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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 7, 2020 17:03:53 GMT
time: day (early afternoon) weather: clear characters: Professor Victoria Yew, Arris Yulebattle mechanics: none
Professor Yew "Arris Yule?" Once again, the professor didn't really need to identify her next appointment; he was the only person in the waiting room she'd just walked into. Things were picking up a little, a few more trainers trickling in, but not so much that anyone had to wait long for an appointment -- not long enough that the professor couldn't personally greet every new trainer. "You're here to choose a starter Pokemon, correct?"
Professor Yew smiled at Arris. She enjoyed helping trainers pick their Pokemon -- seeing new trainers start on their journey and begin to bond with their partners. It was nice. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 7, 2020 17:37:22 GMT
Hopelessly lost in thought, eyes glazed over, Arris was lounging back in one of the waiting room chairs. His arms were loosely crossed in front of his chest, one leg crossed over the other, ankle making small circle gestures in the air. Were his eyes not mostly open, he looked as if he could've been asleep - or close to it, at least. His mind, however, was racing at the speed of a wild Rapidash. And to think! They existed now! What kind of pokemon would he have? Would his partner like him? Would they get along? Would his grandmother be proud of him? He barely heard the professor's voice as she came into the waiting room.
Arris startled to his feet once he heard his name, spine as stiff as an arrow before relaxing a moment later. "Ah, yes! That's me. Good afternoon - yes! I'm ah - I called a bit back. Starter pokemon, that's me." He chuckled good-naturedly and rubbed the back of his neck. Nerves jittered up his spine, but he shook them off with a wide grin in return at the professor. "Sorry! Just a bit excited. Professor Yew, right? It's a pleasure to meet you."
He bowed slightly in respect and greeting - a bit of an old-fashioned gesture, coming from a young man like himself, but there it was nonetheless. 'Okay, Arris. Okay,' he thought to himself. 'It's time. Oh, Arceus. It's time - all these years, and you're finally - you're really gonna.... oh I wonder who it's gonna be!'
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 7, 2020 21:14:17 GMT
Professor Yew The professor smiled back at Arris, though inwardly a bit bemused by his manner. Her first thought was Oh, he's a character, but she hid it. She wasn't here to make judgments about potential trainers -- unless, of course, she believed they couldn't take care of a Pokemon. But she got no whiff of that from Arris. "It's good to meet you too. If you would follow me, we have some Pokemon selected for you to choose from."
She led Arris back from the waiting room into one of the selection rooms: a large, white room furnished only with two chairs next to a device set into the wall. Beside a display screen, this device carefully cupped six Pokeballs. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 7, 2020 21:23:50 GMT
Arris nodded curtly, flexing his fingers as he took a long quiet breath and followed Professor Yew into the selection room. He looked around for a moment, taking in the simplicity of the furnishings. 'I suppose it makes sense,' he thought, 'Afterall, it's not as if people are just going to while away in here for hours choosing, or working...'
Anxiety crept back up his spine as he approached the device, stopping a short distance away. It was enough to show in a bit of trepidation on his face, in the form of a bitten lip and drawn tight brows. There they were... right in front of him. Six choices, six possibly amazing, wonderful, living and breathing real pokemon partners. And one... one would be his. It was a little hard to believe. He glanced to the side at the professor, and schooled his face back into a smile of casual friendliness. He then turned his eyes to the display screen. "It's almost a little hard to believe this is really happening," he conceded. "And yet... gosh. I feel nearly overwhelmed with excitement! Any of the six?"
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 7, 2020 22:02:45 GMT
Professor Yew "Any of the six," the professor confirmed. "I know this can be overwhelming. Take your time with the choice. It's an important one."
The professor sat down, adding, "Feel free to take a seat, and we'll go through your options. I definitely don't want to leave you in suspense any longer."
She tapped the device's screen, and it came to life, a light flickering on under the first of the six Pokeballs. That light moved from ball to ball as the professor clicked through them, each Pokeball's inhabitant showing up onscreen. "Fennekin. Bounsweet. Stantler. Cherubi. Whismur. And Castform." The professor sat back. "Please let me know if you have questions about any of these Pokemon, or if you want advice."
She pressed a button on the screen and all six Pokeballs lit up a little more dimly while the screen displayed the six Pokemon's pictures side by side. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced? | | | | | | Fennekin | Bounsweet | Stantler | Cherubi | Whismur | Castform | male | female | male | male | female | male |
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 7, 2020 22:32:59 GMT
Fennekin. Bounsweet. Stantler. Cherubi. Whismur. Castform... all such wonderful, wonderful pokemon in their own right. Arris laughed quietly. "Yeah, you're right there." He gazed for a long few moments at the display screen, scrutinizing the images of the creatures who resided in the six balls in front of him, as if the pictures alone held all the answers. His heart pounded in his chest, full of anticipation.
"...Sitting down might be a good idea," he grinned. Carefully, he edged himself into the other uninhabited chair, knee bouncing with pent up energy. "They're all so wonderful! Oh, jeez..." He furrowed his brows and looked at his hands. "Fennekin would be an amazing choice - a traditional starter, from a traditional old town? Hah, how neat would that be?" He looked up at the device holding the pokeballs again. "But that being said... there's so much possibility here. Why limit one's self to tradition, y'know? And normal types are so unusually strong - they're like, the Dark Ponyta of types--" he coughed, looking abashed for his rambling.
"Uh. According to my grandmother, anyway. She used to be a trainer, way back when. And uh... you'd know better than me. Which one... which one do you think has the most potential? The most passion?" Which one will be willing to go all the way with me?
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 7, 2020 23:23:20 GMT
Professor Yew The professor smiled at Arris' enthusiasm, noting how he cut himself off. Should she tell him he didn't have to worry about rambling on about Pokemon here -- that pretty much everyone at the lab was a big Pokemon nerd too, in one way or another? No, better not to call attention to it. "Let me see ..." She flipped through her tablet as she spoke, checking stats and information on each Pokemon. "You're right that Fennekin would be a solid, traditional pick. Personally, I wouldn't recommend Castform; it's a fascinating Pokemon, but it's not a great choice for battles -- choosing it would make it harder for you to catch other Pokemon."
The professor paused. She'd been about to go into an analysis of each Pokemon's stats, but ... "It really depends on where you intend to go as a trainer. If you want to win battles, you'll be looking for different qualities in a starter than someone who wants to do field research, or whose goal is to explore."
She was thinking of her own Absol. Choosing a Pokemon without an evolution limited her growth, perhaps, but Absol's disaster-predicting abilities could come in very handy for a public servant like the professor. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 7, 2020 23:41:52 GMT
Arris watched as Professor Yew flipped through her tablet, eyes intent and shoulders pushed forward. It was maybe the closest he'd listened to someone telling him something since he was a kid on the floor in front of his grandmother, listening to her stories of old. "Hmm..." he pursed his lips at the Professor's mention of Castform. "That's probably Castform eliminated, then... I definitely want to expand a whole team."
He furrowed his brow at the mention of where he intended to go. In all honesty, so caught up in his daydreams and hopes - daydreams where Pokemon didn't actually exist - that he hadn't ever actually put to the test what he would actually do. "....I... huh. I always wanted to be a strong trainer as a little boy. But as I got older, seeing new places, having new experiences... that's what became my driving motive. Having fun! Seeing the sights!" His smile grew lopsided, gaze a little faraway as he talked. "There's a part of me that still wants to climb to the top of that ladder - but I've never really been away from the South Coast. There's so much out there - so many people to meet, rocks to overturn - pokemon to make friends with and capture and see! So I guess... exploration?"
Arris' gaze turned back towards the display again, and he cocked his head to the side, hair brushing his shoulder in deep contemplation. It was true - there were many, many places out there he'd never seen. Heard of - helped work with, even - but never really... been. But to go all the places out there, to find all that fame and glory by who he met... well, he'd need someone strong then, wouldn't he? Someone who could stand up to a challenge and refuse to back down.
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 1:28:45 GMT
Professor Yew The professor nodded. She could certainly relate to wanting to explore, wanting to get out there and experience what the region had to offer -- especially now that it was crawling with wild Pokemon. She thought for a moment. "Well, for raw power, Fennekin is going to be your top choice. He'll get you through battles, whether they're with other trainers or wild Pokemon. Though you might need to stay away from the ocean -- it'll be a while before he's equipped to take on Water types. And Fennekin are known for being a bit temperamental, personality-wise.
"Hm, Bounsweet is a bit on the weaker side, though they're supposed to be very easy to handle -- not exactly the choice with 'passion,' though. Cherubi's also easy to handle, and a bit sturdier, but again, rather laid back. You can consider that a plus or a minus.
"Whismur can get pretty strong, but they're often timid at first, and you'd need a very good set of earplugs."
She tapped a finger against the side of her tablet. "Stantler will get you off to a good start -- it's strong for a Pokemon of its level -- but it doesn't evolve, so it won't grow as much down the line as a Pokemon who's still got an evolution left."
Finally, she shrugged. "Each Pokemon has its own advantages or disadvantages. I would say that Fennekin or Stantler would be my top picks, but I could see good arguments for others, too."how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 8, 2020 2:18:20 GMT
Arris hummed as he listened to the Professor's explanations. Raw power was good - but so much of Arris' life had been spent by water... could he really forsake that for an extended time? Of course, it went without saying he would. A partner's life was worth more than the places he felt most comfortable. And he did plan on traveling and exploring.
The grass types then... well. Yeah. They weren't exactly powerhouses, that was for sure. And Whismur... there was certainly quite a lot of promise there, especially if they could get really strong. 'As strong as Fennekin though? Hmm... well, Stantler was very promising - large, ride-able, a powerhouse? Oh man.' "...Alright," he said after a while of silence.
Arris nodded decisively and stood up. "I think... I think I know."
He walked over to the display, wringing his hands together, eyes intent on the pokeballs. Arris had to make a choice now. Definitely. Listening to Professor Yew had already narrowed it down quite a bit, eliminated most of the choices. Now, it was just down to the wire. "I choose..." His hand reached out towards the pokeballs, shaky, as if a bit indecisive.
'Stantler is strong and solid. It might not grow, but that's it's own strengths and weaknesses...' he thought. 'But what I really want is to bring pride and glory back home to Hickory Town. And the best pokemon for that is...' His hand reached down towards Fennekin's pokeball. Shaky fingers stretched out, ready to touch it, to claim the fire fox as his... and then something caught his attention. He paused, his fingertips just a breath's width away from Fennekin's ball.
It was his grandmother's glove on his hand. The mint green of the old leather and fabric glinted up at him under the dim light of the pokeball display. Memories of a sweet old lady came to his mind, as impossibly gentle as she was strict, and hours upon hours spent in the sun among her flowers. Nearly a century of history, and love and adventure. That was what made the champions of Hickory, wasn't it? It wasn't raw brute strength. His grandma didn't love her pokemon because they were the best of the best.
Arris laughed, suddenly. It was a loud, unexpected bark of laughter - a short, low note ringing out in the silence of the room. "You know, Professor?" he smiled to himself. "I think I knew who it had to be all along, deep down." Arris picked up a pokeball. He held it up to his face, and his eyes softened. "Hey there," he said, his voice impossibly soft. "It's you and me, lil' one. We're gonna go the distance. I choose you."
When he turned around, pokeball held up for the professor to see, it was with the widest, shining grin, and tears of joy and excitement drawing in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't be any happier. He knew, without a doubt, this was his partner - his best friend, companion for life, and most loyal starter. And within the pokeball? Well.
It was the little Bounsweet - second from the left, held aloft in her pokeball with all the pride and joy in the world.
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 3:24:00 GMT
Professor Yew The professor had to confess to being a little surprised when Arris chose Bounsweet, though she did her best to hide it. She'd really expected him to pick Fennekin -- the high-power pick for an ambitious trainer and the tough Pokemon that would do best on the road. But Bounsweet ... Well, it certainly wasn't her place to judge trainers' picks. She smiled at Arris. Besides, what was really important was that he cared about the Pokemon -- she'd rather see Arris pick Bounsweet because he wanted it than choose Fennekin for its power. "I think you and Bounsweet will do nicely. You can let her out here if you'd like to get acquainted."The professor didn't even reach for the Pokeball on her hip, as she usually did when calling out a new Pokemon. Bounsweet weren't exactly aggressive or threatening. Absol's protection would not be needed today. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced? Here's the statblock for your Bounsweet: Bounsweet // Level 1 // female Max HP | Attack | Defense | Speed | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Ability: Leaf Guard - Bounsweet will not succumb to major status ailments (sleep, burn, paralysis, freezing, poison) during sunny weather. Held item: none Moves: Splash Please copy and paste this statblock into a new post on your tracker! [img style="max-width:100%;max-height:200px;" src="https://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/bounsweet.jpg" alt="Bounsweet"]
[a href="https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/bounsweet"]Bounsweet[/a] // Level 1 // female
[table][tbody][tr][td style="padding:3px;"][b]Max HP[/b][/td][td style="padding:3px;"][b]Attack[/b][/td][td style="padding:3px;"][b]Defense[/b][/td][td style="padding:3px;"][b]Speed[/b][/td][/tr][tr][td style="padding:3px;"]8[/td][td style="padding:3px;"]6[/td][td style="padding:3px;"]8[/td][td style="padding:3px;"]7[/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][b] Ability:[/b] Leaf Guard - Bounsweet will not succumb to major status ailments (sleep, burn, paralysis, freezing, poison) during sunny weather. [b]Held item:[/b] none [b]Moves:[/b] Splash
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 8, 2020 4:21:43 GMT
Arris grinned at the professor and nodded eagerly. "I do too. I'm really excited to meet her!" 'And I hope she's excited to meet me too...' Before even thinking of releasing the Bounsweet, he plopped down on the ground, right there in the middle of the floor, sitting cross-legged and getting comfortable. He reached into his bag that was slung over his shoulder, and pulled out a little baggy of sliced up berries - in this case, Pecha berries.
Taking one of the slices into his hand, Arris zipped up the bag and put it away, before taking a deep breath. "Alright. Come on out, Bounsweet!" he said, and turned the pokeball to release it in front of him. It opened with a bright pop and flash, and soon enough, a little chubby round Bounsweet was sitting on the floor. She opened her eyes, blinked, and then shook herself out with a loud, cheery, "Boun!!!"
Arris' face erupted into a grin. "Oh Arceus I love you. Heya, cutie-pie! It's nice to meet you." He carefully held out his hand closed around the pecha slice to the Bounsweet. She sniffed his hand curiously, a bit timid - until he opened his fist to reveal the berry within. One sniff of the berry had her squealing in joy, taking the slice into her mouth and bouncing around Arris and Professor Yew as she ate it. "Swee-sweet!" she paused to chirrup at Professor Yew for a moment, before twirling and bounding straight into Arris' chest.
He caught the little pokemon with an 'oof!' and a laugh, pulling her in tight to hold. All the anxiety melted out of him as if it had never been there. Immediately, Arris felt nothing but unadulterated love and joy for the little grass-type cooing in his arms. Then, he turned to beam up at the Professor, eyes wide and bright as a little kid half his age. "Oh, isn't she just the sweetest little thing! What a belle."
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 14:05:55 GMT
Professor Yew The professor smiled broadly, delighted to see Arris and his Pokemon immediately take to each other so strongly. Yes, they'd make a great pair. She was impressed that Arris had thought ahead to bring berries -- and that he'd committed the resources: they weren't exactly easy to find. "Sweet indeed," she said, not to Arris but to the Bounsweet herself, as the Pokemon chirped at her. Then, when Arris spoke: "She most certainly is. It looks like you two will get along great."The professor hesitated, trying to think whether there was anything else she needed to tell Arris. She had a feeling she was forgetting something ... but it must not be that important. Instead she said, "Well, it looks like you don't need my help to get to know each other. Is there anything else I can do for you?"As she spoke, she pressed a button on the machine's screen, and the other five Pokeballs vanished into tubes, returned to the Lab's reserves. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 8, 2020 16:15:15 GMT
Arris chuckled as the little pokemon wiggled around in his arms, and he carefully stood up again so he didn't drop her. "Hang on there, you cutie," he hummed. He then set her back on the ground, where she took to twirling and hopping around the feet of trainer and professor.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll take a bit more for us to bond... she just seems like a happy thing. I, uh-" he laughed, a bit awkwardly. "Well, to be honest with you, I'm not all that sure how to best take care of grass types. Does she need special food? She liked the berry but that's... definitely not gonna last forever, or for a while..." He pursed his lips slightly. He liked the artificial berry flavoring in his tea, but it wasn't real by any means - and these pechas had been... expensive. Worth it - but expensive. Until crops started coming back in (if they did), it wasn't something he was going to be able to get often... but he wanted to take care of his starter the best he could. "I'm not sure how well she's gonna fare with the same kind of things we eat. Or other future pokemon, for that matter."
He tapped his fingers against his thigh thoughtfully, head tilted as he lost himself in his mind for a moment. What else did he need to ask... "Oh! Uh, I know. For new trainers - is there anything we need to know from you, the professor, as a whole? The stories I have from my grandmother are nice, but they're also eighty year old stories. Without a lot of our technology... and the loss of a culture as a whole from so long ago..."
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 17:50:04 GMT
Professor Yew "Good questions," the professor said. "First, feeding your Bounsweet. The good news is that while they can eat human food -- and, as she's demonstrated, enjoy it -- Grass types actually generally photosynthesize: they feed on sunlight. Make sure she gets plenty of sun and water, and give her access to rich soil when she wants it, so that she can absorb the nutrients she needs."
Arris' next question required a little more thought. The professor tapped a finger against her tablet. "Well, let me give you my number, of course, and show you how to access the Lab's notice board -- we'll be posting bulletins for trainers. You can also get Pokeballs and other supplies here at the Lab; some of it is free to trainers, while others you'll have to pay for. As for culture, we're looking at rebuilding the old Pokemon League system, but that's a pretty distant dream right now -- we need enough trainers to actually support such a system.
"My suggestion for right now would be that you focus on exploring, maybe catch a few more Pokemon, and train your Pokemon up a bit. Get used to being a trainer -- it can be a bit of an adjustment. And keep an eye out for opportunities to connect with other trainers."how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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