[centre][h3][b][u][color=coral] Gwen King: Inside Elm’s Lab :Tempered Temper[/color][/u][/b][/h3] The second violet head turned, regarding her for just an instant before turning back to her mark. A muscle twitched by Gwen’s eye. The chick completely ignored her and laid back in on Yuu. Who the everloving fuck did this bitch think she was? Gwen’s hands curled into fists, and she could feel her joints pop. Honestly, she didn’t give a fuck what they’re deal with each other was, she didn’t like being ignored. That just didn’t fly. She took a step towards Abigail, fully prepared to take a swing at the admittedly larger woman. That one step was all she was able to take before she heard someone shout from the door. Gwen turned to see redhead from earlier, albeit with less tears this time. The sudden intrusion somewhat snapped her from the indignant rage, giving her a chance to look at things again. She stopped, crossing her arms and frowning. On second thought, it PROBABLY wouldn’t do her any favors to start shit here. If the purple asshats ended up getting in a fight here and get like, kicked out of the lab? Well, that served her just fine. Satisfied, Gwen loosened a bit. …and the annoyance found its way back almost immediately. She noticed the new redhead giving the once over to the rest of the assembled trainers, herself included. That would have been fine, too, but...well, she could have swore that the girl’s sight lingered on her for a bit longer than the rest. Sure, she was used to the odd looks and gawking from passerbys by now, after all the scars were pretty jarring at first, but that didn’t mean that it pissed her off any less. Ugh… These people were stressing her out and she didn’t even know half of their names. As if on cue, the redhead introduced herself to Yuu. Cerise Fontaine, eh? Great... Really, the worst part about this was that she would probably end up traveling with at least a few of them, if not the lot o’ ‘em. She knew how the old man was… Speaking of which… [b]“My goodness. I am so sorry everyone! I was caught up in some research. I completely lost track of time. It’s good to see all of you are getting along well. Ah, wait, let me introduce myself. I am Professor Elm.”[/b] Gwen turned to face the professor. Lost track of time, eh? Yeah, that uh...that sounded right. She scanned the room, noting the new faces, a couple of guys at the door mainly, but… Where the hell was the big lug? He came in...she knew that much. Honestly, the lab wasn’t even that big. How the hell could he get lost? The professor continued, cutting off her thoughts. [b]“Today is a great day for you, young trainers! Ah, it’s always nice to see someone get a pokemon for the first time. But look at me, I’m talking too much again. Ah, follow me into the back and give you your licenses and the pokemon. Alfred, it you would go get the licenses for everyone ready.”[/b] Well...shit...looks like she was going to get her Pokemon. The professor turned and strolled down the hall. Gwen looked about the room, shrugged, then followed. She wasn’t about to let asshats ruin her day. The hallway ended at a doorway. Gwen saw the Professor enter and she followed. The light was blinding. [hr] [h3][b][u][color=orange]Avery Garfield: Backroom of Elm’s Lab :[/color][/u][/b][/h3] [b]“Ah! Avery! You’re here!”[/b] Avery blinked. Well...yeah he was here. How else would he have asked the question? Telepathy...but Avery wasn’t psychic. Or if he was, he didn’t know it. But neither would Elm. Silly Elm. [b]“I completely forgot! Oh dear. Today’s the day. Oh where did I put those licenses! Right...over here. thank you for the note Alfred...oh what am I doing, I should go greet the trainers!”[/b] Okay then. Avery stood waiting for a moment, looking about the lab. It was...pretty clean. Cleaner than what Avery would do. He didn’t like cleaning up. If his things wanted to go to their own places, who was he to stop them? He wouldn’t want his things picking him up and putting him somewhere else. … Avery threw his arms back and let out a yawn. Alfie entered the room in a sort of hurry. He glanced about the room, searching for something. Avery smiled and waved at the little dude, who offered him a smile and a nod in return. He crossed over to where Elm had been standing, then looked about. Avery walked over. Alfie had the licenses stacked on a table by a mess of pokeballs and had crossed the room to retrieve some potions and other essentials that he had laid out earlier. The giant glanced back at Alfie before gazing down at the licenses. He waited for a moment before picking them up. The first belonged to a rather serious looking girl with purple hair. Abigail Blanchett. He didn’t recognize her. She looked like she needed a big laugh. He laid the card down and moved a number of Pokeballs beside it. Next up was a flash of red hair that he had seen earlier. Cerise Fontaine. He didn’t get a good look at her face before she ran off crying. He felt bad for her. He didn’t like crying either. It couldn’t be good to have water leaking from your eyes. Again, he laid the card down and placed some Pokeballs by it. Yuu Nozumu was the name on the next card. He remembered Yuu. He lived in town, but...Avery blinked. He didn’t really come around often. Huh. He didn’t really know much about him, oddly. Card and Pokeballs were laid by the others. He smiled at the next card. It was Gwen. She was really looking forward to this. He hoped that she would be careful...she could be careless. He could too but…huh. The thought was gone. He placed down the card and some Pokeballs. Another nest of red hair was on the next one. Avery raised an eyebrow. She...didn’t have any eyes? He hadn’t met anyone like that before. He hadn’t met many people though. He shrugged before setting aside the swag. Zeph Bagley was the next one. There were several bandages on his face. Avery grinned. He sometimes forgot to take those off too...though sometimes he just got into the box and they ended up there without him knowing. Life was weird. His card and Pokeballs went by the others. Nathaniel Douglas. Avery looked at the picture on the card for a few moments. Something seemed off about this one...oh! He saw it. A strip of blue hair. It seemed tucked away but nothing hid from ole Avery Eagle-eyes. Except for most things. Anyway. That card got some Pokeballs too. Then there was the final card. Avery held it in his hands for a moment and turned it over and over. He gazed down and read it. Avery Garfield XXVIII...is what he so desperately wanted to see. But the face on the card was not his, nor was the name. His mouth turned down in a rare frown as his lips quivered slightly. He tried so very hard. Harder than he had tried at anything else...but… He had failed. He hadn’t been able to meet the requirements. He would not receiving a license, pokemon, or anything of the like. He glanced away from the card in his hands to Gwen’s. He wasn’t able to tell her...she had seemed so excited...he couldn’t bring himself to break it to her but...he wouldn’t be joining her. He had even went as far a packing up and everything… His hands shook, but he managed to place the card on the table and move a couple more Pokeballs to sit beside it. Then his arm shot up to wipe his face. Alfie returned with the potions. He didn’t say anything, merely patting the giant on the back. It took a few more moments, but Avery managed to pull himself together. He and Alfred distributed the potions in silence. Footsteps were growing louder. The others would be in the lab any moment now. Avery crossed the room to see if he needed to gather anything else. He hadn’t been able to secure a license but...he was going to be doing something. Elm, after hearing about his predicament, offered him a chance to assist him in the lab, alongside Alfie. It wasn’t exactly what he had wanted to do, but he liked Elm and Alfie, and the lab could be fun. But the sting was still there. The disappointment… Still, he shook his head and the thoughts began to fade. It wasn’t fair of him to wish as he was. If he had succeeded, perhaps the owner of the last card wouldn’t have been able to go? He wouldn’t want that...after all, he still had the lab. He wished the new trainers the best of luck. … But he still felt a pang of envy. The owner of the last card...this Sophia Rhodes… Despite everything he had said to himself, he still envied her. And he couldn’t help but to wish that it was him, not her, that would be receiving a license, a partner, and a journey. Elm entered the lab, other trainers in tow. Avery saw Gwen and lowered his head. He couldn’t look at her. Not now. Not yet. Soon. [hr] [h3][b][u][color=SpringGreen]Sophia Rhodes: Outside Elm’s Lab :First Steps[/color][/u][/b][/h3] The girl bounced into town, her stride slowing to a stop. She bent over and grabbed her legs, calming her rough breathing into something a bit more regular. She was beyond tired, yet spurned on by a desperate desire to get to safety and an even more desperate desire to avoid tardiness. She had been traveling for a few days by now, MUCH longer than she had planned. But the tunnel that would have led her from Blackthorne to New Bark had collapsed. She didn’t have the details, but people were hard at work trying to clear it when she arrived. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to just sit around so...she took a detour. Through Mahogany, into Ecruteak, into Violet, Cherrygrove, and finally… New Bark. The girl, stood back up, and threw her head back, taking in the air. It was so very lovely...so...fresh. … Oh no. Oh dear. The blonde pulled out her Holo Caster and saw the time. She was going to be late. She was just absolutely going to be late. She took a deep, deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it out slowly. She felt calmer, more in control. She wasn’t too late. She repeated that to herself over and over. She wasn’t too late. If she knew Elm even a little, and she believed she did, then it would be likely that he would be delayed slightly. She just had to hope such was the case, but relying on that uncertainty made her a bit uncomfortable. But what choice had she? Giving herself a once over to make sure everything was still in place, the smiling blonde moved forward at a brisk pace. As she approached what could only be the lab, her heart leapt. There were a couple of gentlemen standing at the door, peering in. If they were here for the same reason she was, then she really wasn’t too late. Praise Arceus. She patted herself and unconsciously adjusted her bow. After another deep breath, Ms. Sophia Rhodes, trainer-to-be, took the first steps of her journey, towards the door and who would likely be her future companions. And she was absolutely ecstatic. As she approached, she overheard some sort of commotion, but she wasn't able to make out any details. Uncertainty swept over her. If this crowd had gathered just to spectate a dispute well...this might not be the lab after all. A heat rose in the girl's cheeks as, unbeknownst to her, they reddened in embarrassment. She had been so certain... Well, she had committed too hard to turn back now. She came to a stop behind a gentleman about her height and after debating it for a moment, reached out and lightly tapped his shoulder with two fingers. He was...rather wet, actually, which caught her a bit off-guard. Still, she very quickly gathered herself and began to speak. [Color=SpringGreen][sub]"Excuse me. This wouldn't happen to be Professor Elm’s laboratory, would it?"[/sub][/color] She spoke in a rather quiet tone, not quite sure if she could be heard over the purple haired couple who seemed to be having a disagreement of sorts. It wasn't her place to listen in on such a private moment, so she tuned then out the best she could, focusing almost entirely on the gentleman before her. [/centre]