[center][abbr=Hazel][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/260630/49f1165a.png[/img][/abbr] [hr][color=silver]Bjyerlfal City: Camphor's Lab || Day One: Morning collab with: [@Savo][/color] [hider=Team & Inventory][table][row][cell][center][i]Hazel doesn't have any Pokémon![/i][/center][/cell][cell][center][i]Hazel doesn't have any items![/i][/center][/cell][/row][/table][/hider][hr][/center] Though she had stayed behind with the handful of people that already had a Pokémon with them, Hazel watched those that did not move deeper into the habitat more intently than perhaps was warranted. She watched some swagger confidently into the trees, and others that took a slower, more measured approach. When the blind boy moved Hazel looked worriedly back at Professor Camphor, but the short woman didn't seem too concerned. Plus there was the Rotom-possessed phone sort of guiding him. Actually now that she thought about it, that purple haired boy... Yuu, she thought she heard, did his Rotom not count as a starter Pokémon? It seemed lively with a mind of its own, which was the reason Hazel's parents did not have any Rotom appliances in their home, in case one pitched a fit for whatever reason and fried their electronics. But... maybe they were so common in modern tech that people more in touch with that sort of thing didn't even consider them proper Pokémon partners? She considered this, and other tangents, as she looked on until the forms of the other trainers disappeared from her sight - which was when Miss Freida spoke to her, snapped Hazel out of her thoughts. “W-well, I guess I’ll show you where Pix’s friend is instead of letting you blindly wander around,” Frieda nervously shifted around as she looked at the forest. As she did, a small group of bird Pokémon flew out through the trees, trilling in vexation as they went to find another place in the Habitat to rest. Frieda let out a nervous sigh at the scene. As for Pix who was dangling off of Frieda’s shoulder, he was eyeing a different prize. A devilish smile crept on the Impidimp’s face as he began giggling, catching the attention of his trainer. “Pix, what is so fun-” Before she could finish her sentence, the mischievous Pokémon lunged at Hazel, prompting a shocked ‘eep’ from Frieda and another small shout of surprise from the girl. In mere seconds, Hazel would go on from nervously trying to keep her Pokéball from falling out of her hands to no longer holding it, the ball in the clutches of its new ‘owner:’ Pix. “Imp!” As he exclaimed this, he held the Pokéball up and did a silly little jig as he showed off his ill-gotten gains. Frieda’s eyes widened. “Pix! Give that back, that’s for Hazel to catch her Pokémon with!” “Imp imp,” Pix stuck a tongue out at her before sprinting off in the direction of the woods with the ball; in spite of what anyone would initially do, that Impidimp was an [i]extremely[/i] fast and evasive Impidimp. By the time Frieda had even grabbed her Pokéball to have Pix return, he was already halfway across the fields to the forest. “Oh no… I’m so, [i]so[/i] sorry for letting this happen,” she did a deep bow to the girl before turning and breaking into a sprint. “Sorry for making you do this as well, but please come with me so we can get your Pokéball back!” It had happened so fast that Hazel didn't have time to do much but wobble her hands and arms in a panic and let out a [color=A9BF8B]"Wha-wha-wha-wha...?!"[/color] She turned from Freida to Pix, Pix to Freida, and then suddenly the imp was gone and his trainer too, with Hazel unable to even accept the apology. So even Pokémon knew she wasn't cut out for this, huh? It made sense, they were said to be very in tune with their trainers and the Impidimp had probably been around a lot of trainers before. He could tell that Hazel was destined to fail and was saving her from even starting... a little tear formed at the corner of one of Hazel's eyes as the rational side of her got the frantic one to calm down. She should probably thank the little guy all things considered. [i]Sorry, Professor Camphor, your assistant's Pokémon has branded me a lost cause. Can I go home now? There won't be a bill since I got disqualified after coming to the lab, right?[/i] she rehearsed in her head. Ah but when she looked over at the Professor, there was an expectant look on the woman's face. Hazel's eyes widened and she looked back to where Freida had disappeared to. Oh no, she'd told Hazel to go with her! And now she'd basically ignored Freida and had fallen behind! [color=A9BF8B]"Oh noooooo!"[/color] she cried, more concerned about Freida than actually getting the Pokéball back. She hustled after the two of them, though it wouldn't be long at all until her stamina ran out. As the two sprinted after Pix, the Impidimp took a look behind him before smiling impishly as he briefly stopped at the forest entrance. As they did, they held up their prize, jumping around mischievously before blowing a raspberry before running further into the forest. Frieda grit her teeth as she held out her Pokéball as far as she could but was unable to still recall her Pokémon. Just as this failed, she cocked her arm back, ready to toss the thing as hard and far as she could before stopping and shaking her head with a defeated sigh. Peering behind her, she watched Hazel struggle to keep up with them and decided to stop at the forest entrance. Lightly panting, she looked over and waited for Hazel to catch up before resting against a tree. All things considered the run was only a short distance, but it was the farthest and fastest that Hazel had run since her accident years ago. It was a miracle that she didn't collapse as soon as she reached Freida, though she did double over with her hands braced against her knees, breath coming in heavy gasps as sweat already dripped down from her forehead. [color=A9BF8B]"I... [i](gasp)[/i] I'm so... [i](wheeze)[/i] S-so..."[/color] The girl pushed her glasses up from where they had started to slip down the bridge of her nose, catching her breath a little more before trying to speak again. Her face was red from more than just the run. [color=A9BF8B]"I'm s-sorry… if only I…"[/color] “Don’t apologize; it isn’t your fault,” Frieda panted, wincing a bit as she looked into the forest. “I know Pix likes to pull pranks, but I didn’t expect him to do this.” As she said this, she looked up and stared into the artificial forest’s entrance before running a hand through her hair. “Look, if you need to take a break, feel free to wait. I’ll try to find Pix in the meantime and get your Pokéball back for you, alright?” As Frieda stated this, she stood there, waiting for Hazel’s response. For a moment, Hazel considered it. Or, at least, pretended to consider it. Even if she wanted to try and help Miss Freida, there was no way that she'd be able to keep up - she would just be slowing the lab assistant down. Still bent over, Hazel nodded her head a few times. Another moment later and she thought to clarify. [color=A9BF8B]"I... u-um. Okay. I'll... wait here."[/color] Frieda nodded, “Sounds good, I’ll be back with your Pokéball in a jiffy. Now get back here Pix!” The assistant shouted at the Impidimp as she sprinted deeper into the forest, waving her Pokéball as she attempted to recall the creature. Her voice would reverberate a couple of times, and belatedly Hazel called after her, [color=A9BF8B]"um, thank you!"[/color] before the forest fell completely silent. Well, as silent as a forest filled with baby Pokémon could be; there was chittering here and there, but it was overall silent. Maybe it felt like hours since the woman left, maybe it felt closer to minutes… but whatever the case, the fact of the matter was that Frieda hadn’t returned yet and who knows if she would make it back on time with Hazel’s ball. Maybe the girl might think she’d have to head back in spite of it all, maybe she might think that she was a lost cause again. Whatever she was actually thinking (which was a mix of many things), it would be interrupted the moment there was rustling in a bush near the entrance of the forest. Hazel whipped her head around, her hands held tight to her chest. [color=A9BF8B]"M-miss Freida?"[/color] As she inched closer to investigate, an Impidimp holding a Pokéball popped out of the bushes and looked up at her. “Imp.” [color=A9BF8B]"Oh! Pix...?"[/color] It couldn't be any other random Impidimp with a stolen Pokéball, right? Hazel looked around for any sign of the Impidimp's trainer, but she still didn't see hide nor hair of the lab assistant. Hazel then turned a nervous glance Pix's way, and slowly crouched down to be nearer the Pokémon's level. [color=A9BF8B]"Miss Freida is looking for you... I-I don't want her to get in trouble because of me... could... could you give that ball back, please?"[/color] she asked, reaching out slightly. The Pokémon shook his head, pulling the Pokéball away from her. It looked like he wasn’t going to give it back that easily. As he did, however, a small, playful smile formed on his lips as he called out to Hazel with an “Imp,” before running over and grabbing onto her sock. As he did this, he attempted to drag her along, though unfortunately he was just a little Impidimp and Hazel was an average sized girl that he struggled to drag along. It might have been an endearing sight to some, but Hazel froze up, unsure of what to do. Now statue-like it was even harder for Pix to move her, but after a few long, drawn out moments the girl moved herself. A hand darted out to snatch back the Pokéball - unfortunately, the Impidimp was much faster. He dashed out of range before trying to pull on her sock again and drag her somewhere. It seemed he was trying to take the girl somewhere and it didn’t seem like he was taking no for an answer. Quickly recognizing that she was not going to win this, Hazel slowly and nervously stood up and shuffled in the direction that Pix was dragging her. [color=A9BF8B]"O-okay, I'll follow you, but... then we have to go find Miss Freida, a-alright?"[/color] Following the Impidimp, he would take her down a rather inconvenient path, ‘dragging her’ through bushes, tree branches that seem to reach low enough to get some leaves in her hair, and sometimes even splashing through a puddle. He seemed to ignore the set path created in the artificial forest, opting to continue dragging Hazel through this path he had set. After a few minutes of following Pix, and several scratches and teary, murmured complaints from the girl, they both emerged from a bush into an open alcove. The alcove had a bunch of trees around the area that had holes in them, enough to house a couple of small Pokémon. However, each of the holes seemed to be occupied with a certain type of Pokémon: Impidimps. There were Impidimps [i]everywhere[/i] in this part of the Habitat. Some were chatting about whatever Impidimps would chat about, while others were pulling pranks and having fun with each other. Some were resting on a branch or in one of the tree holes. And at the back of it all sat a Grimmsnarl against the back of one of the trees in the area. While a few Impidimps were congregating around the large (at least to them) Pokémon save for one that was lying on their head as if they were a hat. The Grimmsnarl didn’t seem that largely perturbed in the slightest, only really stirring the moment Hazel and Pix entered into the area. The Grimmsnarl didn’t seem at all bothered by the newcomers, instead looking over to the unfamiliar face and her much familiar companion. “Snarl?” “Imp imp! Impidimp!” There was a pause from the Pokémon as he looked around the vicinity for someone in particular before shrugging and looking up above him. Moving a hand to his head, he plucked the resting Impidimp resting atop of him and placed him down onto the forest floor. While befuddled, the Impidimp didn’t seem to react at all to what the Grimmsnarl did. Pix giggled for a moment before letting go of Hazel and waving to them with a free hand, seemingly distracted for the moment. The entire situation was bizarre, and so outside of Hazel's realm of experience that she could do little else but stand stock still and stare at the Grimmsnarl like a deerling caught in headlights. Wherever she had expected Pix to lead her, it wasn't into a nest of his kin led by a burly, intimidating Pokémon (even if all it was doing at the moment was lounging). The Impidimp that had been resting atop its head let out a yawn as it was placed on the ground, lazily returning Pix's wave before eyeing Hazel curiously. The girl herself could have tried to retrieve the Pokéball at this point, but it was currently the furthest thing from her mind. She was more concerned with thinking about how to flee unscathed. But Pix wasn’t distracted enough anyway, as much like before the Impidimp bounced back and away from the girl before stopping and pointing at the Pokémon the Grimmsnarl put down, “Imp dimp!” Pix began hopping back and forth, one foot to the other before pointing to the Pokéball he was holding, “Imp imp.” As he finished saying this, Pix suddenly lobbed the ball in the general direction of the Impidimp. Fortunately for Hazel, the Pokéball missed its mark, instead landing half a meter away from the Impidimp that the Grimmsnarl apparently left for her, “Imp imp!” Pix was pointing at the Pokémon and the Pokéball and didn’t seem to [i]try[/i] and dash to snatch the ball up. Despite how active he seemed, Pix looked like he was waiting for Hazel to do something. As for some of the other Impidimp in the area, they began to clear out of the way, keeping a healthy distance away from the group as they chittered amongst themselves. What was going on was obvious to all of the Pokémon present, but not to Hazel herself. When the Grimmsnarl didn't make any aggressive moves her attention eventually returned to Pix, but she only watched his antics, eyes flickering between him, his friend, and the Pokéball. [color=A9BF8B]"Uh...?"[/color] There was a collective groan from all of the imps gathered. The one still in the center of clearing with Pix rolled its eyes and then stood up to saunter towards Hazel. The girl shrunk back as it circled around her. Its eyelids were dropped slightly and its head raised, little claws cupping its chin as though it was appraising an artifact. The scrutiny made Hazel quiver - were they deciding if she would taste good or something?? After two laps around the girl, the Impidimp looked back at Pix with a tilt of its head, pointing at Hazel. "Dim?" Pix shrugged, and his friend mirrored the movement before nodding to itself with a snicker. Hazel herself stood there, slightly hunched over, her mouth tightly closed. It took a little while, but eventually she was able to tell that the mischievous gremlins didn't seem to mean her any harm. Freida was supposed to have shown her the way to an Impidimp... could it be this one, Pix's friend? And then... what was she supposed to do now?? Surely not... catch it...? She slowly inched away from the Impidimp and towards the Pokéball. The Pokémon all just watched, some curious and some impatient. Hazel reached down to pick it up even more slowly, but when she had it in hand she quickly curled it up towards her chest protectively. [color=A9BF8B]"I, um, I'll just... b-be going now... uh, nice to meet you all... oh, I'm Hazel by the way... just... h-have to get this and meet back up with Miss Freida...!"[/color] Could Pokémon boo? The noises those in the trees made sort of sounded like booing. "Dimi..." the Impidimp in the center said with a sigh. It glanced back at Grimmsnarl before turning to watch Hazel start backing away. Suddenly, a fangy grin spread on its face. "Impi dim Dimi," it said, placing its hands along its side in imitation of a human putting them into their pockets. On one heel the Impidimp turned away from Hazel and made to walk back towards its leader. Hazel had paused, curious over the Pokémon's next actions (and not just the central one) , a thin thread keeping her on the edge of the clearing. She didn't expect the little trickster to suddenly turn again, jump, and lunge at her, claws and fangs bared as a dramatically fake evil cackling sounded out from it. "Iiiiiiiimp!!" Hazel shrieked, loud enough to shake the leaves of the clearing and probably enough to be heard throughout most of the habitat. She also reflexively, instinctively, chucked the Pokéball in her hands. It bonked against the Impidimp mid-flight, consuming it in red energy before it was sucked into the device. The Pokéball landed softly on the grass after that, giving one strong shake for good measure before it clicked shut. The chattering of the Impidimps around the area grew louder, as if they could finally talk about it, some surely appreciating the little prank their fellow had pulled. Had they decided ahead of time which of them were going to leave the lab with a newbie trainer, and was it a privilege or chore? Hazel's legs gave out from under her and she collapsed next to the Pokéball. She was still shaking slightly as she reached out to take the ball once again, holding it between both hands. [color=A9BF8B]"I... I..."[/color] [i]I... I caught a Pokémon...![/i] Beyond the chattering of the Impidimps, therein stood Pix who had their hands on their sides, puffing their chest out as they made a resolute “Imp.” Before sagging a little and performing an exaggerated sigh as they whipped their brow off, taking a seat in the middle of the forest floor. It was almost if he was acting like this was a job well done on his end, though he did wonder about something. Where was Frie- “... Found you, you little troublemaker!” Before he could even react to the voice, a Pokéball flew through the foliage and bonked the Impidimp on the side of the head before ricocheting back upwards as a red light enveloped the Pokémon. “Impidimp,” Pix shouted with a surprised cry as he was returned to his ball as a panting, exasperated Frieda held her hand up to catch the Pokéball that came tumbling down. She sighed through heavy breaths, “*Pant* Back in the ball *pant* for now…” Clipping the Pokéball to her belt, she leaned over to catch her breath, only for her to look around, first staring at Hazel, then to the Grimmsnarl. “A-ah, hi Hazel,” she gave an awkward wave to the girl before waving to the Grimmsnarl, “and hi Nix; guess this *pant* is where you were hanging out this morning.” “Grim,” the Grimmsnarl nodded, rising up from his spot and began stretching. In the meantime, Frieda walked over to Hazel, taking note that the girl had her Pokéball back. Taking a brief look around, Frieda let out an exasperated sigh before looking down to her own Pokéball and murmured “So that’s what you were doing…” Looking back to Hazel, she put a hand on her hip and weakly smiled at the girl, “Well I suppose congratulations are in order. Good job on catching your first Pokémon! And sorry about that all; I didn’t expect Pix to run us through the wringer though.” As she said this, Nix, the Grimmsnarl, finished their stretches and began trotting through the forest, leaving the rest of the Impidimps and two trainers behind. “Well, either he’s going to rejoin the Professor or heading somewhere else… either way, I think our time is up,” as she said this, she took a look at a small device before popping it back into her pocket as she gestured for Hazel to follow her. “Lets go to rejoin the rest of your colleagues, alright? Ooh and if you want to, maybe you can think of a name for him on our way back!” It took Hazel a while to register what Freida was actually saying, still caught up in the emotion of actually catching a Pokémon for the first time in her life. She looked between the retreating Grimmsnarl and the professor's assistant, so torn between tearing up and smiling that her expression looked more like a weird grimace. [i]Congratulations,[/i] Freida had said. She also said that she was sorry, that they should get back, and a lot of other things. Hearing the woman's words but not quite processing them yet, Hazel held the Pokéball out triumphantly to Freida and just repeated what had already been said. [color=A9BF8B]"I-I caught one! A Pokémon!"[/color] She then attempted to stand to follow Freida back to the others, but her legs were still very jelly-like. She fell right back on her rump, but at least this time she kept a tight hold on the ball. [color=A9BF8B]"Eh... ehehe... s-sorry, I'm a little...?"[/color] Freida got the gist of it, helping the girl to her feet where she wobbled until a few deep breaths later found her able to stand without help. She adjusted her glasses and smiled at Freida before turning the same smile onto the Pokéball in her hands. An Impidimp, huh? She would have to do some research on taking care of one... luckily it seemed this lab was uniquely qualified to give her some tips. [color=A9BF8B]"Oh! Right, um, you s-said we should head back...?"[/color] Hazel piped up suddenly. [color=A9BF8B]"Let's do that... um, thank you, Miss Freida, so much. A-and could you thank Pix for me, too?"[/color] The two humans walked back to one of the curated paths, making their way out of the forest and back towards the group of other trainers. At that point Hazel had forgotten entirely about trying to beg Professor Camphor to go easy on her for backing out of the project. Instead, she was taking Freida's suggestion and thinking on names for the Pokémon cradled in its ball in her hands.