[h1]Chapter 1: Pallet Town[/h1]

[right]Apr. 12, 1999. 09:00 a.m.[/right]
[center][img]https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/4/45/Pallet_Town_PE.png[/img][/center]

[indent]The radiant heat of the morning sun is a welcome sight following a long winter and a good omen for departures and new beginnings, and today happens to be the day when recipients of a sponsorship from The Oak Foundation are able to begin their Pokémon journeys by receiving their Starter Pokémon from Prof. Oak’s Lab in quaint, little Pallet Town.

These Pokémon trainers, along with a few of their loved ones, are gathered here today to see them off on their grand new adventure! The challenge set ahead of them: to raise and train their partner Pokémon and grow alongside them, to find new, rare or invasive Pokémon species (or variants) in the wild of Kanto and to capture them, to capture additional Pokémon to create a strong and balanced Pokémon party, to take on the Pokémon challenge and conquer its gyms and contest halls, to become a Pokémon Master; the very best, that no one ever was!

Three trainers have arrived early. Fresh-faced, young and green, their eyes are full of hope; expectation towards a grand adventure… or perhaps its anxiety and doubt that fill their minds as they approach the threshold.

The front door to Prof. Oak’s laboratory and the trio are met by a young woman, seemingly in her mid-to-late twenties, her dark purple hair sponges up at the tips as she ventures forth towards you. “Hi there, and welcome. My name is Prof. Ivy, and I am a Pokémon Professor. I know you were probably expecting to see Prof. Oak today, unfortunately he is busy, but hey! You get me instead!” She has a cheerful personality and a pep to her step.

“Now then, I know you’re here to get your Starter Pokémon, but there are a few things we need to go over first.” She leads you into the lab at a brisk pace, and you might begin to feel some sense of purpose as you just rush in behind her. 

“This right here is Faith, that is Charity, oh, hey Hope, remember to send me those files from last Thursday, they still haven’t seen my desk! That’s Hope, and I believe Daisy is out on the ranch.” Prof. Ivy says almost absent-mindedly as you walk past a number of lab assistants and a Mr. Mime struggling to control a number of baby Pokémon who happily hop around his feet, and into a room with a large machine that seems to have slots on it for Poké Balls.

“And here we are, the moment of truth. Each of you will step forward and take a ‘TOF kit’,” she states pointing towards a set of backpacks. “‘TOF’ stands for The Oak Foundation, by the way, but I think it sounds cute if you pronounce it as a ‘tough kit’ haha, where was I? Oh, yeah! Each of you will take one of these kits, they include: four Poké Balls, an Antidote, two Potions, a flashlight, a small tent, tarp, mess kit, lighter and twenty feet of rope. Swiss Army knives or similar were in the list of recommended items to bring, so I trust each of you already has one, oh, of course, a PokéDex and all that remains is your partner Pokémon, so… who will be the first to step up?”[/indent]

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[h3]OOC:[/h3]

[b]Post requirement:[/b] Two (2).

[indent]Write one post detailing your character’s morning prior to arriving at the lab, and up to meeting their Starter Pokémon for the first time. This first post might not be the best opportunity for IC introductions, but you can feel free to establish conversations prior to meeting Prof. Ivy. Tell me about your Starter Pokémon; why did you select it? Did someone else select the one you truly wanted before you? And tell me your character’s first impression of their Starter.

The second post should go over the rest of your last day in Pallet Town. I know your first instinct when thinking about the games might be to rush ahead towards Route 1, but I want your characters to find a reason to stay one more night in Pallet Town. Have one last meal with your parent(s), help a local person with a problem they might have, battle one of your fellow trainers or a rival, or just take a day to get to know your Pokémon.

[@GubGar][@Crimson Flame][@Olive Fontaine][[/indent]