“Oh, it’s you.”

Once, those words would’ve been accompanied by a false smile and a saccharine tone meant to beguile. Now, they were filled with a genuine affection that also spilled from his verdant gaze.

Sat propped up against the trunk of an old tree, N noticed the approaching figure and raised a hand in greeting, before lowering it to cradle the pokémon currently using him as a pillow: an infant pidove, nestled comfortably on his lap.

It raised its head briefly, squinting against the dappled sunlight that poked through the woodland canopy; it seemed curious to know who it was that the young man was so happy to see. It let out a soft coo in greeting, before returning to its nap, wings fluttering mutely as it shifted to get comfortable again.