Mamoru Ryuzaki was actually starting to get a bit concerned for Hibiki, seeing as how the girl was supposed to have arrived at the laboratory an hour and a half ago. He'd arrived in town earlier that day, keeping it a surprise that he would be there to greet Hibiki when she was given her first Pokemon. It was about two hours since he arrived at the lab, and given Hibiki's childhood illness, there was a whole slew of things that might have gone wrong on the way home. Yeah, the doctor said she was healthy enough to travel... But doctors were wrong sometimes, right? Maybe Hibiki had a coughing fit on her way out the door, or passed out thanks to the excitement? The wait for his childhood friend would have been easier if Nanako's train arrived on time, but the older trainer was apparently facing delays, according to a few text messages.

Mamoru was about ready to go looking for Hibiki when she was running up the hill toward the Research Center, standing up and making his way over to the front door. The front room of the lab was a sort of waiting area, meant for guests to sit down while waiting for an appointment with the professor. As he reached for the door's handle, he hesitated for a moment, wondering what it would be like to finally see Hibiki once more. He obviously remembered the feelings he used to have for her, but after having such a long time to himself, he was fairly certain that his priorities had shifted. He had more important things to worry about than a childhood crush, after all. His dream of becoming a Pokemon Master took the front seat in his life, and for the first time in a while, he was actually looking forward to seeing Hibiki simply because of their friendship. No romantic feelings, no weirdness, nothing. Yup, Mamoru was feeling pretty good about seeing the girl once more.

That is until he opened the door to see the pink-haired trainer-to-be herself sitting down in the grass just outside the building. Her hair was messy, she was panting, and she seemed pretty sweaty. Despite all that, Mamoru's heart managed to skip a beat at the sight of her looking back in his eyes. The pink hair, the spunky clothing, the wide smile that soon decorated her face... All those same traits that made him fall for her all those years ago. "Oh boy." he thought to himself for a split moment, realizing that he definitely still liked her. Now more than ever, it seemed. Still, his feelings were only a minor distraction from the great joy he felt finally meeting up with Hibiki once more. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked jokingly, a wide smile on his face as he opened his arms to offer a hug, inviting the girl to stand up and greet him properly.