P-p-pick up a Pokémon [fin]

[Goniochrome]

Pokémon time at last!

It had taken Nerina many boat trips to get to Valencia Island from her home island of Ascorbia Island since the two islands were at opposite sides of the Orange Islands but she had made it at last.

Now she made her way to Professor Ivy's Lab after having asked for directions back at the port and receiving them from a kindly gentleman. Her large backpack on her back was starting to feel heavier than it actually was from the walking but soon the Lab was in Nerina's sights.

She started jogging as she saw it, eager to begin. She also wanted to meet Professor Ivy. She'd heard a lot about her and her work but even on her holidays around the islands she'd never had the opportunity to go meet her.

Arriving at the door, she caught her breath and flicked a few stray parts of her short hair back into position. She knocked and waited outside, unsure if she should enter by herself or wait to be invited in.

[Birdybot]

Professor Ivy heard the knock - it wa very difficult not to, no matter how loud the experiment she was doing at that time happened to be. Ivy was also very much accustomed to being constantly alert for a knock on the door even without realising it herself. A few people visited her every day for various reasons, and the occasional new trainer dropped by too. Judging by how she hadn't been expecting anyone at the moment, she supposed that the visitor could only be a trainer-to-be, in that case. She smiled, standing up from her desk and hurrying over to the door as she was aware that a new trainer would be nervous and so her taking too long could make them all the more nervous.

She opened the door with a warm smile to see a teenage girl. Nerina Phillips looked to her like she was most definately a new trainer. Good good, she loved to see how happy it made a person to see them leave with a companion to accompany them as they travelled about getting stronger in character and as a trainer, until they settle down and found what their call in life was. It was rare for a person to remain a full-time trainer for the rest of their lives.

"Hello, and welcome to my laboratory. I'm Professor Ivy. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, come inside," Ivy spoke in a calm, welcoming tone that made it clear that she was not about to judge Nerina for anything. She walked inside the lab, the large windows letting in the bright sunlight from outside. "So, I'm guessing you're here for a starter? Which would you like? I can show you a few and you can pick one from there, if you'd like," she offered.

[/blockquote]

[Goniochrome]

"It's nice to meet you too." Nerina smiled. "A pleasure in fact. I've wanted to meet you for ages."

She followed the professor inside and looked about, curious as to what the Pokémon Lab of the Orange Islands she'd heard so much about really looked like. She was glad of the large windows. If she had to be stuck inside all the time working, she'd prefer it to be in a room like this where there was lots of sunlight to make her feel like she was outside. Plus sunlight was good for you too. Something about Vitamin D...

"Yep, I am. I'm not sure which one yet. What do you give away as starters? Do you have a list? Oh, here's one."

Nerina found a laminated list of starter Pokémon nearby on a wall. She gave it a look through. She'd heard of them all thankfully but she still wasn't sure which to pick so she began to think.

"Could I see a Chimchar, a Gible and a Gligar please?"

[Birdybot]

Professor Ivy watched as Nerina found the list on the wall and scanned it. She generally preferred it when trainers had an idea already as to what starters she offered, as it seemed logical to look that up before arriving, but at least there seemed to be some which took Nerina's fancy. That was good. Ivy was also pleased at the Pokémon she had chosen - it was a little tiring sometimes to see countless girls who chose an Eevee, Pikachu, Skitty or whatever because they 'thought it was cute' rather than taking the starter that clearly suited them better. Of course, had Nerina asked for one of those sorts of Pokémon, Ivy wouldn't have had felt annoyed unless she had chosen one of those over a Pokémon that was obviously perfect for her.

Anyway, she needed to get the Chimchar, Gible and Gligar. Opening a drawer, it didn't take Ivy very long at all to produce the three requested Pokéballs and throw them, releasing three different Pokémon.

Chimchar looked tough. She walked curiously towards Nerina, confident but not cocky, with the air of one who knew how to handle themselves. She smiled at the newcomer, pleased to see that she might be able to leave the lab and go on an adventure or whatever. She greeted Nerina with a friendly chirp.

Gible headed straight for Nerina rather than approaching her slowly as Chimchar had done, a little headstrong and obnoxious, but also bold, brave and strong. He smiled, although it was in some ways a smirk. He seemed friendly enough, but a little bossy and stubborn, probably the sort to assume they were better than their trainer and disobey them.

Lastly, Gligar hovered in the air for a moment before flying towards Nerina, deciding not to and swooping off to hang upside down from the top of a window, wings folded and expression grumpy and miserable. He grumbled to himself, looking quite lonely. As lonely as he seemed, it had to be said that it was of the Gligar's own fault that he was lonely as he wouldn't even try to interact with Nerina or the other potential starters.

[/blockquote]

[Goniochrome]

Nerina would've looked up what starters were available prior to coming to the lab but not everyone in the world had access to the internet and Nerina's family were one of the few who didn't. Their parents wanted their kids to go outside and have a life rather than been stuck at a computer all day so they hadn't gotten one. They'd also forbidden their kids from using internet cafés. Plus, even if she had have had access to the internet and she had known how to use a computer, she wouldn't have any idea where to go to find out.

Nerina waited calmly for the Professor to get the Pokémon she'd asked to see, not knowing she'd been judged already despite the Professor's smile earlier that seemed to say she wouldn't judge her for anything. Well, the Professor was only human and everyone had flaws, even awesome Professor types like her.

As for the personalities of the Pokémon, she didn't really care if they weren't deemed a perfect match for her by others and those pesky Pokémon Connoisseurs who thought that they were oh so high and mighty. What did it matter if they didn't like each other at the start? It was meant to be a journey. That's why it was called a Pokémon journey. They would learn together and become all the stronger for it. It was her decision and she'd choose whichever one she'd like. Other people's opinions didn't matter.

The reason she'd asked to see these three was to get a better idea about them. A picture wasn't too informative. Seeing them for real was better. She sat down cross legged in front of them.

"Hmm..." she watched them as they did their own things. She smiled at the two who approached her first and then up at the Gligar. She looked them over, thinking about their battle styles, their egg groups, their movesets, their evolutions, their stats, their types and much more.

She really wanted Gible since it would probably be her only opportunity to get a Dragon type. Then again, the same would go for the other Pokémon in a way. She might be able to get others of their types but she might not be able to get them. Were these three even found in the wild of the Orange Islands? She didn't know. Sure she'd visited the inhabited ones but only the human areas and she hadn't visited the uninhabited ones at all.

"Professor?" she called, turning to her. "Are these Pokémon available in the wild in the Orange Islands? Or is that information classified?"

[Birdybot]

Professor Ivy could see Nerina looking at each of the Pokémon. The girl looked as if she was judging to see which she liked best, regardless of personality. Fair enough, a Pokémon and human could always grow closer together. They did have a while to learn to get along, after all. Nerina seemed like a bright girl, smart and kind-hearted, from what she could see. Ivy didn't mind what the people who came to her lab were like so long as they weren't abusive to Pokémon; if they showed that they could mistreat their Pokémon, she would refuse to give them one. It might seem mean, but it wouldn't be fair on the Pokémon to let them walk off with a trainer who would beat them and make them lead a miserable life.

Nerina, on the other hand, seemed caring and the sort who would have belief in her Pokémon's capabilities. She might have had strict parents, a poor background, or just not have known she was going to be a trainer until she passed by the lab and decided to get a Pokémon. This didn't mean much to Ivy, as whatever her past, Nerina was capable of becoming a trainer.

When she asked a question, the Professor was quick to reply. "Oh, of course that information's not classified. All of our starters are available in the wild in the Orange Islands, although all of them are quite rare. It'd be difficult to find any of the Pokémon we give out in the wild, some more than others. I think out of these three, Gligar is slightly the most common, and Gible is marginally rarer than Chimchar. Of course, this can change depending on how well the Pokémon breed and how human activity affects them... you can find information about where every Pokémon is located on your Pokédex, as well as what you can expect to find on each route in order of rarity. It's quite handy. Each trainer gets a Pokédex, by the way." she smiled. This might not make it any easier for Nerina to make her decision, she knew, but it was truthful and as a Professor, Ivy felt everyone had a right to know facts.

[/blockquote]

[Goniochrome]

Nerina took in the Professor's words and chewed her lips a little in thought. So they were available in the wild! That was certainly good to hear for she wanted to own one of each of these fine Pokémon in the future at some point. However they were all fairly rare but that was only to be expected. Gligar, Chimchar, Gible. Which should she choose? Or should she ask to see other starters? Hmmm...

Perhaps she should think about it from another angle. Now then. What Pokémon were native to the first few routes and islands in the Official Orange Islands Trainer Route? Nothing spectactular that was for sure. There's probably be a lot of "common but cute" Pokémon as she called them. Pidgeys, Rattatas, Magikarps, Poliwags, Oddish and Bellsprout and most Bug Pokémon were categorised under the "common and cute" category Nerina had. There were others in the group too but those were just examples.

So then. She would choose a Pokémon that wouldn't be too hard pressed against those Pokémon. She wasn't too concerned about picking a Pokémon that would have a type advantage over the wild Pokémon yet. The main thing would be to not have a type weakness. Now she thought about it, didn't Gligar have a weakness to water types? Since they were on Orange Island surrounded by water and water Pokémon, it might be better not to start off with a Gligar. Plus, Professor Ivy had said they were slightly more common than the others.

"You can recall the Gligar if you like, Professor Ivy. I've decided it's between Chimchar and Gible. Sorry Gligar."

Nerina considered the weaknesses of the other two Pokémon. Gible was weak to Dragon types which were rare and Ice types which were less rare and some water types knew or could learn Ice type moves. Would low level Pokémon know Ice type moves?

Chimchar were weak to Ground, Rock and Water types. Water types were the most common but Chimchars did have resistances against other common types from the "common but cute" category; namely Grass and Bug types. Hmmm...

Nerina stewed over the decision for a minute or two more before deciding.

"I'd like to start with Gible please Professor Ivy. I'm sorry Chimchar. You're really great. Can I have a hug before you have to be returned?"

Nerine held her arms open wide, looking hopefully towards the perfectly nice and friendly Pokémon she'd just rejected. Hopefully the Chimchar wouldn't be offended enough by being rejected that it burnt Nerina in the face.

[Birdybot]

Professor Ivy had nothing to do now but watch and wait as Nerina made her all-important decision. She watched the girl calculate the oppertunities and advantages each Pokémon would bring her, wondering herself which one of the three offered Pokémon the girl would choose to be her first Pokémon. The Pokémon watched, too, each hoping to be chosen although Gligar continued its lonely grumbling and complaining. The secluded Pokémon was starting to get louder and more annoying when Nerina asked to have the Pokémon recalled so that she might focus on the other two options.

Ivy returned it to its Pokéball without wasting any time, pleased to be rid of its constant and progressively louder mumbling. The two remaining Pokémon looked at each other anxiously, then nodded to one another to reassure the other that there would be no hard feelings towards whichever one was chosen. When Nerina spoke again, they both leaned in without realising it.

Chimchar looked a little disappointed, but it was to be expected that it couldn't be picked every time. It accepted the hug, the monkey's warm fuzzy body embracing the new trainer. Chimchar jumped to the ground and shook Gible's paw before being returned, showing its fellow lab Pokémon that it was pleased for him.

Gible himself seemed a little proud, a smug smile appearing on his face as Chimchar was returned to its Pokéball to be stored back in the drawer. He had been chosen, and that made him feel like he had achieved something. Not quite like he was better than the other starters, more like he was a strong and tough Pokémon worthy of a great adventure who could easily take out the entire League single-handedly some day. Yeah, he could do that now he'd been picked to travel with a trainer.

Professor Ivy handed over Gible's Pokéball to Nerina. Whichever of those three Pokémon had she felt was best, was best for Nerina personally. Some other people might have preferred one of the other starters, but Nerina had chosen Gible and that meant that Gible should be a good choice, right? That was how Ivy usually saw it when people left her lab with their first Pokémon, anyway. "Here's Gible's Pokéball. You don't have to keep him in there all the time if either of you don't want that, of course. Now, I believe you're all set to go... have fun and good luck!" the Professor said brightly with encouragement in her tone.


Gible
Name: (Member's Choice)
Gender: Male
Level: 5
Ability: Sand Veil or Rough Skin
Personality: (Member's Choice)
Attacks: Tackle, Sand-Attack
Met: Starter Pokémon
HP: 24/24

[img]http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/a/a1/Spr_5b_443_m.png[/img]
[b]Gible[/b]
[b]Name:[/b] (Member's Choice)
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Level:[/b] 5
[b]Ability:[/b] Sand Veil or Rough Skin
[b]Personality:[/b] (Member's Choice)
[b]Attacks:[/b] Tackle, Sand-Attack
[b]Met:[/b] Starter Pokémon
[b]HP:[/b] 24/24

[/blockquote]

[Goniochrome]

To Nerina's relief, the Chimchar didn't burn her. The hug she received was sweet and warming. Literally warming as it came from a Fire type Pokémon. Nerina hugged it back and smiled at it. There was some lucky new trainer out there who would pick this Pokémon in the future. She was also glad the two Pokémon had no quarrelling over the matter.

"Thank you very much Professor Ivy." Nerina smiled, taking the Pokéball. "I'll make sure I make you all proud."

She gave a wave and exited the lab to begin her journey.

[ooc: Bit short, sorry.]