Lucas can't give verbal orders, and Barry can't focus on the right things sometimes-- but they leave Twinleaf, get a Pokedex, and try becoming trainers anyways.
"...are you guys teaching Chimchar sign language?"
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※ Current Progress: Veilstone City...
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[Player defeated PKMN Trainer Barry!]
Is strangely enough the last thing he remembers.
A blink later, a monkey leaps at him. Barry is wailing in despair, and Professor Rowan chuckles at the sight of them.
Lucas regains his bearings and he's on the ground, holding a creature slightly away from him in the same way one would hold a wet cat.
He looks at it and-- it's a Chimchar, cheering in excitement and clinging happily to its new owner, looking just a little beat up but not at all upset by it.
... Huh?
Lucas turns to look at the Pokemon, then at Barry-- then at Dawn and the Pokemon Professor-- is he seeing this? He rubs his eyes and-- it's still there, along with the fainted Piplup that Dawn is now using a Potion on.
"Don't sit there lookin' so baffled now, Luce. I ain't losing next time!"
He stares suspiciously at the hand that's stretched out for him. Barry frowns slightly down at him, his lips pursed in a pout.
He takes it, and stands up.
And when he looks around-- he falls silent, almost.
The burst of forestry, the wooden buildings with bush green roofs. The air is fresh here-- fresher than he's ever breathed in his life. The wind brings with it the chatter of the Kricketot and the gentle humming of the Bidoof.
"What's with you?" Barry asks, crouching down to pick up-- oh, his hat. When did it fall-- and slotting it clumsily on Lucas' head.
Then he raises his right hand and waves his hand before his friend's face. He does it twice, staring scrutinizingly at Lucas. Then he does it again.
Lucas finally turns right back to attention. Chimchar has run down to Dawn for Potion at this point, so he quickly straightens himself, readjusting his hat.
Barry sets his third fingers at his chest and gestures outward. The glare on his face hasn't eased for a second.
Despite never having learned that before, Lucas recognized the signs.
Sign Language, though he wasn't sure if it's American or Japanese or if this world even followed the modern world's system of languages-- but all that mattered was he recognized them as if he had been using them his entire life.
Open palm, thumb to his chest, he jabs twice and offers a smile. I'm fine.
