Good start

As soon as the homeroom teacher finished her announcement, the clearing buzzed with sudden motion—students turning to each other, whispering frantic proposals, some even rushing forward to grab the friends they wanted to pair up with.

"Well, we're already three," Neil said, casting a sideways glance at Ayan, then Elicia. "Works out, huh?"

Others had approached her and asked her to join the team and so did some with Ayan but they both rejected the others. One reason for Ayan was that he didn't want to make new friends. He had always been the awkward one out, along with Neil. Both didn't have a huge social circle to begin with. 

At other times, Ayan would have loved such attention, after all who didn't like fame in early years. But this Ayan wasn't the same person as he was previously. Fame came with problems and obligations, and Ayan would rather have a minimalist life than a huge social circle while maintaining a facade. 

For Elicia, it was a different matter. She came from a rich family and family like those were always taught to be more careful of others and try to stay away from the public in general as they could always use her. One of the reasons she was given a Budew was to have the Pokémon as her own personal bodyguard. 

She always had minimum friends and most of the time she spent was with her Budew as she genuinely loved her Pokémon. Thus when Elicia saw that another classmate of hers had gotten a Pokémon, she couldn't help but be a bit happy as now she could talk with someone as both of them, at least, in the class were equal. That was always the common topic they could talk. 

In a school setting filled with insecurities, that was enough to push most students into keeping their distance.

"Ayan," came a hopeful voice from behind. One of the students—Kunal, short and stocky—walked up, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Hey, uh… you guys teamed already?"

"Yeah," Ayan replied simply, not unkindly but with finality. "The three of us."

"Oh. Okay, cool," Kunal muttered, retreating quickly. Another group—two girls and a lanky boy—glanced toward them, murmured something among themselves, and then deliberately veered away.

By the time the rest of the students were still squabbling over who would go with whom, Team Ayan-Elicia-Neil had already wandered away from the clearing, assignment sheet in hand.

They didn't rush.

Instead, they strolled at their own pace, letting the lake breeze cool their skin as they followed a dirt trail deeper into the woods behind the dormitory area. Wild Pokémon were often spotted near the edge of the trees or along the shallow streams that flowed from the lake, so that's where they started.

"So," Elicia said after a few minutes of quiet walking, "do we go for easy ones first? Like Pidgey, Caterpie, Lotad? Or aim for cool points?"

"Cool points," Neil said without hesitation. "Let's be honest, we're already at a disadvantage. People expect us to do better because two of us have Pokémon."

"Didn't you get traumatized by that Corphish? You want more drama?" Ayan asked. 

"Hmph... I just didn't have a Pokémon. If I had one, I wouldn't have been afraid." Neil said with all the bravado he had. Both Elicia and Ayan just rolled their eyes. Who believed him?

"Well, he's not wrong. If we show up with pictures of three Wurmples and a Bidoof, we'll look lazy."

"Well, if we're going rare hunting," Neil said, tugging his cap down, "we better start by splitting the area up smartly. The stream east of the woods might have water-types or bug hybrids, and the west side's more open. Flying-types, maybe."

"Then let's head east first," Elicia decided, already walking. "Less foot traffic, fewer chances someone else saw what we did."

"Also more mud," Neil groaned.

"We have boots, it shouldn't be a problem." Ayan said. 

Ayan followed them, amused. Their chemistry was odd, but it worked. As they moved, Pidgey occasionally swooped ahead to scout, while Budew stayed tucked in Elicia's arm, poking her head out curiously from time to time. 

The trio continued their trek, leaving the clearing behind and venturing deeper into the woods that bordered Dawki Lake. The trio—Ayan, Neil, and Elicia—moved quietly along a narrow dirt trail, their footsteps muffled by a carpet of fallen leaves and soft moss. The late afternoon light filtered through the dense canopy in scattered beams, and every so often, a gentle breeze stirred the branches, releasing the fresh scent of pine and damp earth.

They hadn't gone far when Pidgey, darted out ahead with a soft chirp, signaling that something had caught its attention. Ayan followed, but not before checking his phone to make sure his camera app was open and ready for action. Yes, just like Ash used to do, Ayan too took the help of Pidgey, asking to keep an eye around and alert them if they found a Pokémon which was unique. Pidgey understood what Ayan meant and flew around. 

"Found something," Elicia said, her voice tinged with excitement.

Ayan, Neil, and Elicia pushed their way through the thickening brush to where Pidgey had landed on a low branch, staring down at a cluster of flowers near the stream. Upon closer inspection, a small, blue Pokémon with a large, domed head was nestled among the leaves—a Dewpider. It crawled slowly across a rock near the water's edge, its eight legs skittering in an almost mesmerizing pattern.

Ayan took a few quick shots from different angles. The Pokémon's watery habitat reflected the soft sunlight, making it seem almost ethereal. It was rare, but not too difficult to find around lakes.

"That's a nice one," Neil said, peering over Ayan's shoulder. "We can check that off the list."

"I'll grab a few more," Ayan replied, snapping a couple more photos. The Dewpider seemed completely oblivious to their presence, busy with its own search for food in the shallow stream.

"We're off to a good start," Elicia commented, her eyes scanning the area. She gave Budew a gentle pat as the Grass-type peeked out from her arms, clearly enjoying the surroundings.