Trek Through Union Cave::A Secret for Rei

Jennifer was more than a little surprised by Max's offer. She hadn't thought of traveling with another Trainer, though it sounded like a good idea. Besides, she didn't like being alone, though she had Paprika with her, she felt safer with another human along for the ride. She nodded happily and answered, "That would be perfect! I'm going to be heading to Azalea Town after I get the Zephyr Badge, anyway."

Paprika could tell her Trainer was glad, but wasn't entirely sure why. She gazed up at Jenny, who giggled a little. "What do you think, Rika? Want to travel with Max and his Pokemon for a while?" she asked the Eevee. With a tilt of her head and a flick of her ears, Paprika made her decision and let out an excited yip of approval.

'That's great' Max said happily. She was nice and would be a great traveling partner until they inevitably part ways, but it would be great for the time being. Max finally found Growlithe's pokeball and returned him for the first time in years. While it was a basic action, it had a nice feeling to it. Like meeting an old friend. Eevee looked contempt to stay out of her pokeball and walk along side Max and Jennifer and he was sure Paprika would do the same.

'Alright we better make a start then, we'll want to be in Violet City before the sun goes down.' Max said as he stood up. Eevee did her usual display of crawling up Max's leg, then arm then resting on his shoulder. While the weight never bothered Max, Eevee's constant squirming and yipping did get on Max's nerves on occasion, and he hoped she'd keep it to a minimum on the trip. Max reached out his hand to Jennifer who was still sitting down, to help her up.

Jenny watched with a smile as Max returned his Growlithe back to its Pokeball. The Fire type looked rather relieved, after being away from its Trainer for so long. It was a heartwarming sight.

Then Max offered his hand out to help Jenny up. A simple, kind gesture it was, but it felt strangely monumental, like shaking hands on a deal. This would be the start of their journey together, and for however long it would last, it was sure to be fun. She took hold and pulled herself up as Paprika quickly scurried back onto the girl's shoulders. Rika let out a squeak of content, then looked over at Max's Eevee as if to brag about how lucky they were that their Trainers gave them free rides.

Jennifer rolled her eyes and grinned. "Well, let's get going then. To Violet City!"