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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 13:56:21 GMT
time: day, early afternoon weather: clear characters: Professor Victoria Yew , Jordan Mallory battle mechanics: none Professor Yew "Jordan Mallory?" This time there were two people in the waiting room, so the professor actually did have to ask which was her current appointment. That was a good sign; things were picking up. It wasn't as if the Lab was at any risk of running out of Pokemon to hand out. They had a lot of old Pokeballs waiting for new trainers, and the professor wanted to see those Pokemon get a chance to come out and explore. New trainers -- like this one. "You're here to get your starter, right?"how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 8, 2020 17:22:18 GMT
It was kinda strange, being back in Mistveil. Even stranger that Jordan was so excited about it. Their memories of this city were conflicted, to say the least, and their morning spent seeing the sights had wreaked havoc on their nerves. But somehow, the longer they sat in the Laboratory's waiting room, the calmer they felt. The old stories all spoke of this day as a symbol of new beginnings, the most important step of a trainer's lifetime. The past didn't matter, this was the moment they'd been waiting for!
When their name was finally called, they felt almost paralyzed. Oh, Arceus, it was happening, it was really happening. They hesitated a moment longer, before shooting to their feet in a sudden burst of energy. "Yup, that's me! The world's newest trainer, minus the Pokemon, anyway." They grinned brightly and stuck out their arm to shake the woman's hand. "Super cool to meet you, Professor. Nice place you have here. I like the, um, lobby." Smooth. They should probably stop talking.
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 17:42:53 GMT
Professor Yew The professor shook Jordan's hand, smiling at their enthusiasm. "Thank you. We did have to put it together in a bit of a hurry, so I'm glad it's making a good impression. If you'll follow me, we can get you set up."
Professor Yew led Jordan back through the door she'd come through, down a corridor to a large, plain room furnished only with two chairs and a device set into the wall: six Pokeballs cupped gently in an U-shaped array, with a large screen next to them. "We have six Pokemon for you to choose from today," the professor explained. "Feel free to take a seat, and we'll look through them."
The professor sat down herself, taking the chair closer to the screen. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 8, 2020 18:19:54 GMT
Aww, and the professor was nice, too. They'd been a bit nervous that all these fancy scientists would be judgmental toward those who were just starting out, but maybe that was a little extreme. After all, Pokemon had become a bit of a niche interest these last few years. If they only took people who knew what they were doing, they wouldn't have nearly enough hands to actually rebuild the League.
Their confidence restored, Jordan practically skipped down the hallway after Yew, before pausing at the entrance to the next room. The sight of the Pokeballs arrayed on the wall nearly took their breath away, and they wanted a moment to take it all in. Now wasn't the time for drawing, but they knew they'd want to recreate the scene later.
The professor pulling out a chair to use finally snapped them out of their reverie, and they hurried after her to throw themself into the other chair. They leaned way back in the seat, like they were physically holding themself back from grabbing at the Pokeballs. "Okay, so, I've been trying to study up on common first stage Pokemon, and I think I'll probably be fine, but. I can ask you about any I don't recognize, right?"
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 20:12:27 GMT
Professor Yew "Of course," the professor said. She turned to the screen. "Well, I won't keep you in suspense. Let's see what we've got ..."
As the professor spoke, each Pokemon's image flashed onscreen, and the cup holding the Pokeball in question lit up. "Totodile. Wooloo. Snover. Minior. Woobat. Or Baltoy."
She turned her attention back to Jordan, setting the screen so that it displayed all six Pokemon's images. "Those are your choices: one of these Pokemon will become your new partner. What are you thinking? They're all good, solid choices in my book, nothing I would particularly warn you against. Any of them could take you far."
Sitting back in her chair, the professor added, "Feel free to take your time and think it over. It's an important decision -- you don't have to make your choice right away."how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 8, 2020 20:49:31 GMT
"Oh, wow. Okay. Umm...." Apparently Jordan's last minute cramming hadn't been enough, because they didn't even recognize a few on that list. Minior had to be an obscure one, right? It barely even looked sentient!
Snover was cute, but they distinctly remembered something about its evolutions causing snow storms. That was an instant disqualification, thank you. Woobat was cute, and having a partner that could fly would come in handy...
Still, they were the most drawn to the first two on the list. They leaned forward to tap the wall just beneath Totodile's Pokeball (touching the ball itself just seemed rude). "This one's a traditional water-type starter. Looks... feisty." If they remembered correctly, Feraligators featured heavily in old images of League battles. A good traditional choice would probably serve them well if they wanted to become an elite battler.
But they'd seen Wooloo before too, antique photos showed entire herds of them wandering old-time Summerhill. "Wooloo is grass. Or, uh, maybe normal? They had something to do with farming, I'm pretty sure." Their brow furrowed. "Do you know anything about their personalities? What it takes to raise them?"
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 8, 2020 21:01:52 GMT
Professor Yew The professor nodded. "Yes, I can tell you about the Pokemon we have here -- what I don't personally know I can look up."
She pulled out her tablet, but started talking even before the screen turned on. "You're right that Totodile is a solid, traditional pick. Wooloo is a Normal type, and it's known for its dislike of conflict and habit of rolling away from those who try to confront it. Oh, and it has to be shorn every few months to keep its wool from growing too heavy, but the shorn wool is quite valuable -- it might be a good pick if you're looking to passively earn some money."
After 80 years with no Wooloos, products made with their wool had become very sought-after -- the professor didn't doubt that Jordan could find a buyer at a rather impressive price if they wanted to raise their Wooloo for wool. Though she also didn't want to encourage someone to choose a Pokemon just to use for money. She clicked through her tablet. "Totodile can be quite bitey, and its jaws are powerful, so it's necessary to handle it with care. I don't know if I would recommend it for a beginner. Snover tend to be curious about people, and they grow berries on their bellies -- like Wooloo, something you could put time into cultivating if you wished to make some money. Its evolved form is quite powerful, as well, though potentially dangerous.
"Minior is an odd Pokemon that we believe comes from the upper atmosphere. Its outer surface actually breaks open when it takes enough hits, raising its attack but lowering its defense. And they can't safely stay in that form for too long.
"Woobats typically have friendly temperaments, and both they and their evolved forms were once thought to bring good luck. Their evolution can be fairly strong, but not too difficult to handle.
"Baltoy ... they're not exactly known for their personality. 'Enigmatic' would be the word. But, again, powerful when evolved."how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 8, 2020 21:34:03 GMT
Jordan nodded along with the explanations, then stood up from their chair to pace, muttering quietly to themself. "Hmm, maybe something that runs away from conflict isn't the best pick for a battling Pokemon..." Although there was no reason they absolutely had to battle, they supposed. What was more important, a skilled battler or a steadfast life partner? Maybe instead of studying different Pokemon, they should have spent more time thinking about what they wanted to do with said Pokemon.
"But I'm new at this, and so is everyone else. If I taught Totodile wrong and it hurt someone I don't think I'd ever forgive myself. Not that it would be Totodile's fault, of course! It just deserves a better trainer than me, probably, and-" Wait, maybe don't say that part out loud. Deep breaths. "Well, anyway, I can always get more Pokemon in the future if I want to take battling more seriously." A steady income sounded good too, they weren't going to lie. Money wasn't everything, but it would guarantee that they always had enough to keep their Pokemon in food and medicine. And that had to be their number one priority.
Oh, Arceus, they were going to make the responsible choice, weren't they?
They took one more deep breath, then reached out to take the second Pokeball. They held it up to their face and gave it a smile, though it came out kind of lopsided. "Maybe we can figure this out together, huh? I'm gonna do my best, I promise." They nodded, and turned back to Professor Yew with a brighter grin. "I choose Wooloo!"
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 9, 2020 1:08:00 GMT
Professor Yew The professor nodded as Jordan spoke. "Yes, if you're not confident in your ability to handle Totodile, it might be best to leave it for someone else. But I wouldn't say it's a matter of Totodile needing a 'better' trainer -- just someone more prepared to handle it, perhaps."Personally, she thought the fact that Jordan recognized that they weren't ready to handle Totodile indicated a maturity that would make them a good trainer. Professor Yew smiled as Jordan took the Pokeball. "A good choice! Why don't you bring Wooloo out so she can meet you, and we can meet her?"how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced? Here's the statblock for your starter! Please copy and paste it into a new post on your tracker thread. Wooloo // Level 1 // female Max HP | Attack | Defense | Speed | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Ability: Fluffy - Wooloo takes half damage from contact moves, but 2x damage from Fire moves (Fire moves that make contact do regular damage) Held item: none Moves: Growl, Tackle [img style="max-width:100%;max-height:200px;" src="https://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/wooloo.jpg" alt="Wooloo"]
[a href="https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/wooloo"]Wooloo[/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;"]8[/td][td style="padding:3px;"]10[/td][td style="padding:3px;"]10[/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][b] Ability:[/b] Fluffy - Wooloo takes half damage from contact moves, but 2x damage from Fire moves (Fire moves that make contact do regular damage) [b]Held item:[/b] none [b]Moves:[/b] Growl, Tackle
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 9, 2020 4:47:36 GMT
Jordan's eyes went wide. "What, right now?" Wait, nevermind, that was a stupid question. Of course they should meet their new Pokemon before they walked out the door with it- uh, her. "Right. I'll, uh, do that, then." They were about to meet their first Pokemon. Heck, this would be their first good look at any Pokemon at all! Well, no use overthinking things. They pressed the button.
The pop and flash of light was enough to make them jump, but it was just the small, fluffy Wooloo, who blinked up at them curiously. "Waaah?"
They giggled a little, embarrassed they'd been startled by something so wholesome, then kneeled down to offer the Pokemon a hand. "Hi there, I'm Jordan. We're gonna be partners from now on? It's so good to meet you, I hope- oh sweet Arceus you're so soft." Whatever train of thought they might have had was completely derailed as Wooloo leaned forward to press her nose into their hand. They very, very gently patted it on the head, then whipped their head around to grin at the professor. "That means she likes me, right? I hope she likes me. Oh, she's perfect."
They sat down next to the Pokemon and began trying to wrestle their phone out of their pockets. It was awkward with one hand, but they weren't about to stop petting Wooloo, not even for a moment. "Okay, we definitely have to take a picture for the occasion. Just let me get, uh, gimme a second..."
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 9, 2020 15:08:39 GMT
Professor Yew "She definitely likes you," the professor said, grinning a little. This was adorable. First meetings between trainers and their Pokemon tended to be wholesome, of course, but, well, this was a Wooloo. She pulled out her phone. "Would you like me to take a picture and send it to you?"The idea of photographing the occasion had never occurred to her before, or to any of the trainers she'd helped so far -- she was a little surprised by that, honestly. Now that Jordan had suggested it, it seemed like the obvious course of action, to have a record of the beginning of one's journey. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Jordan Mallory
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Character
Posts: 11
Gender: Other / Decline to State
Linked accounts: @zero
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Post by Jordan Mallory on Jun 9, 2020 20:36:57 GMT
They perked up at the offer. "Oh, would you? That would be great, thanks!" They gave up on finding their phone for right now and sat down cross-legged next to Wooloo, who shuffled sideways a bit as if unsure about all the movement. Luckily she didn't seem to be too frightened, and settled down again once the head pats resumed. Jordan knew they probably looked a little silly, awkwardly patting the most harmless Pokemon on the planet and grinning like a child, but that was kind of the point of today, wasn't it?
"It'll be nice to have your number in case Wooloo and I have any questions- oh, she needs a name! Hey Wooloo, how do you feel about.... Snowball? Or, I know, Daisy!"
"Mehhh", said Wooloo, looking unimpressed.
"You're right, those are dumb. We'll workshop it." They laughed self-consciously, then shook themself and turned back to the professor. "Anyway, speaking of keeping in touch, is there anything we can do to help out? With the whole League thing? I know I'm not a fancy scientist or whatever, but if there's anything I can do just say the word."
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 10, 2020 1:26:22 GMT
Professor Yew The professor started snapping pictures of Jordan and Wooloo. She wasn't a terrible photographer, either. As she bent down to get a better angle, she said, "Yes, I was going to give you my number anyway. Feel free to contact me if you need anything."She smiled at the name attempts, but she couldn't exactly offer any advice: she was so bad at naming that she'd decided to just leave her Pokemon unnamed. That was valid, right? Plenty of people did that? Absol certainly didn't seem to mind. By the time Jordan asked about the League, the professor was done taking pictures. Straightening, she said, "For the moment, I'd just ask you to train, explore, maybe catch some more Pokemon. For the League, we're looking for strong trainers who might lead new gyms, and that's certainly something we can talk about as you gain experience if you're interested. In general, the Lab is also prioritizing exploration, though -- we want to know which Pokemon are reappearing and where they're showing up. It'll be interesting to see whether the Pokemon distribution is any different from it was 90 years ago."how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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