No Time To Slow Down

[Arcinox]

So, Senko thus far had come across as... well, pretty normal. Admittedly she hadn't travelled for very long at all yet, but the lab and its little village just felt very cosy. Calm. Pretty different compared to life back home - even the trees looked greener - but nothing to get worked up about. Nah, she'd have to gallivant further into the region before the scenery would start to get exciting.

Running a free hand through her ragged strands, Laika tossed the duffel bag she carried to her ankles, the grass staining the underside just a little. Not that it was in any way pristine - the old sporting carrier was getting quite worn out by now. The height-challenged teen took a moment to scout out her surroundings, trying to see if any others might be joining her on this little venture so far. Granted, she was only headed to the lab, but no doubt others would be too, right? Well, maybe not. Even if there was anybody else on their way to the oversized daycare, Lai couldn't spot them. Was she even really looking? Not really. It was still surprisingly warm, despite the sun becoming tinted in that familiar orange-red of late afternoons. Not evening by a long shot, but signalling that if you had stuff to do that day, you better hope you were eighty percent of the way through your to-do list. It wouldn't be long before Laika and her new partner-to-be would be seeking shelter under some forgotten tree... if the first path of Senko was even lined in such a way.

"Here's hoping they haven't run out of fluffies," chuckled Lai, reclaiming the rather empty bag and tossing it back on her shoulder. Time to move; if she left it much later, it'd be night time before she even got out of the lab. So, taking a deep breath to calm the slight bought of nerves attacking her stomach, the girl bounded up to give three sharp raps on the laboratory door.

[Joshy]

Crash!

Loud banging and crashing sounds could be heard from behind the lab doors; a signal that Riley was in for the day, trying to make sure to keep everything clean, which of course could only end in one way. Things breaking left and right. Crashes continued to come from behind the door as a frantic yelp could be heard as something landed right onto Riley's head. Riley muttered under his breath, though Laika wouldn't be able to hear it from behind the door. A broom could be heard sweeping up whatever messes were made before finally, the door opened to reveal a teen with black hair.

"Hello, and welcome to the..." Riley started, then looked down at Laika. He stopped speaking for a moment, taking his time to register that the girl in front of him was, in fact, old enough to take a pokemon for herself. How old was she exactly though? Before he could stop himself though, he preceded to blurt what was on his mind. "... Wow. You're short."

Riley blinked to himself for a second before registering that he had actually said that. Did his brain to mouth filter fail completely? Yep. Did he feel like a complete idiot? Definitely. He continued to stand there, but his gaze had moved upward while he stared into space, surprised at what he had just said. It took him a few seconds to snap back to be able to actually say something to try and cover up what just happened.

"I mean. What I meant to say... Was... Er... Welcome to the lab?" Riley questioned, mentally putting his hand over his face with how much of an idiot he just was. "What can I do for you?"

[Arcinox]

The grin that had formed amidst the clattering from within the lab quickly dissipated as the door swung open, a sharp red flashing to Lai's cheeks.

"... Wow. You're short."

"Yeah, what of it? I'm probably older than you!" Snapped the teen, flustered. Sure, she was used to her height - or lack, thereof - being noticed over everything else, but this guy certainly didn't look like a Professor and had no right to point it out so bluntly. Actually, it was more the shock of seeing another teenager greeting visitors than the comment itself; it wasn't that outrageous to think he might be interning or, hell, just volunteering, but having not even graced the lab in her own region, Lai had kind of placed the image of a middle-aged crackpot in her mind, not a kid.

As the boy seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts for a moment, Laika resolved herself to calming down a little, running her free hand once again through her hair. Still a bit frizzy - honestly, she'd never get it straight again. At least, not without a decent pair of straighteners and some electricity, both of which were scarce when travelling about the world on thine own two feet. Which brought about another matter - had she even given thought to which pokémon she wanted yet? Hell no. To be honest, a little part of her was just hoping they'd have one left once all the snot-nosed kids were out of the way. Wait, wait, time to pay attention...

"... Er... Welcome to the lab? What can I do for you?"

Laika blinked, almost not hearing the question. Did he even know she was supposed to be here? Did they even check - could someone just waltz right up to the lab and ask for a shiny new pokémon? ... Maybe in a few months time she'd just have to check that theory.

"Uhh... I'm here for a poké-partner?"

[Joshy]

Riley nodded when she had told him she was there for a pokemon. He pat his butt, checking his back pockets to see if he had a list readily available for the girl to choose from. Much to his dismay, there wasn't, probably making himself look like he enjoyed groping himself in front of other people. He sighed and turned to make way to one of the desks in the lab, motioning for the girl to follow him inside.

Once he was at the desk, Riley started to rummage through it to find the sheet of paper that had the list of pokemon available on it, before moving toward the girl and handing it to her. "These are the pokemon we have available for new trainers at our facility. This is the only lab in the region, so these are ultimately the only options you have." Riley stated. He seemed like he was a little bit off from his usual personality, though Laika wouldn't really know since she had met him then and there at the lab. He ran a hand through his hair, waiting for the girl's response.

[Arcinox]

She tilted her head at the sigh but followed Riley through the door, putting any concern to the back of her mind. She didn't know this kid - if he wasn't happy giving pokémon out to strangers, it was his deal.

"So, I can just pick any one from this list?"

Taking the scrap of paper off the assistant, Laika looked it over, the sheer size of the list taking her off guard. They seriously offered this many choices? She had a hard enough time trying to decide back home, and there were only three then! Oh man, how was she supposed to pick? Any one could be a valuable partner, and whichever one she chose would become her life line on the road... water, grass or fire? What would she do better with?

Growing up between a city and a desert, even Lai could admit that having a grass type might not be her best option - she just wasn't the gentle type. Besides, they were rumoured to be the easiest type to train, and Lai loved a challenge. No, no, definitely best to steer clear of those, at least to begin with. Actually, she hadn't given any though to the rest of her party, either - the teen hadn't exactly done any homework on what lived in this region. Chances were she wouldn't be seeing any from her homeland... kind of missed her Scraggy now. Concentrating on the water and fire types, the blonde leant against a wall, sapphire eyes flitting up and down the list. "I didn't think you guys would have this many..."

If she was truly honest with herself, a small part of her had been hoping there was only one left, eliminating the whole choose-your-fate deal. It seemed that was not the case in the slightest, leaving her wasting Riley's time for several minutes. She wasn't usually so indecisive, but she'd moved to a whole new region solely for this moment; after waiting six years to follow the routine, the last thing anyone would want is to make the wrong, rash choice. It might well have been the only moment she'd ever think about something in her whole life!

In the end, she left it to fate, something she believed in wholeheartedly. Closing her eyes, she mentally waved a finger around the paper, stopping after a few seconds. Bringing vision once more into play, the girl paused as she took in her apparent decision.

"Magby?"

[Joshy]

The boy nodded when Laika gave her answer as to which pokemon she wanted. He was being patient with the girl, though a lot of his attitude probably made it seem like he wasn't being patient at all.

"Wait here a second," he said before walking into one of the back rooms where the pokeballs were held containing the starter pokemon. A few crashes and bangs later, Riley came back, a little battered, but not too badly to where he'd need a doctor. He sighed a little, glaring at the floor for a moment before handing Laika the items that she would need for her journey, as well as the pokeball containing the Magby. "Here you are. I wish you luck on your journey," he muttered angrily, mostly from his clumsiness causing him to be hurt. He turned around and walked to hall that had a few rooms, disappearing into the walkway most likely to get some ice for the bruises he obtained from his venture into the back room. One more loud Crash! could be heard, along with some very loud cursing about it before it had calmed down.

Laika Received:

Magby
Name:
Gender: [You Choose]
Level: 5
Attacks: Smog, Leer, Ember

Items

Pokeball x5


Potion x2

[Arcinox]

For once, the nerves were starting to batter her stomach, but Lai resolved to turn that into anticipation. This was where everything would start - this quiet little village in the middle of nowhere...

Scrabbling to hold everything she needed, the teen knelt, stuffing the items within her bag. Everything except that pokéball of course. By the time she looked up, the assistant seemed to have disappeared into a back room, accompanied by crashing and banging of all descriptions. Lai regained her stance only to peer towards the back, attempting to get a better look at the situation.

"Y'alright in there?" Yelled the adolescent. To be honest, she was half expecting not to get a call back and instead to disturb the peace with a quick trip to A&E... where would that even be anyway, the next town over? Regardless, she couldn't stick around much longer, but taking the time to at least peer over and make sure Riley wasn't buried under a mountain of baby pokémon was the least she could do.

[Joshy]

There were a few more crashes and bangs coming from the back room, though most of them didn't seem as loud as the first one that was incredibly loud which has caused the boy to curse. Then there was complete silence in the back while Riley thought of how to respond to the girl exactly, because it was obvious from the banging around that he probably wasn't fine at all. He opted to walk out to the main room again, showing some more bruises on his face now, but for the most part was still intact.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I hope you have fun on your journey though. Senko's a big region, with a lot to learn in it." Riley said, trying to be a little bit nicer this time around. He offered a small smile to the girl, giving her a genuine "nice guy" look. "If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to come back and ask for help."

[Arcinox]

Further crashing sounds had prompted Lai to take a few steps towards the back room, halted only by the reappearance of Riley. Whilst a little on the worn side, he didn't look all that bad - no twisted limbs or anything, at least.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I hope you have fun on your journey though. Senko's a big region, with a lot to learn in it."

She returned his smile with a coy grin; the boy may have been clumsy, but it seemed like he was used to it. Hoisting the duffel bag up on her shoulder - its weight now doubled with the new items inside - Laika sent him a mini salute, ragged golden fringe bouncing with the motion, before turning to head out.

"If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to come back and ask for help."

"Hah, I'll be fine. Sayonara, dude!"