Chance Encounter

Stranger... Danger?

You nibble on your berries as you settle back into the tree's rough embrace. One leg swaying lazily off the side of the branch, hanging in the slight afternoon breeze, you sigh in contentment as you finish the last of your treat. As the warm air rocks your swinging leg and dances through your fur, you begin to let your eyes droop. With the promise of rest fast approaching, you yawn once and release the leaf that served as your plate slip from your grasp and float down to the ground.

"You really shouldn't waste food."

"Gah!" is all you can manage as your eyes shoot open and you try (unsuccessfully) to stumble to your feet. After a few moments you are able you jump away from the direction of the voice, spinning in the air to face the source. With fists raised and your heart beating like a drum, your narrowed eyes fall upon the form of a slim Treecko, his arms crossed and leaning easily against the tree. You also notice he seems to be chewing the stem of some kind of plant. His perch is a few branches above your own and if he wanted to, he could close the distance quickly. He makes no move against you, however, and continues to recline against the wood with an amused expression on his face.

"What the hell's the matter with you?!", you blurt out as anger replaces your shock.

The gecko chuckles to himself and waggles his finger. "Now, now. No need for hysterics.", he calmly replies. Something about his tone irritates you. It's almost as if you are being scolded as would a naïve child. He remains at ease against the tree, plucking his plant chew from his mouth and twiddling it in his fingers. He simply watches the various emotions that cross your face, that this deep green tail waving occasionally as he considers you. In the silence that follows, you are able to better identify the stoic pokemon.

If you had to guess, he'd stand about the same height as you, perhaps a few inches more. Another similarity the two of you share is the lithe figure, obviously built for speed over strength, something that worries you all more with your proximity to the sneaky lizard. Despite this, you can make out a firmness to his muscles that you, admittedly lack. If all this wasn't enough to put you on edge, there seems to be a length of green vegetation, perhaps a root or thick vine, slung around his neck evoking the visage of a scarf or mantle of some sort. Knowing better however, you can spot a weapon when you see one. The one thing that stops you from caving to the pull of instinct and making an effort to flee is his icy blue eyes. From what you can read, they bare no malice, no signs of intent that might reveal his desire to do you harm. Ultimately, you decide that either he's very good at hiding his true emotions, or he's merely a curious interloper. Regardless, the silence grows awkward, and you choose to test his façade.

"Well?", you ask impatiently.

"Well, what?", The grass-type ever so 'innocently' replies. You've had just about enough of this gecko’s attitude.

"You know damn well what!", you snap back. "Why did you sneak up on me? What do you want?". The Treecko puts on an obviously false air of ignorance at your questioning.

"What ever do you mean, dear Sneasel? I simply wished for some conversation with a pokemon capable of more than growls and drooling."

Your eyes narrow, not enjoying being toyed with. "That doesn't explain why you were sneaking about."

The gecko lets out another somewhat condescending laugh and replies, "Sneaking? I thought I had made my approach rather known. Perhaps it is you who should work on their listening skills~." Another innocent smile plays across his face, further infuriating you.

It had been a while since you'd felt at such a disadvantage. Your cheeks begin to burn hot and you know a blush is forming. You try to tell yourself it is because of the cocky pokemon's tone. If you're honest with yourself though, it's likely due to the shame of being surprised despite your years of training, and then talked down to with such brutal honesty. He wasn't lying when he said it was YOU who failed to notice him. You decide to let the insult pass, and fully over this flustering exchange, retort, "If you have nothing else to add, I'd suggest you leave."

A wry smile is widening on the grass-type's face when he remarks. "No need to shroud your embarrassment with fake anger, Hon. We all make mistakes now and again." You feel the heat in your cheeks building. Again he shames you, having so easily read your thoughts with barely any effort. The urge to clap back with some other barb just to see the man on the back step dies almost immediately, however. Knowing it would be little more than a flimsy attempt at protecting your wounded ego, the stranger would likely pick up on it and further dismantle your pride. You wouldn't give him the-

_Wait... Did he just call me 'hon'? _Once more you are at a loss, so befuddled are you at the constantly pivoting avenues of the verbal onslaught. You were unsure if the Treecko was actively attempting to throw you off kilter, or if he was just naturally infuriating. Regardless, it was time to end this ridiculous interaction.

"Listen, stranger", You start, "I have no desire to talk. I'm tired and have a lot of traveling to do." The Treecko displays, as far as you can tell, the first sign of true emotion since your encounter began.

With a disappointed sigh, he responds, "Pity..." Without another word, appearntly respecting your wishes, he turns to hop from his perch. It is now that you notice what he has been twirling in his fingers during the conversation. The puffy purple flower dances in the afternoon breeze. Upon the realization, you blurt without thinking, "What is that?" The gecko turns, his eyes tracing you curiously, before following your gaze to his flower. "This?", He asks holding up to one of rays of light shining through the thick canopy. "It's just a thistle. Pretty common for these parts. A fine treat for some~" He finishes by bringing the stem up to his lips and placing it between them, nibbling on the green shoot, with the flower bobbing up and down.

"O-oh...", you stammer, cheeks yet again burning with embarrassment at your silly question. "Thanks..." Upon receiving your gratitude, he gives you a polite nod and before leaping down from limb to limb, soon after landing gracefully on the forest floor. He waves without looking back as he heads into the woods, the flower still jostling about from his munching. You blink slowly, thoroughly exhausted from the brief encounter. "He's certainly an odd one.", you whisper to yourself. The ache in your limbs from the travels prior to the unexpected grilling from the nameless Treecko remind you of why you've stopped in the first place and soon have you settling in for a quick nap.

About an hour later, you awake with renewed vigor and collect your things before setting out east once more.