Hildegard winced as she stepped on another pebble. It was difficult to follow her nose and watch her step at the same time. Somewhere around here was the smell of soda and berries... but this far from civilization - especially so deep into rugged terrain - could mean only one thing: a trainer, perhaps with help. Unfortunately, they were on the other side of a dense thicket.

The Lucario took a deep breath and pushed her way through: she wore a tattered red jacket with black & white trim and a logo of two colliding fists on the back. Her head and limbs bore a pelt of faded sky blue and dark gray, while her torso was a sort of milky yellow. Glints of dull silver sparkled at her chest and the back of each hand, indicating the presence of something metallic. She had a short, but thick mane of scruffy hair and four large, bulbous locks that hung below it. Her ears were tall, almost sharp in appearance, and gently twitched at every sound the forest made.

Her overall physique wasn't too different from other Lucarios: bipedal, thick legs, athletic. But where they were plain, Hilde was lean and muscled. Most of the strength was also in her legs, but she clearly had some to spare everywhere else by the look of it.

"Hello?" she called ahead. "I'm not looking for a fight."

But there was... no one here?

Hilde looked about, there was no sign of a human, just a simmering pond and a couple of shrubs laden with large juicy berries growing right beside it. She sniffed the air again, checking the perimeter, cautiosly approached and dipped her footpads into the water; it was chilly with a faint effervescence, explaining why she smelled soda. For a while she simply enjoyed the cool, tingling relief of the waters. She didn't even notice her stomach growling until it started getting louder.

Her first impulse was to check Master's jacket, but it was empty. Across the little pond, however, were some hefty berries she had not seen in quite some time. There were more than enough for a hearty meal and some of them even had the right coloration to be useful for treating burns.

Hilde took her jacket off and raised it above her head as she crossed the waters, drinking her fill as she went, then stashed it beside the berry bushes while she picked a few of the fruits. Before digging in, however, she would tend to her burns.

That taken care of, she sat cross legged, bit into one of the berries, and let her eyes wander over Master's jacket.

She almost choked. The hem of the jacket was charred; a few bits had even crumbled away. For a second, she was furious... but that quickly faded. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. Not that it bothered her much before: she loved Master more than anything. More, even, than her conscience. But this was the first time the cost had included something that belonged to him. Hilde's resolve remained unbroken, but now - finally - it had a crack. She sobbed quietly and held the jacket close. It was the only thing she had left of him, and as much as it had been through, sometimes she could still catch his scent from the collar. She squeezed it tight and tried to find it again, but... it wasn't there today.

She wept, but Master would not want that. It always broke his heart. So, she allowed herself another moment to grieve and try to remember Master's scent... the sound of his voice... the touch of his fingers scratching her ears... and then set down the jacket to finish her berry.

Then her nose twitched, picking up a new scent. That's when Hilde cautiosly rose to her feet and faced the person.

She tensed up, her ears flicking back as she held Master's jacket tight in one hand. The wind stirred her scruffy mane; her eyes narrowed.

"I have a really good nose for trouble. Who are you? Don’t take any step closer. I’ve fought rock-types harder than whatever you think you are just to survive this far."