According to his portscreen, the Bulbasaur should be right here. He glanced up for a moment to look around and then remembered the creature would really only be on the screen, and that checking his surroundings would really only ensure he wouldn't run into anything.
Which wasn't exactly his top priority right now.
He focused his attention back to the current task, stare narrowing as he surveyed the screen, searching for the giveaway flash of green. He turned, facing back towards the way he had come, but there was nothing.
Turn to the left.
To the right.
Two steps forward.
Three steps to the left.
There it was.
He moved quickly, afraid to lose his prize, and his finger hovered over the 'catch pokemon' button.
It was like he ran right into a wall. His portscreen clattered to the ground and he gasped. Would the Bulbasaur still be there? Had he scared it away?
That was when he saw what had hit him.
A girl.
A pretty girl, who might have looked a little bit irritated.
Scratch that, very irritated.
"There's this new thing I heard about today, maybe you have too? It's called watching where the hell you're going," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Kai didn't know what to say. This was so much better than a Pokemon. At least, it could be, if only the girl didn't look so angry. But the look seemed to fit her, he thought to himself. The small curve her body held as she cocked her head at him and raised her eyebrows. Her long ponytail fell over her shoulder and her feathery bangs fluttered over her forehead as they caught in a breeze, waiting for him to respond.
"I'm sorry," he finally said quietly, intimidation creeping in as she tapped her foot on the ground. "There was a Bulbasaur behind you."
Something flashed on the girl's face. "Wait, really?" she asked, and Kai could definitely note some disbelief in her voice. She turned slightly, before realizing it was a silly idea. "A bulbasaur?"
Kai nodded slowly.
"Well catch it, don't just stand there!" she said, picking up his portscreen for him and thrusting it into his hands. He felt a moment of hesitation, but then his gaze once again landed on the bulbasaur and stars, it was right there.
He chuckled, shaking his head at where the pokemon had moved to. "Don't move," he whispered. "It's on your shoulder." The girl tipped her head back and laughed, and Kai was finally able to catch his pokemon. "Got it," he said, flashing the girl his collection screen.
"Dude, how many do you have?" she said, leaning in closer to him and using a finger to swipe through his pokedex.
"Umm, thirty or something. I'm trying not to keep count, because this might be getting a bit excessive," he admitted.
The girl laughed again, and he decided he liked the sound. He knew he definitely wanted to hear it again. "Maybe we could hunt together sometime? I could probably use some tips from a pro like you."
Kai felt his eyes widen, and he nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'd really like that."
"My name is Cinder, by the way," she said as she typed her contact information into his portscreen.
"Kai," he said simply.
"It was wonderful meeting you. Let me know next time you don't want to walk around the streets alone," she said, and waved as she left. He grinned to himself as he walked away. He had a feeling this wasn't what the creators had in mind with the statement 'gotta catch em all'.