Uncertain Starts

[Birdybot]

"You don't have a clue what you're doing, do you?" accused a proud Espeon. His lilac fur shone, having been groomed for this very occasion. This was Lazarus, the dæmon to the uncertain nineteen-year-old who was making her way through Priono towards what she hoped was the lab.

"Lighten up! We're finally doing something with our lives!" Luna replied brightly. She had on her back a brand new backpack. It was heavier than she would have lived, being laden with as many clothes as she could fit, food, some niknaks and games, as well as camping gear; tent, sleeping bag, cooking utensils, matches, swiss army knife. She hadn't known what to bring, so had brought everything she thought a trainer could possibly need. It was heavy.

Lazarus nodded. "I'm glad about that, but we need to get a Pokémon first. I had some ideas, but-"

"They change them every month," Luna finished for him, "since we didn't know when we would leave, I decided to just leave it as a surprise."

"All right, then. Hurry up! I think it's this way!" he bounded off ahead, forcing her to run behind him. As much as he complained about her lack of organisation, he was just as excited about this as Luna was. She had struggled to decide on what to do in life, and had eventually thought she might as well be a trainer. She wanted to work with Pokémon, and did not intend a trainer to be her final career, more a gateway into something more stable. All she had to do was find that other career first. Until then, being a trainer seemed like a fun way to explore and meet people. Lots could be learned. Only downside was that it was difficult to earn a living as a trainer, but she hoped to get a better paid job at some point. The Pokémon she received today would still be well cared for, of course. In fact, she planned on carrying on training alongside whatever she ended up doing. She would raise her starter, evolve it, watch it grow stronger.

At long last, the two were on the correct path. The laboratory loomed ahead, modern against the mismatched older houses and shops, but separated from those by a wide sweeping garden. Acres of land continued on behind it; that was where people could send their Pokémon through the PC system if they so wished. If she caught enough Pokémon, some of them would end up here.

An unshakable grin spread across her face as she drew nearer to her new start. Even Lazarus was smiling. This was it! The automatic doors parted with a thin hiss, blasting cool air into their faces as they stepped into the air conditioned room. Posters adorned the walls, tables and shelves were covered in Pokémon books and magazines, sofas were available to sit in, and in the corner she could see the filing cabinets which she had heard were where the starter Pokémon's Pokéballs were kept. There was no sign of the Professor, which was understandable since this was an entrance room rather than an office or lab. She and Lazarus exchange happy looks before she called out, "Hello? I'm here for a starter!" she felt a little silly standing there shouting into the empty air, but it was the best idea she could think of.

[Rin]

The Professor had been doing work at his table, with Telepa happily sitting on his shoulder and peering at the equations and diagrams on his monitor, offering suggestions and ideas in a soft voice every so often. The Noctowl daemon's good hearing caught the loud chatter of Luna from a while away. "We've got a visitor," she informed her human, giving Professor Pine a friendly nip on the ear to get his attention away from his research (which he could become fairly engrossed in.

"What? Really? Someone's coming to get a starter?" Pine jerked out of concentration, a smile breaking out across his face. "That's great! We haven't had anyone in a while!" He sprung up jubilantly, quickly dusting his hands off and taking a swig of coffee; his eagerness to greet the newcomer quickly spread to Telepa, who gave a soft hoot and ruffled her feathers, eyes sparkling as she heard Luna call from the entrance area. The Professor all but skipped into the entrance room, which actually was a several minute process as he had to skirt his way around Pokeballs, piles of research papers, notebooks, and all sorts of things.

He burst through the doors exuberantly. "Hiya!" he said to Luna, sticking out his hand fur her to shake. "I am Professor Pine, and this is my daemon Telepa." Telepa, who had swooped in after Pine, settled herself on a nearby globe, nodding to Lazarus. "You are here for a starter, I hear? Do you have any types in mind, or would you like to see some of the starters for this month? The list is here," he pointed to a poster on the wall, displaying September's starter Pokemon.

[Birdybot]

The doors burst open and a man with seemingly limitless energy bounded through. Luna took a liking to him instantly, shaking his hand happily. His enthusiasm helped remove some of her nervousness, making her feel more relaxed and excited to be here. "Pleased to meet you! My name's Luna, and he's Lazarus," she waved a hand at her dæmon, who returned the nod Telepa gave him before padding silently towards the list of starter Pokémon. Luna answered Pine's question first, after a moment of hesitation. There were numerous types she was interested in. Ice, Fire, Flying, Dragon, Water and Electric were all some of her favourites, but she found it hard to pick between them. Dragons were hard to raise, but very powerful. Perhaps not the best for new trainers, but she still wanted to at least see if any dragon here would suit her personally as a starter. Fire was a fairly safe best, as was water, being two of the traditional starter types. Flying types were very common so she would easily find one, so perhaps she shouldn't pick one as a starter. Ice and electric types were varied, and she did not favour one over the other. In all honesty, she didn't mind too much, so said the first that came to mind out of the ones she wanted, "Could I see a Dragon, Fire and Ice type, please? I'll have a look as this list, too."

Scanning the list, she recongised all of them but didn't know a lot about most of them. "Porygon's quite rare, but it might not be so great for starters. Mudkips are good, and I like Rufflet, Blazion, Axew and Vulpix, too..." she muttered to Lazarus. He examined them each thoughtfully, sitting back with his tail flicking from side-to-side.

"Mudkip are a safe bet. I believe they're a standard-issue Pokémon in Hoenn. Rufflet are harder to raise and don't evolve for ages, but are pretty strong so I'd say they were a good idea. Blazion looks outright dangerous. Axew... I dunno, you already asked to see the dragons. Vulpix are a very elegant and respectable species, and from what I've heard quite the tricksters. A Ninetales would be a valuable protector," he spoke slowly, thinking through his every word.

Luna nodded, considering his words. Blazion did look dangerous, but if their trust could be won, they would be fearsome fighters. She turned to Professor Pine. "Could we see a Rufflet, Blazion and Vulpix, please?" she asked. Lazarus was not so pleased with the suggestion of a Blazion, but at least she'd asked for a Vulpix.

((I'm a bit rushed, sorry!))

[Rin]

The Professor smiled at the seemingly exuberant young lady, taking a liking to her quickly. ”Good to meet you, Luna and Lazarus!” he said to both of them, then growing quiet and standing a little ways away so that she and Lazarus could talk about their choice of starter in a more private manner. He wondered which sort of Pokemon that this cheerful new Trainer would gravitate towards. At her request for a Dragon, Ice and Fire type, he nodded. ”I can definitely get those for you, no worries!” Once they heard her second request for the September starters, he and Telepa quickly hurried to the drawers and swept up the Pokeballs before returning to Luna and her daemon.

”Ready? One, two, three!” And Pine threw them all at once. Normally he was more keen on introducing the Pokemon more slowly, but he had a feeling that Luna could take having a bunch of Pokemon suddenly appear around her.




Six Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs, the flashes of red light blinding Telepa for a second. Seemingly first to become aware of his surroundings was the Rufflet, who fluffed his wings and started clawing at the rug beneath him with interest, clicking his beak as his talons got stuck in the threading. He then noticed Luna, fluffing himself again in an attempt to fly over to her, but staying stuck in the rug and giving a small caw of frustration. Next to him was the Blazion. Much larger then the rest of the starters, it looked haughty and unconcerned with the proceedings, turning its large back on Pine and Luna with a low growl. The Vulpix appeared shy at first, simply sitting and observing the proceedings for a little bit, but slowly padded over to Lazarus, seeming sure of itself once it had made up its mind. ”Hello there, Mr. Daemon,” it said, seeming very shrewd and intelligent. It did appear to be a little on the younger side though – it had 5 tails instead of the customary 6.

The second set, made up of the requested types of Dragon, Fire and Ice, were revealed by the flash of red to be Dratini, a shiny Chimchar, and Sneasel. Dratini seemed bold and curious; it gracefully slithered to a potted plant nearby which it sniffed and nipped, before gliding to Luna and gently headbutting the side of her leg. It seemed as if the little dragon might get into trouble due it its curiosity, but would be a quick learner. The Shiny Chimchar sprung out of its Pokeball eagerly, immediately jumping up and down energetically in front of Luna before jumping from potted plant to potted plant in the room, accidently knocking one over. It looked like a strong Pokemon but also one that might play many pranks on its trainer. Finally, Sneasel; it looked over at Luna before leaning against the wall, studying the room carefully with lidded eyes. It didn’t look hostile, but it seemed as if one would have to work a bit to win its trust.

”Feel free to talk to them of interact with them,” the Professor said, sitting himself down in an armchair nearby to watch. ”It’s understandably a very difficult and special decision, choosing your starter.”

[Birdybot]

Luna looked between all the Pokémon she could now see. They were all so different! It would be hard to choose just one out of these. She noted Chimchar's colouring, too. It was a purpleish shade of pink as opposed to the customary orange. Did that make it a shiny? That was a rare sight, but she would try not to let that cloud her judgement. After all, an abnormal and rare colouring was hardly substitute enough for a suitable companion as a first Pokémon. Looking between them all, she ruled out Blazion, although the decision was hard. She did not want to choose not to pick one of them so soon, but she had to make the choice sometime and it looked like it had no interest in her at all, so would not be an ideal choice. Sneasel too was not so friendly. She did not rule it out, however, as it simply seemed more withdrawn rather than completely antisocial.

Rufflet seemed very sweet, Luna finding his getting stuck in the rug adorable. She walked over to him and gently pulled his claws free of the tangling threads. "You OK?" she asked the little bird. "My name's Luna," she introduced herself. Dratini distracted her then by headbutting her. The sudden impact made her jump. Startled, she looked down to see the dragon. It was clearly bold, and was taking an interest in her. A Dratini would not evolve for a long time and learned attacks slower than some other Pokémon, she knew that, but she did not know how slow that was relative to these other Pokémon. For all she knew, the Rufflet might learn his moves at a slower rate than Dratini. She was basing her decision primarily on the personalities of these Pokémon. Dratini's curiosity and interest in the world was a good sign, but she knew little of Rufflet's personality aside from his clumsiness so far. She reached out a hand towards the snake to try and pet her. "Hello, Dratini. I'm Luna,"

Lazarus gave Vulpix a broad smile. The thing was very sweet, and polite too! Its tails showed its youth, but that was no issue. It might be weaker at first, but they could train it to be stronger. "Hello, there, Vulpix," he greeted it in return. The sound of clattering pot plants drew his eyes up. Looked like the Chimchar had knocked something over. The pot plant had looked pretty sturdy; Chimchar was strong, then, but perhaps careless about its actions. "Shall we go see what Chimchar's doing?" he suggested to Vulpix, padding over to the monkey to assess the damage. There was some amusement in his eyes, not that he thought breaking things was a good trait in a starter. "Whoops. You should watch where you're going. Does this happen a lot?" he asked. He was aware of the Sneasel, but would wait for it to show a sign of wanting to talk to them before he talked to it in return. After all, their starter should really be one that wanted to interact with them.

[Rin]

Rufflet cheeped happily as Luna lifted him from the rug. "Hiya Luna! I'm Rufflet! Like a ruff-n'-tuff Rufflet!" As the older girl was distracted by the little Dragon-type, he hopped around to get a better view of the other Pokemon, and the lab in general. At one point though, he tripped and fell flat, before hopping up again and giving himself a little shake. He seemed adventurous but a tad clumsy. The Dratini, eyes shining once it had gotten Luna's attention, happily nuzzled her hand, ear fins wiggling with pleasure. Although it was certainly very curious, it didn't seem to be much of a talker. Upon hearing Lazarus's voice, it did swivel around, starting to slither quickly to the Espeon-daemon before looking back at Luna to see if she was coming too.

Vulpix smiled back at Lazarus. "Okay," and padded next to the Espeon as they went to look over at Chimchar. It liked Lazarus as well - it had a suspicion that Lazarus was more of an academic and a 'think before you act' sort of Pokemon, like itself. As they approached the magenta Chimchar, the little shiny monkey gave a whoop and stopped its jumping, landing in front of Lazarus. "Hehe! Yeah, it does. But it's still fun! Swinging from tree to tree is better though...Gotcha!" It had sommersaulted over Lazarus and covered the daemon's eyes playfully with its small hands. Sneasel continued watching, even some interest glittering in its eyes, but it still seemed resolute in having Lazarus or Luna talk to it first before getting involved in the proceedings. Blazion was now sitting in the corner licking its paw, completely unconcerned now with what was happening.



Suddenly, the doors of the lab from the outside burst open and a large Arcanine bounded through. Arcanine tended to be big, but this one was particularly so, standing at a height of well over six feet. "Yo, Pine!" it barked, shaking its magnificent ruff. "Trainer Flora's Nidoking and Coordinator Morril's Electivire got in a fight again. Had to break it up." Upon closer inspection, the huge tiger-dog's fur did seem to be a little scuffed. "Well, I broke it up alright, but they, er, need some good Potion'in up now." He looked around the lab, then grinned a large and toothy grin as he spotted Luna and all the little Pokemon. "Oooh! Ickle newbies! Awww, look at you guys. I remember when Pine caught me as a little Growlithe." Arcanine, still in the doorway, wagged his tail in a laid-back, friendly manner, although his appearance was still quite intimidating.

The appearance of the gigantic Arcanine had quite the effect on the young Pokemon. Rufflet jumped and gave a little 'eep' noise, then fluffed himself as if to prove his bravery. Blazion eyed the Arcanine warily, visibly scooting far away and growling under its breath. Dratini slithered right up to Arcanine, giving him a big sniff as its tail twiched back and forth. "He's tall, Luna!" it exclaimed in a high voice, craning its head back to look up at the large tiger-dog. Sneasel flinched when Arcanine had bounded through the door but held its ground, continuing to watch the room. Chimchar slid off Lazarus's back, mouth open as it gazed up at Arcanine, and Vulpix, though it jumped, stayed next to Lazarus, explaining, "He's Professor Pine's Arcanine, his name is Arthur and he's really strong. Like, really really. He usually breaks up fights when other people's Pokemon get into them, and runs around this entire town in the morning to exercise and protect it."

Pine, meanwhile, simply smiled and waved at Arcanine. "Thanks for letting me know. As soon as I give Luna here her starter, I'll be right over." "You got it, buddy! Good luck, newbie!" Arcanine said, and with a wink at Luna he had gone, running with great speed across the fields.

[[Awkwardly I don't know what Pine's Arcanine is supposed to be nicknamed so I just left that blank for now.

Edit: Filled in blank.]]

[Birdybot]

((I believe the Arcanine's called Arthur))

Luna chuckled when Rufflet fell again. The little guy was a very happy little Pokémon, and his clumsiness could be overcome with training. Dratini was more quiet, which was perhaps a better sign, and seemed curious about Lazarus too. It was difficult to decide even between those two. It would have been impossible to pick a favourite since they were all nice Pokémon in their own way, but hopefully picking the one most suited to being her starter than the others. Seeing Dratini look to check she was following it, she turned back to Rufflet. "Wanna meet my dæmon?" she asked, following Dratini over to Lazarus. He looked up at them from beside Vulpix, who he seemed to have taken to, and Chimchar, who he seemed less impressed by. He opened his mouth to say something, but all of a sudden found his eyes covered by the shiny's hands. This made him jump in surprise. "Excuse me!" he complained.

An Arcanine bounded through the doors without warning, startling Luna. He was huge! She admired Arcanines, and this one seemed like a pretty strong example of one. Lazarus translated roughly what he was saying. Having something like that around to break up fights would certainly be pretty effective. He seemed like a very friendly Pokémon as well as a strong one - something she should probably be looking for in her starter. That reminded her that she should probably be focusing more on the Pokémon around her than on the large canine. She studied their reactions to him, assessing how each one might react to a surprising and possibly intimidating situation in the wilderness. Blazion looked bothered by the presence of a larger creature. Rufflet looked afraid, then changed and acted defensively. She doubted he would be a strong protector, but he was at least trying to show bravery. Dratini didn't seem intimidated in the slightest, racing straight up to examine the newcomer. Bravery and curiosity were good and all, but Dratini didn't seem to think before running right up to Arcanine. Then again, it could just be that it knew he posed her no threat. Chimchar seemed awed, and Sneasel looked a little shaken but tried to maintain its tough appearance. Vulpix had jumped but kept calm and gave Lazarus a load of information about Arthur, which the dæmon translated for Luna.

All in all, Luna thought Dratini and Vulpix seemed like the best choices for her at the moment. Blazion was downright unfriendly, Rufflet was sweet but clumsy and easily shaken. Chimchar seemed like too much of a handful for a first Pokémon, and Sneasel looked to be pretending to be tougher than it was and hadn't tried to communicate with them yet. Because of this, Luna moved over to him and nodded. "Hi, I'm Luna. How are you?" she introduced herself.

Lazarus hadn't had a chance to speak to Rufflet or Dratini yet. "Hey, I'm Lazarus. So, might I ask what you are interested in? You as well, Chimchar and Vulpix," he figured knowing what they enjoyed might shed some light onto which of them would be best suited to them.

Meanwhile, Luna looked up at Professor Pine. "They're all great in their own different ways... could you please tell me a little about each species in general?" she asked. Finding out how each would grow and the sorts of strengths and weaknesses she could expect would be useful.

[Rin]

After Arthur had left, the starter Pokemon all recomposed themselves, directing their attention back at Luna and Lazarus. As Lazarus asked what they were interested in, the four he had addressed looked at each other awkwardly, then Chimchar jumped in first. "I like jumping and climbing trees! It's so fun to do tricks in the air! Playing pranks is fun too!" it said exuberantly, leaping up again and beginning to bound around the room. Dratini tilted its head, considering Lazarus. "Hmm...Exploring! I like seeing new things and going to new places~" it said in a bit of a singsong tone, curling up close to Lazarus and blinking its large eyes while peering at his silky fur. Rufflet looked nervous. "I dunno. Training is fun, but I tend to trip over things a lot..." it looked down shyly. The young Vulpix answered last, speaking with clear pronunciation. "I enjoy learning about everything, really - Pokemon, places, lore...I don't really have as much experience with battling as everyone else does, but I like learning about that too!" It fluffed its five tails a little self-consciously, then suddenly blurted out a question it seemed to have been keeping in for a while: "Is it true that Espeon - you - can predict the weather?! How?" Meanwhile, Sneasel nodded in response to Luna. "Well enough, thanks. These guys are a little too active for me."

”Of course!” Pine smiled, motioning to Telepa to get one of those newfangled tablets he had ordered for the lab last month. Stored on it was volumes worth of information about each Pokemon. Swooping to a nearby bookshelf, Telepa retrieved the tablet and brought it to Pine, who quickly brought up the information on the various starter Pokemon. Six images appeared on the screen, and as the Professor talked with Luna he flipped through various pages of bulleted notes as well.




”These are the final evolutions of these six starters,” Pine explained, pointing to each evolved form in term as he talked about its respective pre-evolution. ”First off, Rufflet, which evolves into Braviary. They are a male-only species and, like their name suggests are very brave, always raring for a battle. They’re said to fight very fiercely and powerfully, and are very loyal. They evolve at level 54 though, which is fairly late for a Normal-Flying type. He cleared his throat. ”Next, Vulpix evolves into Ninetails with a Fire Stone. They’re incredibly intelligent and wise, but can hold grudges for centuries to people who mistreat them or pull their tails, even a millennia – and their lifespan lasts that long as well. Blazion – actually, we don’t know too much about them – but they don’t evolve, and always stay warm due to flames in their stomach, and learn many offensive fire moves. I would hazard a guess that many are particularly aggressive.”

”As for the other three, Dratini tend to be very timid and elusive, so we have to keep them around humans for a while before we can give them out as starters. This one here is a bit of an oddball,” he grinned. ”They evolve at level 55 to their final evolution, Dragonite, this orange dragon here. Dragonite also tend to be particularly intelligent, love both water and flying, and are very kindhearted, although they are known to be stubborn and can go on rampages if pushed over the edge. Chimchar here evolves into Infernape, a Fire-Fighting type, as its final evolution – sorry we don’t have a shiny picture documented, they’re very rare – and they are agile Pokemon, good at martial arts and usually always willing to take on a challenge. Finally, Sneasel evolves into Weavile using a Razor Claw, both Dark-Ice types. They’re sneaky, smart, and like to work together in a pack when hunting.”
[[Ooc:// Whew I had to look through the old site Pokedex to find info on Blazion XD]]

[Birdybot]

((Yeah, I think the Pokédex used to be here as a header but doesn't work now with the upgrade. I've been working on a new template for the 'dex entries, so when I'm done I'll start posting them up again))

Lazarus was reaching the same conclusion as Luna, that their ideal choices here were between Dratini or Vulpix. Chimchar's energy could be good in battle, but he doubted his human would be able to handle the monkey all too well. The promise of pranks did not earn it any favours from him. Rufflet would be much more easy to handle, but at the same time did not look like he would be great in battle. They needed their starter to be fairly competent already, since they themselves had little knowledge of battling. It would be better for them to be eased into battling gently with a capable Pokémon rather than having to try and teach them something they themselves did not know so much about. Dratini was perhaps a more appropriate choice than Vulpix in that respect. They both seemed reasonably similar in personality, but Vulpix was more calm and shy. "Yes, that is true. Do you see how fine my fur is? You can feel it, if you like. It's very sensitive to movement, so we can detect the movement of air through it. When the movement of the air changes, we can tell how the weather will change. I'm just a dæmon so I'm not as sensitive to it as a true Espeon. They can even sometimes predict what move their opponent will use," he explained. It was good that Vulpix had an interest in such things, but did life on the road would not let her learn about as much as she might like, and a thirst for knowledge might not help them so much. Then again, himself and Luna had an interest in research and science, so perhaps it would mean they were better suited... this was hard. "So you like learning about Pokémon and places, huh? What about the rest of you, are you interested in learning, and if so anything specific?"

Luna appreciated that Sneasel was a calmer Pokémon than the others. Perhaps she had been mistaken earlier and he was not just trying to look cool, but was actually just quiet and didn't like the energy of the others. "They're young, I suppose. Everything's new to them. I take it you prefer the quiet more, then?" she asked.

What Professor Pine had to say was interesting and answered a few questions. Rufflet indeed had the potential to be strong, but evolving so late was not goo for a starter. That counted against Dratini, too. Blazion's likely aggressive nature was something she had already seen, and she hadn't been considering it really now, anyway. Hearing that Dratini were elusive was no surprise as she knew how rare they were, but it was surprising to hear they were timid given the one in this room. Intelligence and kindheartedness were qualities she valued highly. Although he had said they were qualities found in Dragonite, they were bound to appear in the pre-evolved formed as well. Chimchar's agility could be used well in battle, but she doubted she would be able to keep this one under control. Ninetales and Weavile were supposed to be smart too, then, but the grudges and sneakiness put her off a little. She had heard many legends of the lifelong curses Ninetales would inflict. Such a spiteful Pokémon might not be a good idea, but Vulpix seemed friendly enough. That would probably not be much of a problem, but it was something to think about. She did not know if Sneasel would show that sneaky and darker nature. She was close to reaching a decision. Just a little more discussion with the Pokémon, and she might be able to make up her mind.

[Rin]

Dratini, eyes wide, immediately reached with its tail to gently touch Lazarus's fur after he gave permission. As it had shown earlier, it was ever the bold, curious and adventurous type, if a little too quick to rush into things. It seemed to be curious for the experience of whatever it was investigating, but didn't think much about what it had found out afterward. Perhaps it would grow more thoughtful and learn to slow down a bit as it grew. Vulpix nodded sagely, also gently reaching out with a paw and touching Lazarus's flank gently. "Oh," it exclaimed in surprise, "It almost feels like my fur, but my fur is longer and thicker. It's really interesting how thin and light yours is." It seemed more observant than Dratini, eager to learn and explore but wanting to think about what it was getting into and what it had discovered. In this way, Vulpix was more of a 'scientist,' although it did seem excited at the prospect of leaving the lab and learning more about the world, if somewhat nervous at the same time.

Chimchar shrugged. "Climbing, I guess! And acrobatics! Some of the Infernapes and Monfernos that live in the backyard are reeaaally good." (The 'backyard' he was referring to was of course, the area for Pokemon stored in PCs). Rufflet pondered. "I'm best at fighting techniques using my wings rather than my feet, so I like learning that best?" Blazion of course didn't answer. Sneasel was paying attention to Luna. "Eh, yeah, I like the quiet more, and I guess there's more to life than just bouncing around and exploring. I admire Pokemon and humans with an express purpose." Now that it was talking, it sounded a little snooty, although still polite. It seemed that if Luna picked it, it would go along without complaint but might question her later.

As if she could tell what Luna was thinking, Telepa broke in as Luna considered the Pokemon in front of her: "Of course, there are the stereotypes for each Pokemon, but not every Pokemon follows its stereotype. Those are just the general tendencies we've seen of those species of Pokemon in the wild. Under a trainer's - or Coordinator or Breeder's - guidance, the rough edges of many Pokemon are rounded out. Just like Pokemon also tend to round out the rough edges on humans too." She winked at Luna and Lazarus.

[Birdybot]

Lazarus was at this point primarily concerned by the actions of Dratini and Vulpix, being fairly confident in his decision that one of these two would be the ideal starter. It was incredibly difficult trying to pick one of the two. He listened to all the Pokémon, nodding to Vulpix when it commented on his fur. It seemed to make more of its observations that Dratini did, who was very eager to see new things but less willing to actually think and learn so much from them. He personally had taken a liking to the Vulpix, but that did not necessarily mean it was the best choice. After all, it was only very young and so would not be a very good fighter, and it looked too timid to cope well in battle. He tried thinking separate to his own preferences. Dratini was the most like Luna in personality, which would mean they would only encourage each other to act childishly without thinking of the consequences. Vulpix still had that curiosity, but it was more calm and had a sharper intelligence too it, which could still satisfy her need to explore but may keep her from carelessness. Dratini and its evolutions were incredibly strong Pokémon they were unlikely to have the opportunity to travel with again. This one looked like it would be able to leap right into battling unlike Vulpix, which would be useful since both himself and Luna had no experience of battling so would need to be eased into it gently.

Luna, meanwhile, listened to Sneasel and Professor Pine. Rough edges would be rounded out over a journey? That was a good thing to know. She, Lazarus and her starter would come to know each other better over time. Perhaps they would grow to suit each other better. A good start would help, of course. While she thought this through, Lazarus padded over to her and nodded pointedly to one side, indicating a request for a private conversation. She knelt down beside him to talk aside from the Pokémon.

"I think Vulpix may be best. It's young and curious, but will grow to be stronger. I think it's pretty intelligent," he told her.

"OK. But Dratini is inquisitive too! Plus you know how rare they are. We can always find another Vulpix, but it'll be difficult finding another Dratini. Dragonite are one of my favourite Pokémon, and yours too," she replied. Dragonite had been one of his favourite forms before he had settled, and the two did love dragons.

"Yes, but it won't be this Vulpix. Bear in mind we need to find the starter best suited to us,"

"I do like this Vulpix, I just want us to not forget our other options..."

"Dratini's great too, these Pokémon all are. I'm just advising you take the Vulpix,"

Luna cast a long look at the small fox, chewing her lip as she though. She nodded to her dæmon, then stood up and turned back to Professor Pine. This was it; no going back after she said what she was about to say. "It's really hard to pick one of you guys, you're all so great. But we have to make a decision, and I think I'd like to take Vulpix with me, if that's OK with you," she smiled at the Fire type.

[Rin]

"Wonderful," the Professor smiled, returning the other Pokemon to their respective Pokeballs. Blazion and Sneasel were returned without saying anything - Rufflet looked a little downcast at not being chosen, but it looked like it hadn't expected it. Chimchar didn't seem to care - it tried to avoid being recalled, giggling, but Telepa quickly swooped down and picked the little monkey up, and in a flash of red light it was gone. Dratini looked sad for a moment, then blinked at Luna and Lazarus in a friendly was as it was returned, as if it didn't hold their choice against them and genuinely enjoyed their company while it lasted.

Vulpix's mouth fell open slightly, but it quickly closed it. "M-me?" it said with surprise, voice coming out as a bit of a squeak. "Oh my goodness, yes! I'd be honored!" It dipped its head to Luna and then Lazarus, quivering with excitement, then suddenly gave an adorable yip and scampered in a circle around them in a delighted outburst that seemed to be rather uncharacteristic for the normally shy and careful fox. Pine chuckled at the young Vulpix as it quickly trotted over to its Pokeball, touching the button with its nose so that it could be given to Luna. Once Vulpix had vanished in a flash of light, he stooped down, picked up the Pokeball and dropped it in Luna's hand. "Congratulations, and good luck on your journey, Luna, Lazarus!" Telepa plucked a small rucksack hanging from the side of the room, as well as a Pokedex, handing them to Luna while saying, "These are some items you might find useful on your travels. Best of luck to you two!"

Luna received a starter Pokemon!


Name: Choice
Species: Vulpix
Gender: Choice
Level: 5
Ability: Flash Fire - Powers up Fire-type moves if hit by a Fire move.
Attacks: Ember, Tail Whip, Egg move of choice
Personality: Choice
Note: This Vulpix has 5 tails instead of 6. It will grow its 6th with time - it's just a little young.

[img]http://randompokemon.com/sprites/37.png[/img]
[b]Name:[/b] [i]Choice[/i]
[b]Species:[/b] Vulpix
[b]Gender:[/b] [i]Choice[/i]
[b]Level:[/b] 5
[b]Ability:[/b] Flash Fire - [i]Powers up Fire-type moves if hit by a Fire move.[/i]
[b]Attacks:[/b] Ember, Tail Whip, Egg move of choice
[b]Personality:[/b] [i]Choice[/i]
[i]Note: This Vulpix has 5 tails instead of 6. It will grow its 6th with time - it's just a little young.[/i]

Luna received a Starter Pack!


Pokeball x 10


Potion x 6


Antidote x 4


Burn Heal x 4


Ice Heal x 4


Awakening x 4


Paralyze Heal x 4

Code:
[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem004.png[/img]
[b]Pokeball[/b] [i]x 10[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem013.png[/img]
[b]Potion[/b] [i]x 6[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem014.png[/img]
[b]Antidote[/b] [i]x 4[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem015.png[/img]
[b]Burn Heal[/b] [i]x 4[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem016.png[/img]
[b]Ice Heal[/b] [i]x 4[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem017.png[/img]
[b]Awakening[/b] [i]x 4[/i]

[img]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/rsitem018.png[/img]
[b]Paralyze Heal[/b] [i]x 4[/i]

[[Ooc:// You can determine whenever you want Vulpix to grow its 6th tail in RP.]]

Cleared for Route 1!