[center][color=turquoise][h2]Mililani Kekoa[/h2][h3]May 7th, Norilsk, Russia[/h3][/color][/center]

[color=turquoise]"Good going, Ohanna."[/color] Panting, Mililani turned away from the punching bag to her Lucario, who gave her own bag one more hook before stepping back and grinning up at her trainer. The Fighting type didn't seem tired in the slightest. [color=turquoise]"Heh... Maybe I shouldn't have tried to compete with a Lucario,"[/color] she said with a breathless laugh. [color=turquoise]"But how about one more round?"[/color] This was so much better than slaving away in that Arceus-forsaken Russian weather with that overexcitable bunch who didn't have the first idea what they were doing, and a good way of working off pent-up irritation...

Which of course surged right back at the sound of babbling and footsteps, followed by an argument. Then, an unexpected noise made both her and Ohanna whirl round. A gunshot.

[color=turquoise]"What in the name of the Island Guardians...?"[/color] Mililani rushed from the training room to the lobby, where the seargent stood pointing his gun at a broken window. His and Professor Rowan's announcement stirred up mixed emotions. Soon, it would be time to do what they were all here for in the first place, help the stranded wild Pokemon, although Mililani couldn't help but wonder what these upcoming trainers' idea of helping would be.

...

Julia and the Earth girl weren't the only ones to butt heads. Since getting a Pokedex, one girl who seemed to have modelled herself on one of those Hex Maniac trainers from Hoenn and Kalos, complete with tangled black wig, kept yammering away at anyone within earshot that this was the best thing that had ever happened on boring old Earth.

[color=turquoise]"So... Let me get this right,"[/color] Mililani snapped, hands on hips. By now she had a fairly decent, if still heavily accented, mastery of English. [color=turquoise]"Towns got destroyed, trainers and Pokemon are stuck here with no idea how the fuck to get back, people DIED... and you're saying it's the best thing that ever happened?!"[/color]

The girl, who called herself Lilith but the officials addressed as Laura, snickered. "Pfff, that's their problem. And just think!" Her purple contact lenses shone. "Maybe that means more Ghost types for us!"

Stunned speechless, Mililani could only think of one thing to do. She stepped forward, raising her hand. Before the slap could hit home, a white flipper settled on her shoulder. "Rinaaa," Naia soothed, with a gentle pull. Mililani took a deep, shuddering breath. Then, both girls turned round at the sound of a cough, finding themselves faced with a rather unamused assistant of Professor Rowan.

"May I suggest that both of you rein it in if you want to stay on the project," the assistant warned. "As you'll undoubtedly know, there's only so much Seargent Solokov will put up with. Besides, Professor Rowan's speech is about to begin."

Seething, Mililani stormed towards the lobby. If she got kicked out, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. [color=turquoise]"Can you believe we're stuck with this bunch?"[/color] she grumbled to Naia, whose blue eyes were wide with concern. One good thing that had happened here, at least, was thanks to the training facilities and people willing to battle, Naia had once again become a Primarina.

When the Professor followed his lecture by asking the crowd to decide which Pokemon to find, Mililani raised her hand. She knew the question had been meant for the Earth people, but she had some input of her own. [color=turquoise]"I say either the Grass types or the Stantlers should be our main concern,"[/color] she announced. Mushroom Pokemon generally dealt with the cold better than most Grass types did, but temperatures below zero were still a major issue. [color=turquoise]"Most Grass types will have trouble surviving here, and the Stantlers are surely struggling to find food..."[/color]

A chorus of voices drowned out her suggestion, settling the vote. The Ice type. Mililani rolled her eyes. Of course. Of freaking course everyone would go for the one that could actually thrive best here, just because it seemed to be one of the more sought after types. 

[color=turquoise]"Remind me again why I signed up for this,"[/color] she muttered to Naia under her breath.

...

In truth, she knew why she'd signed up. As she reluctantly jogged with the trainers-to-be, Ohanna ran by her side, scanning the area for any sickly or distressed Pokemon. When the group came to a sudden stop, the Lucario's effortless sprinting nearly caused her to crash into the guy in front - not what anyone would want a Pokemon with three protruding spikes to do.

[color=turquoise]"Careful there."[/color] With her hand on Ohanna's shoulder, Mililani peered ahead. Sure enough, they'd encountered a Pokemon. Not one she'd ever seen in person before, but she'd seen enough pictures to know what the tiny red-and-white mushroom was. A Foongus.

As one man tried and failed to catch it, Mililani tensed. What if it didn't want to be caught? It hadn't tried attacking or fleeing, and yes, it was better off under a trainer's care than out in the cold, but would said trainer see things that way? Or was everyone so hyped up about catching Pokemon that they'd forgotten why they were meant to do so in the first place?

[hr]
[center][color=forestgreen][h2]Ryan Harrell[/h2][h3]May 7th, Norilsk, Russia[/h3][/color][/center]

Ryan had managed to keep a steady pace near the front for most of the run, spurred on by the anticipation of getting his first Pokemon. He still could hardly believe it, three Pokeballs and a Pokedex of his own. His brother would be so jealous. Now, though, his muscles began to complain, unused to quite this amount of jogging despite his regular outdoor activities. How much longer would the search take?

As it turned out, it barely took any longer at all. The guy he'd been struggling not to lag behind approached something, the rest of the group gathering round. Ryan advanced, noticing something red standing out against the snow. Something that looked like a Pokeball partially hidden behind a bush, but as he drew closer, he recognised the Pokemon that had popped up several times during his search for items in Pokemon Black. 

So that was what a Foongus looked like in real life. As odd as it was to see a mushroom with a face, that pattern was rather striking. Since its introduction in Generation Five, Ryan had found it rather underappreciated, and it turned out the guy who'd spotted it shared that view as he flung a Pokeball.

... Or not. The moment the Foongus burst out, the guy gave up, dismissing it as a "stupid damned mushroom."

Remembering the Pokedex entry about its toxic spores, Ryan kept a safe distance, but the mushroom Pokemon showed no signs of hostility. Instead, it hopped out, stopping in its tracks when it saw the crowd.

[color=forestgreen]"Hey, it's alright,"[/color] Ryan reassured it, slowly approaching and crouching down. [color=forestgreen]"I know this must be confusing, but it'll be better for you to come with one of us than stay stuck out here."[/color] Hoping he'd managed to calm the Foongus somewhat, he reached for a Pokeball. [color=forestgreen]"Well, here goes!"[/color] Thankful for all the after-school basketball practice he'd had as a teen, he threw the capsule. It hit its target, which disappeared in a flare of red light.

Ryan watched the Pokeball rocking on the ground, tension growing. Would he be the first of the group to get a Pokemon?