Riley chuckled. "That's good. Gotta keep your eyes on your goal." In all honesty, she was giving advice about something she didn't really know that much about. Her only aspiration prior to the tournament had been to take over the daycare and make it succeed. It sounded like something someone wise would say, though.
She looked down at the pokémon. She knew the Poochyena, what with how common they were in Hoenn, but she was less familiar with the little pink ball. She crouched down to get a look at her. She'd have to ask Blake about her. Her attention was snatched away by Bella, who was jumping up and down, excited by the presence of not one, but two friendly pokémon.
"This is Bella," Riley said, holding a hand over the psychic type, "remember the old Chimecho that got left for years? Well, she laid an egg a couple weeks before I left, and when it hatched, little Bella was right there." She chuckled. "I was going to bring one of Sophia's babies-" Sophia was the name of Riley's Masquerian, whose eggs had hatched while Blake was working at the daycare, "-but how could I say no to this little girl?" She laughed a little as she stood up straight again.
"I've been doing fine. But the daycare's a bit down on her luck," she lowered her voice, leaning in as she said this. She had always been very secretive about the financial status of the daycare, but in his last few working days Blake might have noticed a distinct uncharacteristic stress in her. "That's why I'm competing. For that big lump of cash." She grinned.