"The offer to come with us still stands, if you want. It's been fun, traveling with you."

Intrepid trills her agreement.

She hesitates...

Then steps out of the forest, following them.

Ellie smiles.

"Welcome aboard."

She smiles back, a bit shyly. 

Hee.

So, first order of business is to check in at the station and get their names crossed off the list of people who are known to be in the forest. Then they're back on the road north to Pewter City, which is nestled up in the base of the mountains, further away from the forest (otherwise they'd have to call it the Pewter-Viridian Forest).

She stays well away from the station, but falls in as they walk north, spending a bit making assorted curious noises about Pewter City before Intrepid tempts her into more games of tag. 

...And then they get to city outskirts, and into city proper, and Umbreon does not approve of crowds, nope, not at all, zero, especially not crowds sometimes containing undisciplined grabby hellbeasts, also known as 'children.'

Hm. This could be a bit of a problem, then. Let's stop and figure it out (safely away from the children). Ellie and Intrepid do need to do things in the city proper... They could set up a camp outside that Umbreon could stay at, and then go in by themselves? Or- if Umbreon is willing to walk closer to Ellie, she can keep other people away. Or a pokeball, that would be another way to get by them. If they can get to the hostel, there won't be crowds inside... But probably Umbreon doesn't want to be surrounded like that? So the camp would be the better idea.

Intrepid can also run interference. Stick between Umbreon and any kids and be very pettable. And there's probably paths with fewer people, and future times they go out with Umbreon, they can do so when most humans - especially kids - are in work or at school... 

Mrrrr.

Pokeball seems to be a 'no.' Some back and forth establishes she's willing to try walking closer to Ellie, with Intrepid between her and grabby people, and she's willing to try the hostel.

(She actually seems kind of reluctant or even unhappy about maybe staying alone in a camp.)

All right. They can walk together.

This strategy is mostly successful. A combination of Ellie waving people away and Intrepid distraction particularly unruly children gets them at least a small bubble of space all the way to the hostel, where Ellie is able to negotiate for a larger-than-average single occupancy room.

Intrepid's tendrils are also strong and long enough to physically block anyone very insistent - though she indeed parses as significantly more pettable, being both cute and also friendly (most children who do not have an adult actively running interference before they touch a strange pokemon can read 'low unhappy rumble and flattened ears' well enough to give the umbreon her bubble).

Umbreon is very obviously stressed but has stayed near Ellie and hasn't fulfilled her body language's promise to run away and/ or bite even once. 

Though once they're in the room she goes and hides under the bed. 

Yeah that's fair.

Ellie places a couple of the spicy poffins on the floor next to the bed and backs away.

...Her paw emerges after a minute to pull one under the bed with her.

Ah, good.

Ellie gets her things organized and sits at the desk to write up some of her notes from the past few days, both on Intrepid's progress in learning to read and the umbreon language.

Intrepid curls up contentedly at her feet - sadly, the desk isn't big enough for both a sylveon and Ellie's notes. 

The umbreon finishes off the poffins over the next little bit, pulling them under the bed one by one, then just lurks for a bit - but, after the room's been quiet for a while and neither of the other occupants have tried to interact with her, she slowly emerges from under the bed to sniff around. 

Ellie glances over but keeps working.

She stills when Ellie moves, then keeps investigating once it's clear it was only a glance. 

After she's sniffed every nook and cranny, she starts testing the bed's softness, eventually deciding to drag some spare linens and pillows from the closet into a nest in the corner of the room nearest the window. 

After Umbreon's had time to do that, Ellie puts her pencil down and stretches.

"Intrepid and I should go check out the gym here. Do you want more softs or anything?"

She chirps - seems to be 'more softs,' mostly. 

"Okay."

So first down to reception to snag an extra set of linens, back to the room to drop that off inside the door, wave to Umbreon again, then they can head to the gym.

Umbreon builds up her nest and then vanishes entirely inside it.

Meanwhile: gym!

Intrepid's excitedly prancing - and spending more time staring around at the city in interest, now that she's not having to worry so much about keeping people from touching Umbreon.