Something like twelve hours after meeting two very bizarre people, Derek was back in the Birchwild Grove hoping this time he'd run into some actual Pokémon. So far, he'd only completed the running shoes part of the tutorial, along with the capturing pokémon tutorial as well. So in theory, he understood like, the how but practicing that how was a different story.

After checking his settings and making sure he had his head straight, he made his way toward the tall grass, gently, carefully. A small motion and Apollo was loosed, at his side, sneaking carefully right beside him.

"Alright Apollo. You're sweeper, so we should make quick work of things, right?"

In theory, anyway...

"Not my lil dooder!" Derek hears the scream, sees the Deerling, and whisks Apollo up into his arms for protection, watching the Deerling go head first into the next thing, a Paras.

The voice is familiar, the username moreso, and Derek relaxes his shoulders a bit with a soft smile.

"Oh, hey Furl." What he's come to call Furrlicity Purrfection in passing within his own mind and it slips past his lips with ease. "Cottonee huh? That'd be sick."

But no, it's a Paras, one that Apollo plans on attacking. Can't let that Deerling have all the fun, can he? So he sinks into the shadows of Derek's arms and travels through them, using a shadow sneak on the Paras.

"F-fondler..." it's a nickname that makes Derek's cheeks get those little red slashes of embarrassmentdesu. "That's um..."

Oh good! They're moving past it, mint. Brilliant. Fantastic. Geronimo and eyebrows.

"Oh, well, if you need some help. I can help you out with that." Derek decides to ignore the nickname, or own it. We'll see which he ends up with when his mind's not in scrambles. "I'm looking for decent tank possibilities and supports, grass types, because of my trainer class."

Cottonee were the cutest grass times besides his Rowlet, so to have one?

Speaking of, Apollo marvels at how very dead the Paras looks, cooing at it while turning his head in a full circle to probe Derek to make a choice. Which, he does, tossing the Golden Ball at the Paras to capture it.