[centre] [h3][b][u][color=coral] Gwen King: Elm’s Lab :Growing Unease[/color][/u][/b][/h3] As Gwen made her way back to the rest of the group, she passed by Abigail. She didn’t spare the girl a second glance, instead just focusing on returning to the group. She was ready to rock ‘n’ roll, so hey-ho, let’s go. But it didn’t quite seem like that was in the cards just yet. There were still quite a few peeps hanging back in...in what appeared to be a line? The hell was that about? Gwen shrugged to herself though. How they got their jollies was their business, not hers. When she returned to the redhead’s side, it appeared as if she was waiting Gwen’s return. She continued their conversation as if Gwen had never left. Odd...but hell, maybe it was a foreign thing? She also didn’t get why the girl wanted to know about the “products” as she put it if she wasn’t planning anything. Gwen raised an eyebrow and gave her nod. A few moments passed of silence between the girls. Gwen was pretty alright with it, but apparently that was good enough for the redhead. [color=ec008c]“Uhm, pardon, another question - Excuse me if I’m coming off as a bit annoying - but I’m not entirely too familiar with Pokemon.”[/color] ...wh… What? Then why the hell was she even here? HOW was she even here? No...no this was some kind of fuckery. She was screwing with her. Gwen dropped back into her lazy grin and regarded the girl as she continued. [color=ec008c]“Did they have a psychic type up there? that’s the only type I even vaguely know, and I don’t really know any pokemon from this...place well…”[/color] Gwen was about to offer some sort of sarcastic retort, to either turn around this fuckabout or just get a good laugh herself, when another voice chimed in. [color=7ea7d8]“If you’re looking for a psychic pokemon, go with Natu.”[/color] Gwen narrowed her eyes at the source of the answer. Yuu. The fuck did he get off just jumping into private conversations like that? Mothafuckin’ asshat just ruined her fun, and defiled her privacy. That was strike two for that lavender shithead. There wouldn’t be a strike three. Bah, she could practically feel her mood worsening by the second. But she couldn’t just stand there with her thumb up her ass now, could she? [color=coral]“...yeah, what he said.”[/color] she muttered before looking about. Cerise excused herself to take her pick. Given a slight moment’s respite, she gaved about the room, checking out the others. Abigail seemed to have picked up a Nidoran and Yuu an Eevee. She could see the merit of both. Nidoran would eventually go into Nidoking, and that mothafucka was built like a truck. And Eevee...well there were options. She wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the tiny brown dude but she could see why somebody would. Another guy, one that Gwen vaguely remembered from earlier as muttering about some towel, was playing with a little blue dude. Totodile, she believed. That one had waaay too many teeth for her liking. Brr. A much smaller dude picked up a Chikorita. They were having a moment off by themselves. Gwen couldn’t help but grin. That was actually kind of a cute moment. A bit of red caught Gwen’s attention next and she whirled to see who she at first thought was Cerise playing with something...floating. A ghost-type. That...wasn’t exactly Natu...but she quickly realized that that wasn’t Cerise either. It was the OTHER redhead that Yuu had attacked. Creepy little sonuva… [color=ec008c]“H-hey, get down! I spent hours doing my hair this morning you runt!”[/color] Gwen blinked and turned to the sudden cry. She uh...she found the Natu alright. Good on her? It had declared itself King of the Hairtops, and Cerise didn’t seem too pleased about that. That got a chuckle from Gwen. Good luck with that one then. That… That should be everyone then, right? She looked about. Avery hadn’t picked up his Pokemon yet. Why…? ...there was only one card left. Gwen heard footsteps from behind. ...what was goin- Gwen heard something like...metal being scraped. And she felt a bit of pressure on her… Her eyes widened as she looked down to see the Nidoran trying to gnaw on her leg. What the actual fuck was it doing?! Her leg was not some fucking meal for some shithead Nidoran. She pulled her leg back away from the little pink dude. For a brief moment, she considered kicking the damn thing. But as quickly as the thought came, it was gone, yet Gwen felt a bit of disgust at herself. That was a fucked up thought. She squatted down, an admittedly difficult stance for her, and poked the pink dude in the cheek. Her face didn’t betray her unsettled thoughts, rather she looked a bit bored. [color=coral]“Right...none of that. You got me, little dude?”[/color] She quickly pulled her hand back. It probably WOULDN’T bite her but...fuck, why risk it? [hr] [h3][b][u][color=SpringGreen]Sophia Rhodes: Elm’s Lab :Choices...[/color][/u][/b][/h3] Sophia quietly and patiently waited at the rear of the group, smiling softly as each trainer in turn made the trip to the front of the lab and retrieved their first Pokemon. The joy was practically plastered on their faces...for the most part. She could see that a couple seemed rather anxious about the waiting. Whether that was from eagerness to get started or a dislike of crowds, Sophia couldn’t say. Personally, she wasn’t in much of a hurry. Not anymore, anyway. During the procession of soon-to-be trainers to their Pokemon, one of the guys in the room asked Professor Elm about getting a Pokedex. Another one chimed in, also expecting one. Sophia raised an eyebrow. Would Pokedexes be handed out? From what she had read, they were great research tools. She couldn’t help but raise her hopes. Elm quickly dashed them. Sophia found herself slightly disappointed, but it passed. It wasn’t a big deal, really. Most of the information the device could provide would be easily available in books. She had a few books that may even fall under that category, though if she really wanted to load up, she’d need to stop by either the Academy in Violet or one of the bookstores in Goldenrod. But that shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. When it seemed as if everyone had gotten their Pokemon, Sophia stepped forward. She made her way across the lab and surveyed the Pokeballs for a while. She recognized many of the names, having come across them many times in her studies. And reading. And… Oh dear. She couldn’t decide. Any one of them would make for an excellent partner but… Cyndaquil. Having scanned the remaining Pokeballs, Sophia found her gaze linger on the fire-type for just a hair longer than the rest. It was as good a pick as any, so she picked up the Pokeball. The weight of it honestly surprised her. It wasn’t at all what she was expecting...but it wasn’t bad. Not at all. From there, she walked over to a counter with a younger child and...Sophia blinked. The other young man by the table, one of Elm’s assistants, perhaps, was quite possibly one of the tallest people that she had ever seen. It was...quite frankly a bit intimidating. However he didn’t quite strike her as any sort of ruffian. Rather, he seemed a bit...distant. Lost in his own thoughts if she had to guess. She smiled at him and the younger child before retrieving her very own trainer card and various supplies. She neatly put them away before heading back towards the group. She noticed many of the trainers playing with their new partners. It was beautiful. Sophia couldn’t help but to join in. She retrieved Cyndaquil’s Pokeball and unleashed the creature before her. The Fire Mouse Pokemon materialized from the red light. It seemed petrified at first, but after a few moments shook its body. Sophia was concerned at first, but the little thing just kept at it. It was...it was almost as if it were dancing. It was adorable. Sophia started to chuckle, but quickly raised a hand to her mouth to muffle it. However, it was enough to startle the shimmying Cyndaquil. It was snapped out of its dancing fever and noticed the large number of people in the room. Slowly, it moved backwards, until it bumped into Sophia herself. That startled it more. Cyndaquil lept slightly, and from its back came a small ember. The blonde girl was quick enough to take a step back from the flames. They persisted for just a few moments before dissipating. The Pokemon then turned to see what its attacker looked like. Truth be known, the sudden flame had startled her quite a bit. That could have been terrible. Her heart was racing but...but Cyndaquil looked so much more terrified. Sophia, noticing the unease in the Pokemon, approached it slowly, before crouching down. She offered a hand out towards it. It looked from her to her hand and back again. Slowly, Sophia pushed forward, until she touched Cyndaquil again. It...didn’t freak out this time. That was a plus. It still seemed rather unsure of her, but it allowed it. She could work with that. [sub][color=springgreen]“Hehe. I guess I might have frightened you. Terribly sorry about that, dear.”[/color][/sub] Honestly...she wasn’t sure if anything she could say would really hit home with the Pokemon. But she spoke in a calm, soothing voice. It didn’t matter what she said, but how she said it. Cyndaquil...seemed to be responding well to it. The tense stance it had dropped ever so slightly. That was a relief. Sophia began to pet the creature, patting its belly, scratching around its arms. It loved it. The little thing dropped to the ground and began heaving, making sounds that almost resembled laughter. She kept at it for a short time before finally stopping. Cyndaquil looked at her quizzically. Then it got back to its feet and crossed over to her, nuzzling her hand as it rested on her leg. Grinning nearly ear to ear, Sophia picked up the little one. It curled up into a ball and rested in her arms...and shortly afterwards she could hear soft snoring coming from the ball. Adorable. Simply adorable. Sophia returned to the group with her partner in her arms, practically beaming to everyone. She’d return it to the Pokeball but...well it would be a shame to disturb its sleep. She’d let it rest for a while, then send it back. … She would also have to found out what gender it was. And get a name in mind. Oh dear… This was rather exciting. [/centre]