{S} Day One: Can You Not Say Lab Rattata Anymore?

[metronome]

Day One
The Lab
Pokemon: 0

Spotting her lumpy, colorful bag round the turnstile loop had been a welcome sight. The creamy rough canvas material represented essentially everything she brought with her to the region. Splotched with paint and tied here and there with colorful string (bunching up the straps not in a style not unlike a braid), it was certainly a little unusual. Her closest friends had drawn on it with thin-tipped markers, depicting stick figures being attacked and maimed by pokemon with too-large teeth and claws, and a ferocious, ursaring-sized smoochum. Her own additions were shapes and patterns spread out here and there, each a different color.

Her bag had actually been coursing around on the metallic surface for five to ten minutes before Ella, distracted with her sketchbook, had looked up to see it. Anyway, it was over her shoulder now and she was walking along towards the small terminal exit, her warm brown eyes studying the people that walked around her, catching on the colorful storefronts, and soaking in (so much that she slowed to a stop) hats and accessories tailored to a head with horns and/or pokemon ears. The Daconian people were really into dressing up their pokemon, Ella thought, as she stepped around an unusually tall ampharos in jeans.

Outside it was sunny, which was a relief. The distant craggy slopes characteristic of Pumice Rock looked handsome in the dappled light, its rich rusty red contrasting to the lush jade forestry beside and beyond. It thoroughly distracted Ella until she found herself standing before the imposing modern structure of the laboratory, with its sleek whites, soft corners, and metallic accents.

Inside it looked more like a hospital than a lab, with its comfortable lobby seating and tempered, sedative artwork. The chandelier gave off the impression of a hotel, just to confuse things in Ella’s cluttered, indecisive head. Ella decided it was rather nice after all. Even if the cosplay posters were all over the place. Ella squinted at the fine print lining the bottom of one such advertisement, skimming. Why did it read like medical fine print? She shrugged it off. Everything had a warning or disclaimer now-a-days.

Drawn to the reception area, Ella approached it, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Hopefully they still had some pokemon left. “Hello!” she greeted the person there (were there anyone). “Are you still giving away free pokemon to newbies?”

Nose smudged with graphite, wisps of hair flying free of her French braid, Ella rested her fingertips on the counter’s edge, gaze eager and excited.

[ZOM]

There was indeed someone behind the counter, although their back was currently turned and Ella could see what appeared to be thin, translucent wings flitting lazily from holes in their lab coat; their bright yellow, spiky head was ducked, and they appeared to be focusing on something in their lap. At the sound of Ella's voice, though, two slender blue-black antennae atop the man's head perked to attention, and he spun in his chair to face Ella with a friendly little smile. His eyes were absolutely huge, big enough to take up a large portion of his face, and had the appearance of rubies, multifaceted and bright red.

"Hello!" he replied. His voice, while clear enough to understand, had a buzz-like quality to it on the vowels. "We are, yes! Always!" The buzzing got significantly more noticeable on his "s" sounds, too; "yes" sounded more like "yezz." Yikes. "And you're interested in one, correct? Let me just see what we have available!" With a wink and a tap to the tip of his pointy little nose, the man turned his attention to the computer atop his desk.

It took him about a minute of typing and clicking to find what he was looking for, and in the meantime Ella would have the opportunity to observe the way his wings twitched and his antennae drooped when he was focusing. His massive eyes never once blinked. "Here we go!" he hummed, smiling up at Ella, although he was quite a tall, spindly fellow and didn't have to look up far to meet her gaze even while seated. He turned the computer screen around so that Ella could see the images of five different Pokemon.

Name: ? Species: Scraggy Gender: ? Ability: Shed Skin or Moxie Level: 5 Friendship: 5 Moveset: Leer, Low Kick, Sand Attack Nature: ? Met: Lab @ lvl 5	Name: ? Species: Gothita Gender: ? Ability: Frisk or Competitive Level: 5 Friendship: 5 Moveset: Pound, Confusion Nature: ? Met: Lab @ lvl 5	Name: ? Species: Mime Jr. Gender: ? Ability: Soundproof or Filter Level: 5 Friendship: 5 Moveset: Tickle, Barrier, Confusion, Copycat Nature: ? Met: Lab @ lvl 5	Name: ? Species: Wurmple Gender: ? Ability: Shield Dust Level: 5 Friendship: 5 Moveset: Tackle, String Shot, Poison Sting Nature: ? Met: Lab @ lvl 5	Name: ? Species: Gastly Gender: ? Ability: Levitate Level: 5 Friendship: 5 Moveset: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite Nature: ? Met: Lab @ lvl 5

"Not bad!" buzzed the receptionist, reaching around to gently tap each Pokemon's image on the screen. His pointer finger looked suspiciously chitinous and sharp-tipped, like a stinger. "Which one would you like?"

[metronome]

Ella couldn’t help but notice the antennae. By the time the man swiveled to face her she was slack-jawed and staring. The feelers held themselves aloft without any apparent strings, and those eyes—! There was no doubt that this person was a Beedrill, or vice-versa, or both? What? Countless novels and TV shows and movies portrayed just such a thing, and every child had imagined being a pokemon at some point or another… but seeing it in person, if this was even real, was near impossible to believe. Ella was clinging to the fence, keeping alive the thought that it might be just an elaborate costume.

Still wide-eyed, she nodded mutely when the beedrill-creature-man-actor-thing asked if she did indeed want a pokemon (though discovering a pokeman[?] had startled her so much she almost turned around and left). She continued to stare at him, mouth slowly closing to a polite gape; then, clearing her throat and lacing her fingers together, she studied the counter-top and chewed her lower lip, gathering some composure and her own thoughts. The clacking keyboard and faint, fluttery buzz of those long wings were all that filled the moment.

She stole another extended peek, looking for seams or wire or paint on the man’s face or neck. He was so thin, sat so tall and straight. She marveled at the way his eyes were worked onto his face, the way they shone and glimmered; she drew in her lips and pinched them between her teeth, battling away the urge to ask his permission to sketch him.

The keyboard keys continued to clack.

Ella wriggled her fingers, working up the nerve to strike up conversation. Then that endeavor was dashed as soon as he cheerily turned the computer monitor her way (making her jump in the process). Realizing that he wasn’t about to attack her or anything, Ella pounced (figuratively) on the distraction, face lighting up with excitement as she studied the screen. She took in each option at a glance and then studied the photos carefully, more excited than she thought she would be. She hadn’t owned or trained many pokemon over the years, despite (or because of?) her father’s insistence. This would be the first traveling partner she could call her own.

“Wow,” she said, breaking into a warm smile and glancing at the bug-type pokeman, excited and unable to keep from sharing it. “They’re all so cute! Well, except maybe Gastly, with those…” buggy eyes… “er, y’know, teeth,” she said, gesturing as though she had fangs. Her cheeks reddened and she let out a little laugh, not used to being so self-conscious and nervous.

Pursing her lips, Ella ruled out the pokemon one-by-one, the screen lighting up her face. Brow furrowed, leaning in, she carefully considered each pokemon. The gothita she ruled out rather quickly; the Sleepwalking Incident made that route an easy no. Bug-type, no thanks. Ghost-type, nah.

Looking at the beedrill-man, Ella slid her arm over to point at the pokemon in the middle of the screen. “I’d like that one. Please.”

Mime Jr. was by far the cheeriest-looking of the bunch, which is what caught her attention first. Then it was just... cute. That was about all it took for her to want to take it with her. Get it out of the lab, eventually take it back home. It was small enough to live in her dorm, and wouldn't be anywhere near as spastic as her dorm-mate's plusle. 

Resting her palm flat on the table, cheered at the thought that she’d soon have a companion to travel around with her, Ella was ready to try talking to this guy. “I, uhm… I like your wings. Can you fly?”

She itched at her nose as she peered curiously at his eyes, unsure which part to focus on to make eye-contact. It was a bit like talking to someone with dark sunglasses on. How could he see the computer screen well enough to type? Ella squinted on eye as she pondered over such mysteries, curious to see how he would react to her question, and to hear what pokeman had to say.

[ZOM]

Ella's shock and fascination at the Pokemorph's appearance was not tremendously surprising to the lab aide. He had been with the lab a while now, and since he did occasionally work the front desk shift, as he was today, he was accustomed to dealing with foreigners who had never even heard of Pokemorphism, much less seen a Pokemorph in person. In particular he was used to folks with bug phobias being terrified of him; that was a bit embarrassing, and he felt bad about spooking people with the way he looked, but he couldn't really help it. His big bug eyes, buzzing voice, and unnaturally slender wasp waist did tend to unnerve even those who were used to Pokemorphs.

He hoped Ella wouldn't run off, because it would be a shame for her to postpone her journey simply because the lab aide was too creepy-crawly. To that end, he tried extra hard to smile wide, and he forced himself to blink more regularly than he was wont to do; blinking made him seem more human. He thought about calling in another lab aide to handle this interaction, just in case, but much to his relief the girl seemed to brighten right up when she was presented with her starter options. "Not everyone cares for ghosts like him," the aide agreed with a little laugh that sounded more like a low hum. "But that's okay. Someone else will take him home for sure."

The girl had fallen quiet again, mulling over her choices, and the aide followed her lead. What would she pick, he wondered? Scraggy was cute and tough, and any Pokemon that fit that bill tended to be popular. Gastly was already out, and based on Ella's reaction to his own appearance he assumed she wasn't a big fan of bugs, so Wurmple didn't seem likely either. Gothita and Mime Jr. were relatively similar, so it could be a toss-up between the two. He enjoyed trying to guess what new trainers would choose, but ultimately he just had to wait and see.

Mime Jr. wound up being the winner. "Nice choice!" He smiled, pushing back from the desk and standing up. He truly towered over Ella when he was standing, but he was so lanky, and his whole body seemed to taper in at the middle. He was such a strange looking man, and definitely reminiscent of the Beedrill he shared DNA with. Before he could move to retrieve Ella's new Pokemon, she spoke up in an attempt to make some conversation. He paused, then smiled, glad she was curious rather than afraid, presumably. "Ah, thank you! Yes, I can, though not for very long. It's tiring, and they're delicate." To demonstrate, he rolled his shoulders and the wings started to beat rapidly, producing a loud buzzing sound. The wings were moving so quickly that they were little more than a blur, and after only a few seconds the morph lifted several inches off the ground, flitting from side to side just to prove he could.

Then he stilled his wings and landed gracefully on his feet, beaming. "Now, just a second, okay? I'll be right back with your Pokemon and some items to get you started out!" With that, he turned on his heel and retreated into the room behind the desk. After only a minute or so he returned with a Pokeball held in one hand and a small canvas bag clutched in the other. He offered out both to Ella, reaching over the counter. "There we are. Your Pokemon, and a little starter kit courtesy of the lab! Five Pokeballs and two Potions, but more importantly, you'll find a Pokedex and a TM Case. Play around with the Pokedex to learn more about the Pokemon you come across, and add some information of your own if you find anything interesting!"

[img]http://www.serebii.net/xy/pokemon/439.png[/img]
[b]Name:[/b] ?
[b]Species:[/b] Mime Jr.
[b]Gender:[/b] ?
[b]Ability:[/b] Soundproof or Filter
[b]Level:[/b] 5
[b]Friendship:[/b] 5
[b]Moveset:[/b] Tickle, Barrier, Confusion, Copycat
[b]Nature:[/b] ?
[b]Met:[/b] Lab @ lvl 5

[img]http://www.serebii.net/itemdex/sprites/pokeball.png[/img] Pokeball x 5
[img]http://www.serebii.net/itemdex/sprites/potion.png[/img] Potion x 2
[img]http://www.serebii.net/itemdex/sprites/tmcase.png[/img] TM Case
[img]http://www.serebii.net/itemdex/sprites/famechecker.png[/img] Pokedex

Pleased, he leaned back on his heels and clasped his hands behind his back, smiling down at Ella. "Is there anything else I can help you with? Any questions, concerns?"

[metronome]

Pokemon: 1

The hovering demonstration was pretty incredible. All doubts about whether this were real or not (which the blinking almost took care of on its own—she’d been shocked to see his eye-lids come down over those things) were gone at that point; the man was truly a hybrid of some kind. Ella’s warm brown eyes flickered over the custom tailored clothes, the needle-point fingers, the pokeman’s slim shoulders. She watched him as he spoke and nodded in commiseration, as though she knew how tiring wings could be.

With that he had landed and was gone, promising to return with her pokemon and starter items. Ella’s attention wandered, naturally, in the interim; a nearby television screen scrolled through various tasks the lab apparently needed trainers to accomplish. She was still reading through them when the lab aide returned.

“Oh wow.” A bag and pokeballs… They really took care of their visitors here, Ella thought, gathering the items while thanking the unusual bug-type man. She put the canvas bag’s strap over her head, letting the strap rest across her body. The pokeball—slightly warm to the touch—she held in her left hand almost ceremoniously, studying it a moment before she remembered herself.

As the beedrill man held his hands behind his back and rocked back on his heels, the new traveler shifted her three bags around, looking that much more like a back-packing tourist. She blew a few stray strands from her face, studied the counter, and then peered up at the lab aide almost sheepishly.

“There is something, actually. I noticed those Help Wanted requests over there. I’m kind of… new at this, but, can I claim one of those jobs over there? Or is it first come first serve?” she asked, jutting a thumb at the television screen behind her. She held her hand there as she waited for a response, biting her bottom lip and curling in her thumb after a few seconds, like it was shying away from whatever answer she might get. One job in particular had caught her interest—or actually two—but she wasn’t sure this was the place and time to say so. She glanced over at the entrance—someone was bustling in, ushering in a glaring splash of sunlight along with—and then back at the job aide, her arm dropping down to fiddle with a strap’s string.

If this wasn’t the time, she would thank him again and take her leave or hunt down whoever could help her take the job. Otherwise, she was interested in hunting down some unown. Like her mother had always said, the best way to get used to a new place is to explore with a purpose… and Ella couldn’t think of a better way to do it.

[ZOM]

The aide smiled in response to Ella's sort of shy, sheepish expression, trying to look encouraging. His smile widened to a grin as she finished asking her question, though. "Ah! Yes, you can absolutely claim one! We'd be very excited if you wanted to help out, actually." He leaned forward a little, antennae perked, and his wings buzzed for a moment with his excitement. Personally he was rather invested in a couple of the experiments that were up on the job board, and he could only hope that this woman would be offering to assist with one of those. He was sure Russell would be excited, too, or at least as excited as Russell ever got.

"Which one are you interested in?" he asked, clasping his hands together in front of him. His sharp pointer fingers clacked together quietly. "Did you have questions about any of them, clarifying questions? I can help!" His voice sounded more buzzing the more excited he got. If possible, his eyes seemed even wider than before, and they glistened like beetle shells in the bright artificial lights.

[metronome]

The lab aide’s excitement was contagious. Ella (who’d been holding her breath) drew in a bit more to gasp, face lighting up with childish glee. Xatu had beautiful colors and stood still for extended periods of time… making them ideal subjects for drawing or painting. One of her favorite teachers in high school would one in to pose for reference on occasion—they were regal and mystic(-looking).

“Really? Oh man, that’s great! I really wouldn’t mind helping out. If I had to race for it I probably wouldn’t bother, but, yeah,” she said, ending in a shrug (a slight one, what with all her bags), and let the sentence trail off. …But I’d really love to have a natu.

Inspired, Ella rolled her new pokeball around in her hand. It wasn’t like her to take on a challenge like this, but she really did want to win this one.

“I’ll look for the unown! I get that I’ve got to capture two… can they be the same letter?” Ella asked in earnest, brow furrowed a bit as she waited for an answer. Nevermind how unlikely and goofy the scenario she was concerned about. What else could she ask? Ella pursed her lips and pulled the corners of her lips to and fro in thought. She had half a mind to just start looking, but if she could get a hint… “And if you know anything about where they’re showing up, and what sort of signs there are, that would be a big help. They’re sort of small…”

Inspiration jolted her to her senses suddenly. “Oh! And what’s your name? Sorry. I’m Ella.” She smiled and held out a hand.

[ZOM]

The aide looked delighted at Ella's agreement to help. "Thank you so much!" he hummed, bowing his head repeatedly; his antennae bobbed with the movement. Ella was so excited now, too, that it was hard to stop grinning, especially when she elaborated on which job she was interested in. Yes, yes, yes -- jackpot! "Ah, that's excellent! I hoped you would want that one, actually," he admitted, laughing a bit. He smoothed down his lab coat and straightened up with pride.

"They could be the same letter, yes." The question pleased him, because it meant Ella knew something about Unown to begin with, and that was more background than most people had in his experience. "It's not likely you'll find two of the same clustered together, but if you did, that would be fine! We're more looking to study their behavior right now than the meaning of their variations." Even better, Ella looked like she had more questions, too. He rather liked this girl. She was curious, and that was never a bad thing in his opinion. "They're scattered around everywhere, really! That's why we're so interested in studying them. Ambus Town might be a good starting point, though. Lots of history in that place, and the Unown seem to like that, we think." With a dreamy look in his eyes, he added on, "Fascinating things."

He had trailed off, thinking fondly of the subject of his research, but snapped back to attention when Ella spoke up again and offered a hand and a smile. "Oh! My manners... Baxter Hughes, at your service!" Baxter clasped Ella's hand firmly, his long, skinny fingers enveloping her smaller hand. He was very careful not to poke her with his stinger finger, thankfully. "I'm the head of the Unown research project here; Pokemon behavioral studies is my forte. Which means if you have any questions relating to that sort of thing, I'm your guy!" He grinned, clearly not above flattering himself. "It's nice to meet you, Ella. Thank you for wanting to help my research."

[metronome]

It was popular to use Unown to code messages in artwork—at least in Ella’s experience. Their appearances in works of art sparked numerous heated, unsolved debates; were the letters initials? Who was the artist referring to? Perhaps a city or an acronym? She’d learned the alphabet some time ago, enjoying their look… nevermind the hows or whys. ‘F’ was her favorite; once, liking the look of ‘U’ as well, she’d added both into a drawing for class in high-school, only to be taken to the principal’s office. Whoops...

Glad to be able to find duplicates, Ella nodded, unable to jump in without cutting him off, and too busy listening, anyway. Fingers itching—too much information coming at her without a way to record it—she then pulled her backpack around to pull a small reporter-style notepad and pen out of a pocket, jotting down notes.

ambus town – 2 unown
history?

… And, unable to stop herself, she doodled a little natu from memory; a simple little line drawing to keep her motivated. She clipped the pen to it and pinned it between her chest and backpack strap, freeing up her hands to introduce herself and shake Baxter’s hand.

“Happy to help! Thanks for all of this—the pokemon and everything. I’ll try to bring some unown back pretty quick.”

The lab aide wouldn’t know it, but Ella wasn’t known for being the quickest at anything; she tended to move at her own pace unless duly motivated… and what motivated her eluded even herself, as it seemed to change. But Ella was excited about this, enough that she swept the loose strands from her face, smiled and waved, and walked quickly out of the lab, new pokeball in hand and the other tucking a thumb beneath her many bags’ straps.

Off to find Ambus town.

--@--