'd let this guy tag along though, Kohaku had already made a point to introduce himself with a handshake (one that Dex was only hesitant about for a second before deciding to try to be polite to the first person he'd met here, outside of the professor of course), even revealing the fact he'd only started his journey a few days ago. Small world. Actually it wasn't all that surprising since this opportunity to travel Hoenn seemed to have been offered to plenty of people already.

Still, they appeared to be heading in the same direction... and he was kind of lost... Maybe letting him accompany him wouldn't be such a bad idea. After a moment or so of thought, Dexter decided it was time to say "fuck it" and just let this happen, especially if he wanted to get anywhere. "Sure. I guess you can tag along." he stated, not sounding too enthused but not exactly upset with the arrangement either. He wasn't much of a social butterfly but surely he could manage this. At least until they got to Oldale, right? Yeah!

Already settled on the idea, Dexter already continued to move, expecting Kohaku to follow. "It's Dex, by the way." he finally introduced himself without stopping or even looking behind him, far too focused on getting a move on. He had an entire region to explore. No time to waste!

Dex might have liked to consider himself to be a pretty cool guy. He had that sort of self-confidence after all. But that didn't mean he couldn't fall short everyonce in a while and reveal just how lame he could be sometimes. For example, Kohaku ended up pointing out his serious lack of direction with a chuckle that made the dark haired teen's face grow slightly redder in embarassment. Fuck. Well this was off to a good start! His brows furrowed before he turned around, not bothering to look at his new travelling companions face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I knew that..." he tried to argue, a hopeless argument at that. "I was just going to take the scenic route." he went on, an attempt to make himself look like less of an idiot.

When the shorter male suggested he hold onto the map, Dexter hesitated for only a second before sighing and handing the scrunched up map over, unable to really argue there. "Suit yourself." he resigned but really wasn't as upset about it as he was trying to seem. In fact he was pretty relieved. Perhaps he'd have a better chance of deciphering the thing than he possibly could. Certainly couldn't be worse, right? He sure as hell hoped so as he was honestly getting tired of wandering aimlessly. Even Spike had gotten worn out which was why the poor Pokemon was back inside his Pokeball, taking it easy while his trainer relied on a stranger to figure out where he was going.

As Kohaku took the lead, Dex followed shortly behind him like the lost puppy he pretty much was, already trying to figure out a way to salvage his pride a bit. His thoughts were interrupted however as the kid spoke again, pointing out the fact he wasn't local. "Ouch... That obvious?" he chuckled dryly. He had no idea what he was doing and apparently it was obvious enough that this strange guy seemed to catch on pretty quick. Not that it was at all difficult, he supposed. At his proposal of a game to sort of get to know each other, the teen quirked a brow again. Honestly, Dexter was never too crazy about talking about himself too much. Rather, he was never really that great at it, as strange as it might have sounded. Still, he supposed he could humor him, if only to distract himself from his embarrassment and keep any awkward silence at bay. "Fine." he stated simply with a nonchalant shrug, not much of a talker. He had a feeling that Kohaku would manage to make up most of the conversation though and he wasn't sure how he felt about that just yet.

"Are you local?" he decided to start while that question was still fresh on his mind. It also might have helped to know if this guy really would be a good guide or if he was just as lost to this region as he was.

Oh boy. They'd just met and Dex was already finding the kid a bit annoying. Of course he wouldn't let him live that down so soon. Better to just stay silent and endure, which he was already in the habit of doing anyway so it wasn't too hard. His next words did garner a reaction out of him though, the raven haired teen tilting his head slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?" No he really wasn't sure how he was supposed to take that. Oh who was he kidding? He knew he was pretty much a social repellent. He'd never had someone be so blunt about it before. He wasn't angry, no, just surprised.

He did feel slightly less embarrassed when Kohaku admitted to wearing 'that look' before though, even though he was still slightly sore about the whole teasing. Not enough to change his mind about letting him join him though, which was a start.

At the very least, this guy knew how to get to Odale town and that was really all he was asking for at this point. Well.. He sort of knew anyway, how to get to route 101 at the very least. But if he had a better time reading maps then he did, he guessed there wasn't too much to worry about. Just hope for the best!

Dexter wasn't too surprised to hear that he was also new. In fact he kind of had to expect it since new trainers were coming in everyday to take advantage of the local professors offer. It was only natural to assume that everyone who was venturing from Littleroot was new, but it was nice to have the confirmation nonetheless. Unlike Kohaku though, Dexter wasn't so adjusted to being in such new territory. Even back in Kanto, he didn't venture too far from Pewter City since he didn't have Pokemon of his own to journey with, so this was totally a new experience for him. It wasn't too bad though. He was sure he'd enjoy it much more once he figured out where he was going.

His next question did surprise the trainer a bit though and Dex found himself looking down to the belt that hung off his hip. "He's a poochyena." he explained, half tempted to send the pokemon out but refraining. Spike was still probably tired and he'd honestly rather let him rest a bit before sending him out again, especially since he was to blame for tiring him out with all the running around. "His name's Spike." he went on, whether or not Kohaku wanted this information or not. If there was one thing that made the distant male happy, it was pokemon.

Now to turn the tables. "How about you?" Obviously he'd have to have one. He was curious as to what his partner was, knowing that there were plenty of pokemon out there to choose from.

More human? He wondered what he'd originally looked like and quite honestly still couldn't tell if that were meant to be a positive thing to take, but after Kohaku assured him it was in fact a compliment, he decided to drop it. "Well thanks... I guess?" He didn't really care anymore, but he'd try to take the compliment, since they didn't come around all that often. Even if it came with a side of pointing out his mistakes. He shrugged at the thought, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked on, along side Kohaku now.

He smiled slightly as they spoke about the tiny dog who was likely snoozing away right now, enjoying a nice, well-deserved nap. At his question of whether or not he might be able to see the poochyena someday, Dexter simply shrugged once again. "I guess if you really wanted to." Considering they were heading the same way it would seem, he was sure there would be a chance to meet the mischievous Spike. And maybe he'd be able to have a chance to see his ponyta too, the pokemon peeking his interest. "I haven't actually seen a ponyta in a while either." he admitted. The last time he'd saw one was when he was a kid. His uncle had brought him to a ranch and they had been among one of the many pokemon he'd meet that day. He half wondered if that ranch was still around. But he dropped that thought soon enough, especially since the shorty ended up shooting another question.

"Eighteen." Quick and to the point. He'd actually turned eighteen only a couple of months ago, but had been told before that he looked like he could pass for a couple years older. Now if only that was enough for him to get into places that were otherwise legal. A kid could dream. "Close?" he questioned, unintentionally wasting one of his questions. He looked maybe... fifteen? Maybe younger? He couldn't tell, but he certainly couldn't be older than him, that was for sure!

The mention of a battle did peek his interest but Dexter of course didn't say nothing of it, giving another shrug. If it happened, it happened, though he could certainly use the chance to train, so what better way to do that with someone you knew? ... Knew for like ten minutes but that wasn't the point, was it? Regardless if the opportunity came, he didn't see himself rejecting it, but he wasn't about to make any promises either.

Dexter looked down to Kohaku then with a confused look on his face, unsure if he heard him right at first thanks to his muttering. Even when he stated it more clearly the taller teen still was skeptical. "No. Seriously." he chuckled. It kind of defeated the point of this game if the answers were false, after all, and he could hardly see this kid being eighteen, let alone twenty one! But there was a bite to those words and he didn't seem to be joking around, even admitting to the fact it was a common for his age to be mistaken. As well as his gender. Well no lie there. Dex himself had a hard time deciphering it at first, since Kohaku did appear pretty feminine. Maybe it did contribute to his younger looks.

Still, Dexter had a hard time believing it but before he could try asking him again, the 'older' male had moved the subject aside, claiming that he'd used up his question. He groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. "Whatever..." Didn't matter to him, really. He was starting to run out of questions anyway. But shortly after, Kohaku asked his own question which apparently didn't count. "That's such bullshit." he began, rolling his eyes. "But, no. I should be fine." He could probably use some more stuff but he figured he could make it to Odale and grab some things there if he really needed it. "If you want to stop real quick I don't mind waiting." he explained. He'd like to get going right away, but he was going to try to be a little accommodating, especially since Kohaku could very well be his only way to the next town. It might be a good idea to try to be nice to him.

But then it came to the actual question which apparently was quite serious, causing Dexter to be a bit taken back by that expression he wore. "Uhm... Okay?" he said with uncertainty, not sure when things turned so dramatic. He was actually kind of concerned about what this question was. Which was why he was taken off guard a bit when he finally asked. "How is that important?" he questioned before quickly interjecting before he could pull that shit again. "That doesn't count." he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"That's a pretty loaded question..." he admitted, not actually having an answer. He didn't think he really had a favorite yet, not really having the chance to see all the different kinds of pokemon out there. "I'll have to get back to you on that one." he answered simply, kind of avoiding the question but not without reason. He just really didn't know yet. "Sorry?" he offered, not actually sounding that apologetic. Actually he was pretty stonefaced too so it was hard to tell how genuine that was.

"Where you from?" he decided to ask, reminded it was his turn now. Sometimes you forgot that there were other places out there aside from your own. He kind of hoped to have the chance to travel the world more. Maybe if he survived this region he might have to look into checking out others.

Excuses, excuses. Dexter still seemed pretty skeptical about such poor reasoning but he shrugged it off, not really caring that much about it. About the game in general, to be honest. He was only playing along to make this trip go by faster. At least that was the plan. Regardless, it seemed like they could move on without delay which was always good. He hadn't expected a thank you out of asking though, looking down to the shorter male with a puzzled look as he spoke before averting his glance. "Don't mention it." No, seriously. He had a reputation to keep up. Besides, if it didn't benefit him in some way, he wouldn't have even considered letting Kohaku come along. It sounded quite rude, but it was the simple truth.

He still wasn't entirely sure how his question was at all as important as he'd tried to make it seem, but he did sort of get it. Kohaku had nothing to worry about cause the grumpy teen cared very much about pokemon. He'd just yet to find one he liked the most. Spike would probably like to think he was the favorite though and at this rate he couldn't necessarily deny that one. He chuckled at the thought. Still, he didn't appear to be bothered by the lack of real answer, even going as far as to question his apology. He simply shrugged it off, figuring it wasn't important enough to worry about if he didn't think it was necessary. Apparently it wasn't as important as he'd said it was, the broody male shaking his head in disbelief. What a little jerk.

Kohaku certainly had more travel experience than he had though, going from China to Johto and then here. Yeah, he might have been more easy to adapt to this new region than he would. Hoenn wasn't bad though, not at all. It was just going to take some getting used to, that was for sure. As the question was turned though, Dexter sighed, "I've lived in Kanto for as long as I can remember." Whether or not he lived anywhere else before was but a mystery to him, along with his elusive parents. Not that it mattered at all. "Not as much travel experience." he admitted.

Oh... It was his turn again, wasn't it? "Uh... Are you a righty or a lefty?" he spoke the first thing that came to mind, clearly running out of good questions. He wasn't too good at this game, apparently, but he was trying at any rate, which was saying a whole lot.