~ .echoes of dawn ,

[`jαzz]

The first rays of the sun were just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky with the pastel colors of dawn. The world was quiet; not a soul dared to interrupt the wondrous display. She stood in awe, absentmindedly hugging her arms closer to her body. The girl hardly noticed the chilly morning air that was nipping at her skin. Her mind was only focused on one thing, and that was the long awaited trip to the Pok?mon laboratory in the Kairuu region.

"Ivy, are you sure you want to do this? It isn't too late to turn around and go home." A protective arm wrapped around the girl's shoulders, hugging her closer to the male's chest. "I appreciate the offer, Ashton, but I truly think that it's time to move on. If I continue to stay at home, then I'll never get my journey underway. And...it's what my O-oddish would h-have w-w-wanted.." the teenager's voice faltered towards then end of her sentence, betraying her seemingly tough exterior. Ivy pulled away from her brother, unwilling to be babied anymore. She was a big girl now, and if she couldn't get over the tragic incident that happened so long ago, well...it would hinder her abilities as a breeder and a trainer in the near future. Letting go of the painful memories would be the healthiest thing to do now.

The girl began walking, the glow of the streetlights ahead marking one of the entrances of Angler's Warf. No, she had not arrived in this region by boat. Instead she had flown out three weeks ago, to meet and stay with her brother and his girlfriend, who lived in Ivywick Town. It was appropriate enough place for him to live, she figured, seeing as her entire family shared a love for nature. From his home they had traveled by bus until they reached the outskirts of the small harbor town. It had been a long trip, a trip that was finally over. For that, she was eternally grateful. Oh, how she hated the bus. Ivy had barely gotten any sleep; that damned thing needed some new shock absorbers or something. But in the end, she was glad that she'd arrived.

Brother and sister walked side by side until they reached the dock. "I know this is a big step, and I'm proud of you. You'll do wonderfully, I just know it. You have everything you need in your bag...clothes, shoes, yadayada.. If you need anything at all, you know my phone number. Ivy, you can always come home if you want, alright? Everything's going to be fine, I promise," her brother said, the look in his eyes as kind as his smile. He placed a reassuring hand on her head, and ruffled her green tresses. Ivy nodded, offering a confident smile in return. "Don't worry, Ashton. You'll be seeing my name in lights in no time at all. I love ya, bro." Ivy launched herself at him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Thanks for everything. I'll definitely call from time to time, let you know how I'm doing, 'kay?" she said, waving as she began to walk away. "Take care, Ivy~" Ashton called after her, returning her parting wave.

It wasn't long until both the dock and her brother disappeared from sight. She was alone now, save for the Pok?mon contained in spheres at her belt. It was still relatively early, which meant the laboratory probably wasn't open yet. No matter, this gave Ivy plenty of time to locate the lab and think about which Pok?mon she was going to choose once she got inside. According to her brother, who knew more about this region than she, explained that the professor here offered the standard Fire, Water, and Grass types, but also had a selection of various Fighting, Poison and Ground creatures, and Ivy had no clue as to which Pok?mon were offered out of those unique types.

So far, none of the choices were appealing to her. Ivy already owned three of the four grass type starters, courtesy of adoption agencies, with the exception of the Beedrill, given to her by her older brother. It wasn't a Grass type, but hey, Bugs were the closest thing to them. Because she wasn't a big fan of Turtwig ( some grass type trainer, i know..), Ivy decided that she would go with the final option Ashton had mentioned -- allowing the computer to randomly choose a companion for her. Unfortunately, there was a flaw in this plan. There was always a chance that the machine would select a Fire type Pok?mon, and Ivy just would not, could not, stand for that to happen. In all honesty, she had no idea how she would react if such a horrendous event occurred. But then again, a Grass type might also come up, moving her one step forward on the path to becoming a master Grass type breeder / trainer.

The young adult had been sitting outside of the laboratory for a good few hours now, eagerly awaiting the opening of the facility. The sun was finally up, the sky no longer donning shades of midnight but rather showcasing a pale blue color and clouds as white and fluffy-looking as cotton. She inhaled; what a beautiful day this one was turning out to be. Getting to her feet, Ivy walked a just a few steps before coming face to face with the door to the building. Alright, this was it. The very first steps at letting go of the past were moments away. The inevitable feeling of doubt was beginning to eat away at her insides, and for a moment Ivy considered hightailing back to Ivywick. No, no. She had already come this far, she was not going to break down now. Instead she was going to go through with this, and become a stronger person because of it. And with a deep breath, Ivy raised a shaky fist to the door, and knocked politely a total of four times.

There would be no going back at this point.

[[Shoe ♥]!]

The first rays of sunshine were peeking through the small bedroom that the Pok?mon shared, stirring them ever so slightly. Perhaps the professor himself would have been up and about by now - observing the effects on the first slivers of light on the baby Pok?mon. Though to his prized partners, there was no rush to greet the morning. Why even bother? The sooner they woke, the sooner they would have to scurry around and tend to the starter Pok?mon and the upstart trainer. It seemed the laziest one was the one who won in the end, the one who could simply sleep through the knocks on the doors and the screaming wails of the waking babies.

Of course, this meant that Toni was the absolute loser. The little Raichu just couldn't ignore anything for too long. Sure - she enjoyed a nice long sleep as well as the next Pok?mon (not naming any names, but there was a Cradily that simply didn't do anything around there), but the mouse Pok?mon just wasn't cut out for the ignorance that they seemed to content to lay on. As soon as the sun rose, even though she tried so hard to keep herself down, her body rose as well to greet it. There was no way around it - as soon as it happened, there was just so much her body wished to do. Even if Toni was exhausted by the end of the day, it still brought a slight feeling of accomplishment.

Though, today was supposed to be her day. Jigsaw had promised to take the first trainer that waltzed their way. So Toni was supposed to have a day off - just for her little self and a nice cup of hot chocolate or something. Maybe read a relaxing book, snuggle to a gentle baby Torchic or some sort. Ahh... yes, just the perfect twenty-four hours to spend in a sweet little treat way. Didn't the Raichu deserve it? She was the one that worked the hardest, after all. This day of laziness was going to be hers to grab and hold on to.

So then why was she the only one that seemed the notice the knocking on the door?

Digging in sharply, Toni smothered her face back into her fluffy violet pillow, flattening her ears and pretending not to hear. Just.. forget about it. Someone else would get it, right? Jigsaw said... Jigsaw said....

Just as Toni was about to drift back away to her little dream land, three more rapt knocks were heard. It had turned obvious that nobody else was going to take care of it, and the Raichu would have to take care of it. Again. Oh Arceus, how annoying. Her day off was already turning into just another work day... and there was nothing Toni could do about it. It just wasn't in the electric mouse's nature to leave a poor dear hanging like that. So, with a stretch and a groggy yawn, the Raichu rose from her half-conscious state, flaring out her tail. The little Pok?mon trotted over to the door, tiptoed her way out, and greeted her guest with an obviously tired tone.

"Hello...aahh.." Toni yawned, placing her paw over her mouth quickly. "Oh, sorry, I'm just really tired. Anyway, my name is Toni, and welcome to the Pok?mon Laboratory. I will be your host until you leave with a new partner. Now, please tell me before I forget to ask - what do you want to be?

[/color]"

[/blockquote]

[`jαzz]

In all honesty, Ivy had been expecting a human to answer the door. The mere sight of a Raichu standing in the door frame was shocking enough, but..the Pok?mon had spoken to her! There was no mistaking it! Looking past the short electrical mouse, Ivy could see no one else in the laboratory's main lobby. Wait, was this some sort of joke? How rude! Is this how the laboratory treated aspiring trainers? Where she came from, Pok?mon simply did not speak in human tongue! A small frown was beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth. Hold on, wait a second. There was a simple explanation to all of this. It had to be a costume! Being the polite individual that she was, she decided to humor the dressed-up kid. After all, they must have worked hard on it, as it looked realistic enough.

"Um, good morning~ I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..if you were sleeping, that is. Oh, um, I've decided that I'd like to pursue a career as a breeder-trainer." Ivy wasn't sure how this applied to her becoming such. Oh right, now she remembered. Ashton had mentioned something about getting a few items in addition to a beginning Pok?mon. Stepping into the lab, Ivy took a moment to visually explore the unfamiliar surroundings. The place had all the furnishings of a lab; bookshelves, tables, computers, papers everywhere... It also had a faint smell of disinfectant, Pinesol, maybe? With all this stuff lying around, Ivy got the feeling that there were other people who worked here. But where was everyone else? This little girl in the Raichu costume couldn't possibly run an entire Pok?mon laboratory all by herself, could she?

"You know, I just want to compliment you on the wonderful job you did on making that costume of yours. It's a pretty clever idea, actually, dressing up like Pok?mon," the young woman commented, flashing a small smile in Toni's direction. "I've also been meaning to ask...what types of Pok?mon do you guys offer here? I'm curious as to what choices I have. ..I'm kind of having a difficult time deciding what I'm going to do.." she admitted, grinning sheepishly.

[[Shoe ♥]!]

Toni waited awkwardly as the newbie collected herself. Sure, she should have expected newcomers to the region to be surprised at the sight of a talking Pokémon. In her haste to just get to the darned door, she had forgotten that it was exclusive to Kairuu - people understanding pokespeech. Though, she couldn't help but get offended when she was called a little kid in a costume. Like a child would be able to purchase such a thing! This was authentic hide - not some cheap plastic of something! How disgustingly accusing. The Raichu waved her tail in irritation, but answered patiently enough.

"Oh, no, honey. I'm not some little child - I'm an honest to Arceus Pokémon. Here in Kairuu Region, there is a special magnetic force or something... I really dunno what it is, really. Anyway, thanks to that, all humans can understand Pokémon speech. Pretty cool, right? Anyway, I'll go get that starter pack for you. Do excuse me if I'm a bit sluggish." The Raichu grinned, and then scampered off on all fours to gather the materials. It took her a moment, but she soon tramped out of the door with a little bag clutched firmly in her paws.

"Here you are - this'll hold you over for quite a while, eh? Anyway, as far as the kinds of Pokémon we have here, we have four species and two different Pokémon of the types water, grass, fire, ground, poison, and fighting. We also have a randomly generated one, or a more personable kind of randomness. Does that answer your question?

[/color]"[/blockquote]

[ e v e n t~ ]
Ivy has received her starter kit!

x5 Heal ball
x1 Repeat ball
x1 Soothe
bell

x6 Moomoo milk
x3 Fresh water
x2 Oran berry

x1 Journal
x1 Super Rod
x1 Breeder's Case
x1 Badge Case

[/i][/center]

[`jαzz]

Ivy couldn't believe what she'd just heard. It...wasn't a costume? Then... The girl clapped a hand over her mouth, a small cry escaping her slighty parted lips. Though the sound was muffled, the shock on her face was evident. Since when were Pokémon able to speak? Perhaps all of this was a bad dream...no, no...it was a nightmare! But it all felt so real..this was torture! She'd been doing so well, she hadn't dreamt of anything relating to her departed Oddish for years! Why all of a sudden was she being teased in her dreams? Finally, Ivy had thought she'd been taking a step forward, away from the pain, but now.. If she woke up from this horrific nightmare.. Oh, Arceus, what if it wasn't a nightmare at all, but she'd somehow slipped into a coma!? Her head was reeling with all the possiblities. Obviously this scenario couldn't possibly be taking place..

Anger was quick to replace all of her other emotions. "What is this!? What kind of a fool do you take me for!!? I-- Wait, what?" Some sort of special magnetic field, is that what that Raichu had said? Come to think of it, she had seen someone in her brother's hometown conversing with their Pokémon...but she hadn't been paying attention long enough to notice if the Pidgey had replied. "I'm..I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you like that, it's just...well, it's nothing. Nevermind. It was wrong of me to do that. I suppose this is all just sort of a big surprise for me." Ivy pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to soothe her aching head.

Reaching out with shaking fingers, Ivy grasped the bag of items the Pokémon aide had retrieved. "Thank you so much," the young woman replied, dropping the satchel into her bag before she could drop it onto the floor. She felt absolutely horrible, causing a scene like that. She could hardly glance at the electrical mouse, let alone speak to her. Ugh. Ivy felt so embarrassed.

"If at all possible, could I go ahead and try that 'more personable' random option, please?" Ivy looked up at Toni, peeking at the Raichu through her green bangs. Hopefully the Pokémon would allow her to receive a beginner, but Ivy wouldn't blame her if she pushed her out of the laboratory right now. After her previous outburst, she couldn't say she didn't deserve that.

[[Shoe ♥]!]

ooc; I had no idea as to do this, as I didn't want you making a post just saying that Ivy followed and threw the Pok?ball. So there's the Pok?mon she'll get at the bottom, and I do hope this is okay. ^-^;;

ic;

With the young woman's explosion, the Raichu was tempted just to flatten her ears and excuse her out already. Sure, it may be a difficult subject to grasp, especially if you weren't from around these parts, but it honestly didn't take that much imagination. Or... so Toni desperately hoped. It was easy to overestimate some human's minds.... A scowl had appeared on the mouse Pok?mon's normally grinning face with the insult, but as soon as that apology was sputtered out, her features once again softened. Ahh... you couldn't blame 'em too much - especially if they could recognize when they were wrong. Besides, it could be quite a bit to grasp, especially on their first day. Toni was just crabby, yeah, that's all. It was early morning, after all. She couldn't be cheery and soft all the time, right? That's the only reason why she ever thought poorly of the girl. It was the only possible solution - one the Raichu was reluctant to test.

With the girl's decision, however, Toni couldn't help put plaster a big, easy grin on her chubby face. Not many trainers went for that route - no they either wanted something predictable, or something completely random. Hardly ever the middle ground. And how much fun it would be! Seeing her potential partners pop out one by one, some turned down and a last one taken up eagerly. Her little whip-like tail lashed to and fro with excitement, tiny little sparks spurting from her cheek sacs.

"Oh, it's okay, darling~ To your credit, everyone's a little bit slow on the up and up in the mornings, right? Anyway, fine choice you've made. Now, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I can show you to the computer. It'll jumble up lotsa matches, and you'll get one random Pok?mon. If you're not pleased, just put it back and we can try again. Let's go then~" Without waiting for confirmation, the electric mouse Pok?mon scampered off to the main room. One of steel and machinery her little brain just couldn't cope with. Thankfully the randomizer computer was straight-foward, and only involved a push of a button.

The pair soon came to the machine, in which the Raichu panted softly, due to the tiny work-out that early in the morning. Good Arceus - she was just not made out for this sort of thing.
"M'kay, doll, just press this button and take out the Pok?ball you please from the drum. Then throw the Pok?ball and see if what you're viewing is what you'd like to get!

[/color]"[/blockquote]

[[Psst, inside the Pok?ball is the Pok?mon Corsola!]]

[`jαzz]

"Thanks for being so understanding Toni, I appreciate it.." Ivy dipped her head in apology, unable to hid the embarrassed blush that was flooding her cheeks. She should have been more considerate, and not made any comments in the first place. Still, it would do no good to dwell on the subject. The Raichu seemed to be okay with the whole ordeal; no harm done, right?

"Oh, okay!" the girl followed quickly behind her host, into a completely different room. There was machinery everywhere! Ivy was careful not to touch or trip over something as she maneuvered through the equipment, stopping a few feet from the large machine the Pok?mon was standing in front of. Ivy waited patiently as hundreds of different Poké Balls were jumbled up in the large drum before her. Biting her lip anxiously, she wondered which Pok?mon she would receive.

Finally, the mechanical whirring stopped, allowing Ivy to finally reach in and grab a sphere. She did as she was instructed, and reached in, retrieving the first ball her fingers brushed across. "Alright..here it goes.." she murmured. Ivy couldn't help but cross her fingers. A brilliant flash erupted from the capsule she'd thrown, momentarily blinding the young woman. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on the creature before her. "..Oh. What..? What kind of Pok?mon is that...?" Ivy mumbled to herself, unable to hide her slightly disappointed tone. It wasn't a grass-type, that was for sure. Her intuition told her that this pink, coral-like thing was a water-type. This choice wasn't helping to further her goal as a master grass-type trainer. But then again, this whole thing was completely random. She couldn't be greedy...

"I..did you say I could pick again? That would be nice.. Oh! But if not, that's perfectly fine~! I completely understand!!

[/b]" Ivy added that last bit quickly, not wanting to upset her gracious host. In her haste, her over correction was obvious, and Ivy hoped that Toni wouldn't take that the wrong way.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[Shoe ♥]!]

Toni watched mutely while Ivy took up the recently spat out Pok?ball, grasping it a little before throwing it. At this the Raichu's heart began to soar, for the first few bonding moments between a trainer and their starter were important. It would spell out what kind of relationship the pair would have - stressed or relaxed, benevolent or harmful - whatever the case may be, the attender didn't exactly feel comfortable making any sort of noise. This was their time, and no one liked rude, disrespectful interruptions.

Though... as soon as the ray of red settled and Toni got a good glance at the Pok?mon's species, she could tell something was up. For some reason, her current newbie didn't exactly seem the type that would appreciate the Corsala's efforts well enough. No fault of either party, of course, but they simply didn't seem compatible. Verifying these thoughts, as soon as the young woman got a good look at her prospect partner, she requested a change. Of course Toni would never deny this, and on her own accord she took the Pok?ball gently, returned the pink Pok?mon, and beamed.

"Oh, I understand quite well, deary~ Just... umm, press the button and take another. We can keep this up for as long as you please.

[/color] With this the Raichu gestured toward the machine, and waited patiently for the trainer to do it for herself.[/blockquote]

[[psst! Inside that Pok?ball is the Pok?mon Bellsprout!]]

[`jαzz]

Ivy grinned, obviously grateful that she's was being allowed a second chance at this. She would have understood if there were no redos; there was no way she could be a successful trainer if she shunned every non-grass type Pok?mon that looked her way. But in the case of the Corsola, she just wasn't feeling a spark. Neither of them were compatible with each other; she could see it in the pink creature's eyes.

"Thank you so much Toni~ And, that's really not necessary; this time will be the final go-around.." Ivy moved back to the machine, pressing the button that the Raichu had touched moments ago. She didn't want to repeat this process over, it was bad enough she had requested to go again. After a while she would begin to feel..well, greedy.

The equipment whirred to life once more, the giant drum jumbling the collection of Poké Balls. Finally the rotations stopped and her hand closed around another small sphere. Biting her lip, as was her habit when she was nervous, the young woman chucked the Poké Ball towards the center of the room. Once the initial flash disappeared, Ivy was able to see the second creature that had been encased in the capsule.

"Oh~ How adorable...!" Ivy exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She approached the Bellsprout, a gentle smile illuminating her facial features. Kneeling down, she held her hand out to the Pok?mon. Hopefully the grass-type would approve of her as much as she did of it. "Toni, I believe I'll stick with this little guy~" she said, shifting so that she could comfortably turn her head to view the electric mouse.

[[Shoe ♥]!]

The new trainer did as she was requested, and soon a new Pokéball popped into her hand. Toni watched, twitching her tail anxiously - the girl had stated that this was going to be her final try. So she really was going to leave it up to chance in the end. Not that the Raichu was complaining, of course, this did add a twinge of excitement to the entire ordeal!

Once the red rays settled, Toni could practically feel the happiness that the woman obviously felt. She liked grass types, then? What a beautiful choice. Bellsprouts in themselves were hardy little Pok?mon, a great choice for a starter. Fast and agile, it would be difficult to beat one of similar level in a battle, save for a brute fire type. A grin found itself on the Raichu's cheerful cheeks, and when the Pokémon was verified to be the choice, she could have jump with glee. What could she say? Toni was an excitable little lady.

"Oh, goody~ I'm glad you found one you liked! Now, she's all yours, honey, and take good care of the little doll. Before you leave, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about Pokémon care or the road ahead or whatever~

[/color]"[/blockquote]

[e v e n t !

[/i]]
Ivy received her starter - a Bellsprout!


name;; - -
species;; bellsprout
gender;; female
level;; 5
ability;; chlorophyll
attacks;; vine whip, growth[/center]

[`jαzz]

Ivy smiled, thanking the Raichu once more. The Bellsprout seemed to like her well enough, so she scooped the creature up into her arms. "Oh, adorable~" Apparently it would take the young woman to compose herself. But the thoughts of a Victreebel; oh, well it was too much!

Squealing excitedly, she decided to introduce herself to her new companion. I'm Ivy! And..well, it looks like you're going to need a name too. Huh.." Pulling back slightly, she put one finger to her mouth, looking deep in thought. "You need a sweet name, but not something that won't suit you later on..hmm.. After a few moments of deliberation, Ivy announced her decision. "You know, I think I'll call you Bryony. Yeah..I think it suits you." The Bellsprout happily nodded her agreement.

"Well Toni, I appreciate all you've done for me. There's nothing else that I need, so I suppose I'll be on my way!" Waving to the Raichu, Ivy maneuvered her way back to the entrance of the lab. Pushing open the door, she shielded her eyes against the afternoon sun. Finally, she had done it.


ooc; lol. short. xD; yey. off to route one.