R for Renegade

[MorriganFearn]

Rose Marshal flipped one of the thin metal pieces dangling from her hair pin. She liked the tickling sound that playing with them provided, and it coincided with the bing of the opening elevator door. She exited, and walked onto the lab floor, looking around excitedly, seeing the neat rows of, well, everything she could have wished for.

"Hello," she waved at the two Seviper, seeing them sort through pokeballs, but seeing no human in sight. "I'm Rose Marshal. The professor told me to come at ten thirty. I called ahead," she added, in case she had somehow mis-understood the instructions.

[Nyaa-Neko]

Fuyu nodded. "<That'sss fine, Miss Marshal,>" he told Rose. "<You're a little early even ssstill, ssso the professsor isss in the back room.>"

The other seviper, Fuuko, slithered over to the door, and checked inside. "<Professsor! Misss Marshal isss here.>"

Once Fuuko regained her spot by her computer, a tall man with clipped white hair and a neat appearance strode out. He nodded towards Rose, checking his clipboard. "Ah yes, Miss Marshal. Now, you've received all your necessary information, so let's get straight to the starter you'd like. Fuyu, did we solve the mystery of the missing corphish?"

The male seviper nodded. "<Yesss, we found them in the trash. Apparently, your rather prankssster-like ten o'clock hid them there when we didn't have any dragonsss to offer him.>"

Fuuko hissed primly. "<Luckily, the psssychic Pokemon I gave him through hisss type quiz was ssstill in contact with me, ssso I told him to act in a unruly manner for a little while. I'm sssorry I had to exact revenge, but that little boy made my morning sssuch a messs.>"

The professor coughed politely, only slightly disagreeing with Fuuko on her decision. "We have the corphish, though, so we can get on with the appointment. Now then, Miss Marshal, I'm sure you know which starters we always offer. Now that we've located our stock of corphish, you may have one of them, or a slugma, bellsprout, magnemite, or rattata. We also temporarily offer sandshrew, diglett, volbeat, koffing, whismur, chimchar, treecko, and squirtle."

He flipped a page on his clipboard, scanning it quickly. "We have a variety of gender and personality combinations, so we can usually find something to fit your needs. Also, you may choose to pick a number or take the type quiz to add up to two other choices to the possible set of starters. What will you pick, Miss Marshal?"

((TYPE QUIZ! And yes, you may take it, as long as you didn't memorize the answers, or go cheat and check said answers in the staff chat.

Question 1: In a battle, would you rather attack:
- A) from far away?
- B) up close?
Question 2: Would you rather take part in:
- C) a challenge of wits?
- D) a challenge of strength?
Question 3: Would you rather be awake during:
- E) the day?
- F) the night?
Question 4: Do you generally prefer:
- G) hot colors? (red, orange, yellow)
- H) cold colors? (green, blue, purple)))

[MorriganFearn]

"Someone tried to hide starters on you?" Rosemary asked, sounding aghast. "That's a cheap trick. What if someone had come who wanted the corphish--," like me, corphish are elemental type pokemon, with powerful attacks, perfect for me, she wanted to sock whoever had played the trick, "had come before you found them? That's -- ooooh!" Rosemary fumed, before realizing that the professor was offering her some extra choices.

The best way to start would be to have as many choices as possible, Rosemary thought to herself. I'm leaning toward the corphish -- but bellsprout, victreebell is a kick-butt pokemon, and exploud is an amazing pokemon -- but I don't want to have to deal with a timid pokemon for goodness knows how many levels. And crawdaunt is cool, but there are also a lot of other cool water types that I might be able to capture. On the other hand, I really want to use a fire type -- but, blegh. Slugma's way too slow -- why don't they offer magby? Or elekid -- and electabuzz would be awesome. I wonder how you evolve it into electrive -- or is it electirve? But the pure power of an elemental type is definitely the way to go. So if I don't get something impossibly good with either one of the elemental quizzes I'm going for the corphish. Yeah.

"Um, just let me fill out the quiz. I think I know what I want, among your starters but the more the merrier, right?" Rosemary grinned. "And as for the number, um, lucky number seven!"

She swiped the questionaire, and sat down on the bench nearest Fuuko. From the sounds of it Rose wanted to stay on that seviper's good side. She was vindictive.

Hmm, in a battle I want to attack hard and heavy. My P.E. teacher always said that I'd do best battling using pokemon with good physical stats, and physical elemental moves like thunderbite. So, up close, she checked off the "B" option on question one, and looked at question two.

This question was answered with barely any thought: Challenge of strength, definitely. "Battles of wits" are for wishy-washy people interesting in books and chess and stuff.

With "D" checked off, "E" soon following, because Rose didn't figure herself for much of a night owl. The final question could be answered by her currently magenta t-shirt, and neon orange loose pants. She checked off "G," and then handed the page to the professor. "There you are, sir.

((Quiz answers, short form: B - D - E - G))

[Nyaa-Neko]

Fuyu hissed angrily, going off to another room to do something useful for once. Meanwhile, Fuuko pressed a few buttons, and received the result from the type quiz. "<You have chosen a ground type, Missssss Marshal, and the ressssulting Pokemon isssss a barboach. What issss your final decision?>"

((Horrible post, but a post nonetheless. ))

[MorriganFearn]

"Oh," Rose thought for a moment. She really wanted a strong hitting Elemental pokemon. Barboach were, well, strong wriggling semi-elemental pokemon. Oh well, she had seen a sign in the lobby advertising a breeding center. Perhaps if she got -- her eyes wandered over the list of generated starters, and she saw a shinx. Shinx were supposed to be strong, right? -- so, yeah, if she got a shinx, and then trotted over to the breeding center for a magby, then she'd have a powerful electric type, and a powerful fire type, and then she could train somewhere, right? Yeah. That sounded good.

"Well, sirs, ma'am," she nodded at the snakes, before looking at the professor, "I think I'll have a shinx, if you don't mind."

[Nyaa-Neko]

"Of course," the professor replied with a nod. "We have plenty of shinx. Do you have any preferred gender or personality? If you tell me what you want, I can usually find it. If you don't, I have to leave it up to chance, and there is a greater probability of receiving a starter you aren't compatible with. And that is one of the worst things to have when you are starting out - you generally want your starter to be someone you can get along with. Caught Pokemon are different, of course," he explained with a wave of his hand. "So, what'll it be? Chance or preference?"

[MorriganFearn]

"Well, I don't really have a gender preference, and I can get along with just about anyone. As long as the shinx isn't crazily paranoid -- well, actually, I'd prefer to deal with someone who is as enthusiastic about training as I am," Rose said, remembering that ocassionally people found pokemon who didn't want to battle. How horrible. That was what pokemon were for.

[Nyaa-Neko]

The professor nodded, and muttered with the remaining seviper. The seviper disappeared for a moment, coming back with a crisply folded paper bag. The bag was handed to the professor, then to Rose. "In here," the professor state, "you will find the Pokeball containing your shinx, a Pokedex, a wallet with 5000 pyen, 3 potions, and 5 empty Pokeballs. The Pokedex is already updated with your identification profile, so no need to worry about that. Other than that, you are done here. Have a nice day, and good luck on your journey."

((Statses for the shinxy:

Squirtle
Gender: female
Level: 5
Nickname: you choose
Ability: Rivalry - attacked increased against females, decreased against males
Attacks: Tackle, Leer
Personality: She enjoys testing her strength against others and getting stronger (almost obsessively), as well as being outdoors (she loves nature, and isn't a huge fan of cities).

Nya. :3 ))

[MorriganFearn]

"Heh!" Rose rubbed her hands over the pokeball in delight. First pokemon obtained, and now to raise you, m'beauty, to level 7, and then to catch more, and raise them, too, and to defeat the gym leader, and raise some more, and here I go! Koriashi building away!"

She then remembered that there were other people in the room, and her smile grew more embarrassed and less manic. "Er, that is, um, I'm just going to put by stuff in my bag, and go train," she said, edging away from the professional looking people and pokemon.

She did stuff her new possessions into her canvas pack, and then trotted over to the elevator, humming merrily. "I've got a pokie, I've got a pokie."

As the doors shut behind her, and the elevator began to descend Rose took out her pokeball, and spun it on her finger. She should probably let her pokemon out, now. Get to know the shinx before she went off into the unknown. Oh, and give the cat a name. That was kind of important.

"All right, then," she tapped the capture button smartly, and white energy jumped from the center of the ball to the floor of the elevator. "Woah! Uh, hi? I'm Rose," the dark skinned girl said.

The blue furred kitten raised her eyebrows, and looked up at Rose. <You're a trainer right? I'm to be trained? To fight!> the cat smiled, showing a mouth full of milky white sharp teeth, before looking suspicious. <You aren't a breeder, are you? Or a contest person?>

"Nope! Grade A trainer right here," Rose said proudly. "I hope to be a gym leader. Anyway, we're going to the battle simulation building now to train."

<What about outside?> the shinx inquired.

"Well, I can't have you attack random people in the streets," Rose pointed out.

<Oh, right, we're still in Ruby City,> the Shinx sighed, as they got out of the elevator.

"Hey, it's cool here," Rose said. "I mean think about it, an entire building just for battling's wonderful."

<There's an entire world outside of this place,> the pokemon pointed out.

"Yeah, but -- gym leader's here, and I don't want to leave without beating one," Rose reasoned.

<Feh.>

"Feh, to you, Deet."

<Deet?> the shinx looked at her trainer in confusion. <You're going to call me Deet?>

"Oh yes, for now, anyway," Rose said off-handedly, as they walked in the door of the battle simulator.

[Ninetales]

A technician looked up from the front desk, he looked to be doing something with papers, and as the girl got closer it looked to be college homework.

"Uh, hello? May I help you?" The young man asked, looking a little nervous, as if this was his first day on the job.

[MorriganFearn]

"Hi, I was just planning to go training for a bit on the second floor," Rose said. "That's where the sentret are, right?"

[Ninetales]

The technician only blinked before scambling, looking for a list... "I know my boss gave the list to me... where is the.... oh, there it is..." He looked up and then at the list. "Sentret? Yes, they are on the second floor, do you know the rules?"

He was still nervous and seemed a little flustered but was doing his best to be professional and was talking in a kind voice showing respect for the customer.

[MorriganFearn]

"I can battle as long as I like, but I can only catch three pokemon here, right?" Rosemary replied, reading the large warning poster that said: "No more than three pokemon!" "I can deal with that. I actually want to ask a question, though, while I'm here. Do you guys heal fainted pokemon here, or do I need to run over to the lab when Deet becomes too injured to battle?"

<We're not going to battle until I drop, though, are we?> Deet growled from uncer the lip of the counter.

[Ninetales]

The Technician looked at her, and around the desk, he then looked behind him. Why won't his boss come back and finish training him? He was halfway through and then left suddenly.

He then saw a machine like in the Pokemon Centers.

"Here I am guessing... since we have a machine here, that way you don't have to move all through the building." he was trying not to show his panicky voice or face at all, trying to act, and succeeding he was thinking at appearing to be a regular, instead of an after school job to help pay for tuition.

[MorriganFearn]

"Great, thanks for the info!" Rose grinned. "You're a great guy."

She turned, and headed toward the elevator. Deet followed behind her, muttering: <You're a great guy. Why are you flirting with the human?>

"I'm not flirting," Rose replied, as the doors clanged shut behind her, and she pressed the button for the second floor. "I'm paying him a compliment."

<Humans are so complicated,> Deet sighed, before grinning as the elevator stopped. <Heh! All right now! Let's get battling!>

The doors opened, and small lion and human stepped onto the second floor.

[Ninetales]

((Okay... here comes my imagination))

The floor looked like someone had taken the fringes of a wood, boxed it all up, and transplanted it into the second floor of the building. There was a dirt path through the area, but there was tall grass. How they were able to maintain just a system, and keep all the plants and floral alive must have been a major undertaking.

The Elevator must have alerted the Sentret to Rose's coming, for at the moment, nothing moved, save the grass, moved maybe from hidden fans? Or the AC units installed to keep it a mild temperature, bearable for Sentret to live in.

[MorriganFearn]

<The great outdoors!> Deet exclaimed with a happy cry, looking amazed. <Inside a building! Wow,> she sniffed the air, and then wrinkled her nose. <They're pumping in recycled air, though. Blegh.>

"Come on," Rosemary grinned, wading into the grass. "We have battles to find."

<Yeah. Great,> Deet bounded after her. <So, what's your name again?>

"Rose, but I prefer Rosemary," the human replied.

<Why?> Deet inquired sceptically, sniffing once again, and prowling to the right.

"I just do."

<Ah, logic, then.>

[Ninetales]

A sentret had overheard the conversation and popped his head up out of the grass. <Rose? I knew humans made strange names, but why would a human be named after a rose? You don't look like a rose to me.> The Sentret then moved forward before moving back suddenly, he was sniffing the air.

<What Pokemon do you have there? I don't believe I have seen a Pokemon like that before.> He looked like he was torn between running and hiding and finding out the answers to his questions.

[MorriganFearn]

"Rose is a perfectly common name for a girl," Rose crossed her arms. "And this is Deet. Deet is a shinx."

Deet had crouched low, and was swishing her tail from side to side, grinning unrepentantly. <C'mon, fuzzy, let's see what'cha got.>

[Ninetales]

The Sentret looked at Rose. <Ah... well, you're my first trainer to see in a long time,> he suddenly froze and moved only his eyes to the Shinx, <Uh.... your Pokemon looks like she wants a battle... is that why you are here?>

Another Sentret, a female this time slammed into the side of the Shinx with a tackle. <Hey, brains for feet, didn't you realize that you could have been captured?>

<But Bristle, I was learning about human names... did you know that humans name girls after flowers as well?>

<I don't care Bark, you are foolish to have a Shinx be near you.> Bristle shouted at Bark.


((Sorry, couldn't resist,))