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Post by Jessari on Jun 7, 2011 17:07:16 GMT -8
It had been a very long day. Although Jessari had fallen asleep in her own bed the previous night, she'd woken up the next morning in the middle of a forest. After freaking out for a few minutes, which was understandable, given the circumstances, she found a large backpack lying on the ground nearby. Inside the bag had been several of her favorite books, and the strangest little creature. It strongly resembled a fox kit, if you overlooked the odd fur colors and multiple tails. It had crawled out of the bag and into her arms, yawned cutely, then promptly fell asleep. It had slept in her arms during the whole trip through the forest. its small form putting only the lightest strain on her arms as she walked. Jessari, for her part, was glad of the company, unusual though it might have been. Having finally found an end to the forest, Jessari eyed the building with trepidation. She'd hoped that once she made her way out of the forest, she'd see something familiar. Although the possibility of having sleep-walked all the way out there from her house had been small, she'd still hoped. But the building was as strange to her as the little fox kit in her arms. Curling her fingers in her companion's soft, powder-blue fur, she slid open the door and poked her head inside. "Hello?" she called softly. Maybe she'd find someone inside who could tell her where she was. (OOC) Hope it's okay that I brought Puff along! I know the Lab is where we normally receive our first Pokemon, but I already had him and everything... *twiddles thumbs* ;D
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Post by Taya on Jun 7, 2011 17:18:13 GMT -8
What Jessari would see in peering into the laboratory was just about as strange as the rest of her current circumstances; a bright yellow rodent-like creature, just under a foot and a half tall, was sitting at a small table, sipping the morning's coffee out of a blue mug. To make matters worse, it even seemed out of place, with the rest of the room filled with several machines, computers, monitors and all sorts of things one would typically find in a laboratory of the sort. When she called out, she must have caught the creature's attention, for its slender ears perked up. It stared at her a moment with its black, shiny eyes before setting the mug down and speaking, "Hello, and welcome to the Mystic Laboratory. Come in."
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Post by Jessari on Jun 7, 2011 17:42:50 GMT -8
She must've fallen out of bed and brained herself on the corner of her bedside table. That had to be it. It was the only explanation for what she was seeing now.
Still...things felt much too real to just be a dream or a hallucination. Standing in the doorway, she could feel the cool breeze of air conditioning, smell the faint musk of the creature in her arms. You weren't supposed to smell things in dreams, were you?
After a moment, courtesy won the battle over shock. Jess stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. "Tryin' to cool off the whole of Glasgow, love?" her mom would've said, had she been standing in the doorway at home.
Realizing she had been staring at the creature, Jess glanced away. The glare of the bright yellow fur under the bright lights had burned her retinas, causing a shadow of rodent shape to dance across the floor tiles as she looked down at them. Flicking her eyes back up to the creature shyly, she asked, "Could ya be tellin' me where I am?" Her voice was thick with a Scottish accent, lending an almost musical quality to the pattern of her words. "And, if you don't mind my askin', who and what are ye?"
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Post by Taya on Jun 7, 2011 18:15:34 GMT -8
"Well, you're currently in the Mystic Laboratory, in the middle of Mystic Forest, of the Trilotics Region," he explained in a heartbeat, the information something he must have repeated so many times in the past that he couldn't have possibly counted them all. It was her next question, however, that gave her away for being one of those humans who had never even heard of Pokemon, much less having been from their world. This did surprise him, given that she was carrying around a Vulpix, but he went on to explain anyway. "My name is Sparky, I'm a Pikachu, which is a type of Pokemon. Same as that Vulpix there, though that one is a highly unusual color."
"And your name is?"
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Post by Jessari on Jun 7, 2011 18:29:48 GMT -8
"Trilotics Region? Could I be catching a bus to Glasgow from here?" She hadn't seen any signs of a road or railroad tracks, but one could hope.
"A Pikachu," Jess repeated softly, trying to take in all the strange words. They made little sense to her, but she had the feeling that this was something she needed to know. She glanced down at the Vulpix as Sparky mentioned him. "'is name's Puff," she announced, a small touch of pride coloring her voice. "It's short for Puffball." It was a bit of a silly, cutesy name, but it fit him, with his fluffy fur and all.
"So...a Pokemon, are ye?" Her forehead scrunched in thought. "A Pokemon would be a talkin' animal, then? And it's nice to meet ya, Sparky. My name's Jessari Tanelorn, though my friends be callin' me Jess."
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Post by Taya on Jun 7, 2011 20:00:46 GMT -8
Sparky blinked a time or two. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm afraid. I've never heard of... Glasgow before. I have a feeling that you came here, to our world, from another world entirely," he explained. It had happened a few times before, so it wasn't too much of a shock to him. He did wonder, though, how well she was going to take it.
"Actually, most Pokemon don't have the ability to speak. In all of the other regions of this world, in fact, they don't. It is something unique to our region. Pokemon are animals that have special powers, some even considered magical. I control electricity for example, and Puff, there, has abilities over fire. We learn more and more with training."
It was then that the Pikachu scurried down from the chair, abandoning his coffee for now. When he was on the floor, he approached Jessari and bowed politely. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
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Post by Jessari on Jun 7, 2011 20:38:17 GMT -8
"Another world?"
It was beginning to seem that Jess was going to repeat everything Sparky said. In truth, a small part of her mind had suspected as much the moment she'd discovered Puff curled up inside the backpack. Suspicion had knocked again when she'd met Sparky. Still, she'd held out against the knowledge, hoping against all hope that she was mistaken and that she'd be able to find her way home. But as much as she hated it, Sparky's words rang true. There was no more denying it. She wasn't in Scotland anymore.
A slender hand rose, covered her mouth as she turned her face away from the Pikachu. No more family, no more friends, no more home. She was alone, with no more than a few books and a fox, no, a Vulpix, to keep her company.
There was a muffled noise that sounded halfway between a sigh and a sob, then after a moment, Jess took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.When she turned back to face Sparky, her brown eyes glistened, but her cheeks were dry and a small, brave smile curved her lips.
"Well," she said, a forced lightness in her tone, "I've always wanted to travel, but never had the coin. If someone went t'all the trouble to bring me here, there must be a reason behind it. I don't s'pose you could tell me what I'm supposed to be doin' now that I'm here?"
Jess returned his bow the best she could with the young Vulpix cradled to her chest. She'd read often enough about adventures in other worlds, and although it still boggled her mind to think that she might be in a different world herself, perhaps everything would turn out right if she pretended she were living inside one of her own books. Either way, she doubted it'd do much good to mope. Might as well try to enjoy what she had now, instead of moan for what she'd lost.
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Post by Taya on Jun 7, 2011 21:27:34 GMT -8
As Jessari turned away, Sparky's ears drooped. If it was anything that he trouble dealing with in having this job as a laboratory assistant, it was dealing with sadness that could overtake their new arrivals. He never knew what quite to say in order to help and he felt guilty because of it. The best that he could do was offering her a warm smile when she turned back around. He could tell that she must have been forcing tears back from the sudden shock, her eyes glistening as they where.
"I apologize for it being such a sudden shock. This is actually a fairly normal thing around here. Everyone arrives here from their original home the same way you did. That's why this laboratory is here. I'm just the professor's assistant, though the professor said that she would be back this morning."
"In our world, humans actually train Pokemon, like Puff and myself, so that they can grow stronger. It may seem strange, but most Pokemon enjoying battling to train and to test their skills. Humans have competitions where they battle with their Pokemon partners. They're simply called trainers. Trainers travel different regions in order to test their skills against elite trainers that are referred to as gym leaders. It takes a lot of traveling, but there is really nothing like it."
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Post by Jessari on Jun 8, 2011 16:07:39 GMT -8
"At least tell me this world has libraries. Don't ken as I'll be able to live without a steady flow of books to keep me occupied." Jess smiled as she said this, but she was only half joking. In her home world, any time not spent working, sleeping, or playing Eastern Dragon in the night sky had been spent books. She had consumed them with an unflagging appetite. romance, science fiction, fantasy, history, poetry...well, not so much poetry, but you get the point. Already she was itching to fold her fingers around one of the paperbacks in her backpack.
"It's not yer fault, Sparky, and I 'preciate you trying ta make me feel better. I guess wha's done is done, and I've gotta learn to deal with it."
She listened as the Pikachu explained a little more about the world she'd found herself stuck in. Her eyes widened a bit as he spoke about the fighting, then she chuckled lightly. "It's truly a man's world, isn't it? I dinna ken as I'd like to see Puff doin' any fighting, though." Jess ran her fingers across the Vulpix's pale blue fur. "Ye must be getting tired of my questions, but you implied the lab is here to help travelers like me. How...what exactly do you and the professor do?"
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Post by Taya on Jun 11, 2011 19:44:51 GMT -8
Sparky nodded his head. "Indeed, there are libraries. You can count on that." What would a world be without books? Books recorded information, but they also told wonderfully spun fairy tales or, sometimes, not so fairytale-like tales. Either way, they were fantastic things for the mind. Even he, a Pokemon, read books on occasion. Of course, being that he was now an assistant in a laboratory, perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all. In the case of other Pokemon, though, reading was absolutely unheard of.
"You have a good outlook on things," he complimented. "Which means you're already off to a very good start. I think an open mind is key, especially."
"Ah, funny you should say that. The professor is actually a woman." Here, the rodent Pokemon had to chuckle. It may have seemed like a masculine thing to do, but battling Pokemon also had a beautiful aspect to it. Fighting, in fact, was a lot like dancing. "This laboratory was built because the professor and I research Pokemon. Among many things, were are attempting to document all the different species of Pokemon in the region. But, in order to help new arrivals, we give away a Pokemon to each person that arrives, as well as some items and things, as many new arrivals end up here with nothing more than the clothing on their backs. Having a good Pokemon with you is very important, as there are many wild Pokemon, and some are known to be much, much less civilized than I am."
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Post by Jessari on Jun 12, 2011 15:34:54 GMT -8
Hearing that libraries existed in this world was possibly the single most important thing she'd heard since finding herself in this situation. Although the loss of her family and home still made her chest ache, Jess chose to focus on the positive. If this world was completely separate from her own (and all the facts pointed in that direction), then that meant that those libraries were filled with stories she'd never read. How much more could she discover about this world and its strange creatures? Excitement rushed through her, though the slight widening of her smile was the only outward sign.
Jessari blushed a little as Sparky complimented her on her quick acceptance. She'd never been comfortable being the center of attention or receiving compliments. "Aye," she said, feeling suddenly shy again. "My momma didn't hold with feelin' sorry for yourself. Well, at least not more'n you could help. If'n I don't want ta keep feeling miserable, I've gotta find something to be happy about, and the thought of those libraries makes me very happy indeed."
Her forehead wrinkled at his final words. "So it could be dangerous out there, is that what you're tellin me?" Her momma had also taught her to do for herself, to not take charity, but Jess was sure her momma had never imagined she'd find herself in this situation. For a moment, she teetered back and forth between graciously declining the lab's help like she'd always been taught to do or accepting the help she knew she so dearly needed in this new world.
In the end, common sense won out over the little pride she had. Giving Sparky a grateful smile, she said, "Tha's a great service you and the professor are doing. I appreciate it, as I'm sure all the other travelers do also. Do I...do I need to wait until the professor gets back to get paired with a Pokemon?"
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Post by Taya on Jun 13, 2011 16:55:09 GMT -8
"Your mother seems like a very wise woman," Sparky commented. He already liked Jessari and her attitude toward everything. In his opinion, she would probably do very well for herself here.
"Yes, it could be dangerous," he confirmed with a sharp nod of his head. "And no, you don't have to wait. Without her here, I am also capable of handing out Pokemon and supplies. I wouldn't be a very good assistant if I didn't assist now, would I?" He said these words with some amusement. Originally, he had actually been quite unsure about being the professor's assistant, but he had taken to it well enough. Recently, he had even gotten involved with some of the professor's research, rather than just running her errands and shoving paperwork. Without one particular annoyingly cute Igglybuff in the picture, it was much easier for him to work, even though her existence was what made him such an avid coffee drinker.
"Come with me." He beckoned for the young woman to follow him and he shuffled across the room toward a computer. Being rather small, the rodent Pokemon had to hop up onto the computer itself. After fiddling with a few buttons, the large monitor then displayed the pictures and information of several Pokemon. "These are all the Pokemon that we currently have available. You can pick any one of them and this machine here will dispense a Pokeball, a capsule unit which stores Pokemon, with a Pokemon of your chosen species inside."
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Post by Jessari on Jun 13, 2011 21:10:56 GMT -8
It was all so strange, Jess thought as she looked over the options on the screen. She was coming to realize that Pokemon were much more than her original definition of talking animals. If Sparky was any proof, they were sentient and smart, able to be as independent as any human. Yet here she was, being asked to 'pick one out', like she was browsing for yogurt flavors in the grocery store. A small frown tugged at the corner of her lips, but she didn't say anything. Apparently this was how things were done here, but she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. And what did he mean about storage capsules?
The decision process was excruciating. The pokemon were all so cute, but Jess knew she would need more than cuteness on her side once she headed into the woods. With the flames bursting from their bodies, Charmander, Cyndaquil, and Chimchar looked well able to defend her. Problem was, Jess found them a little intimidating. She needed a strong pokemon capable of taking on any attackers, and also one that she could befriend.
Jess pulled in a deep breath and held it, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she pondered her decision. Then she let it out in a whoosh, pointing an index finger at Squirtle. The icon of that particular pokemon was smiling, indicating that the species was known for being friendly (or so she hoped), and the shell that wrapped around its body made it look well-protected and strong. "Could I get that one please, Sparky?"
With the decision made, excitement and nervousness warred within her. She couldn't wait to meet her new traveling buddy, but what if she'd chosen wrong?
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Post by Taya on Jun 13, 2011 22:10:21 GMT -8
The Pikachu remained quite patient as Jessari was left to mull over her choices, ready to answer any questions, should she have any. However, it seemed that he didn't have to explain anything more at the time, as she had made the decision on her own. Sometimes, he knew, things just felt right. If that was the case here, then so be it.
"A Squirtle, it is," he replied, than scooting over to confirm the trainer's choice with the computer. The instant this happened, the machine whirred to life, several blinking lights going off. It took only a mere moment before a red and white ball was dispensed into a small depression on a platform on the machine.
"And there you have it," he said. "Whichever of our Squirtles is contained in that ball is officially yours. Before you worry about matches, though, keep in mind that in this region, we greatly believe in destiny.
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Post by Jessari on Jun 14, 2011 8:25:59 GMT -8
Her eyes widened as the ball appeared. "How....how small is this Squirtle?" Judging from the size of the red and white ball, the Pokemon inside must be small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Jess picked it up, careful not to jostle the ball and thus, in her mind, the Pokemon inside. How was something this tiny going to protect her? Holding the ball up for inspection, she peered at it. "Can it even breathe in there?"
(OOC) Sorry about the wimpy post. I just got up, and my muse is still sleepy. >3>
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