Ok, well, she's not...insisting on a battle anyway so maybe she's not a local game person? His shoulders relax a little, even as Alice shyly hops to hide behind his legs.

"No...it is pretty much the closest thing I have, though. I just started playing today." It feels strange, to be able to say he's playing a game again. "I didn't think the next town would be so far away." Ah, shit, it's really been a long time since he met anyone new. "Hey, uh, I'm John. Are you also doing this Trainer thing?"