A new beginning [Starter]

[Nadia Banes]

The building glinted brightly in the daylight, and Nadia was reminded of her first day in Mi-aro, with Ankh supporting her and her mother through the streets. The Emissary had been one of the buildings that really drove home the idea that this wasn’t earth – no building there was so clean and well-kept any longer. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on all of that; Nadia was determined to leave all her negative thoughts behind in her empty house with its claustrophobic walls. She even worked up the good cheer for a smile at those she passed, many of whom she’d seen before and a few she’d run errands for previously.

Nadia hadn’t met the ambassador before, but the woman had a formidable reputation, which is why she had chosen to come to the Emissary for her pokemon. (As well, rumor had it that the Good Professor, her second choice, was a bit overbearing and that was the last thing the young woman wanted.) Her stomach was a mess of knots, happiness, sadness, excitement all roiling. She was certain that getting out of the city would settle her – and she’d get to do it with a pokemon of her own. It had been lonely in the house with only her mother’s Dusknoir (and far lonelier now with no ghost and no mother).

The young woman allowed herself a deep breath and a full body shake-out at the front of the Emissary to banish her lingering nervous thoughts.

Nadia straightened her jacket and entered the building, approaching the assistant’s desk. She gave the woman a small smile. “Nadia Banes, I have an appointment with the ambassador.”

[Jenn]

As Nadia approached the front desk she would see files neatly piled with the woman reading through a thick stack of paper. The woman visibly jumped at Nadia’s words, she had been so absorbed in her work that she had missed the trainer coming in. “Of course, she’s expecting you,” she said smiling pleasantly, a slender hand pointed to the left, “Through that door is the garden. Just follow the trail until you reach the gazebo.”

When Nadia made her way down the winding path she would be greeted by the sight of a tall woman standing in front of a blue image of a man projected from her watch, they were clearly in a heated conversation.  The Ambassador was standing in a simple clean gazebo at the center of a grassy circle encompassed by the trail.  Anita wore a charcoal suit with a crimson ruffled blouse peaking through the blazer as she crossed her arms. The outfit was well coordinated and still emphasized the stern commanding aura that radiated from her. “Yes, I know.” Anita said turning to face where the newcomer was approaching, she gestured for Nadia to come in and take a seat on one of the chairs at a glass round table while continuing her conversation, “I have another appointment I need to attend to. We will discuss this further at a later date. Goodbye.”

She pressed a button on her X-Gear to end the call.  Straightening her cuff over the technology on her wrist before approaching Nadia sitting at the table. “I apologize for making you wait, Nadia Bane. I am Anita Nguyen, the Ambassador of the colonies,” she drew out five pokeballs from a simple dark wooden box on the table. “I have another appointment immediately after ours, so we will need to get to know each other for a later date. Please follow me.” Not waiting the older woman led the way to a grass clearing next to the gazebo. In an efficient manner Anita pressed the buttons on each orb releasing five entities in a flash of light.

“Here are five choices. You can see why we needed to meet outside,” Anita stated as she turned to smile at the new trainer.

The Skarmory flapped its wings, happy to get a chance to stretch. “That is Skarmory. They can be a bit intimidating at first, but once trained properly are great companions. Despite its appearance of being made of iron, it is capable of flight.” As if on que the bird-like pokemon took to the skies, it circled around the gazebo only a few feet above the ground. It then landed gently on the ground and looked rather proud of itself as it looked at the trainer.

“Next is Kangaskhan.” The large pokemon took a step towards Nadia and easily towered over the human. “This pokemon has strong parental instincts and will be a great protector in the wilds. It may be too cautious for a mercenary, but I feel they are better suited for survivors.”

The Kangaskhan extended its hand to produce a yellow furry blue-eyed bug. “That little one is called a Joltick. They can pack quite a punch despite their size, and can use it to their advantage.” As if to prove itself the pokemon started to charge up, with sparks visible around its body.

“Another pokemon you might find helpful in the wilds is Crogaunt or Magby. These two are good at clearing different obstacles. These two also have a strong fondness for eggs.”

Anita came to stand beside Nadia and tapped a pamphlet on the trainer’s shoulder, extending the paper for her to take. “You may also select from the pokemon available in the lab. The choice is yours.”

[Nadia Banes]

The garden settled the nerves that had erupted at the sight of the intimidating ambassador. She’d seen the woman in passing, and her image wasn’t hard to find in the city, but Nadi admitted to herself that Anita Nguyen in person, in this context, was a different thing to handle. And if she had to wait, not only did it give her time to find her calm again, she got to look at the blooming greenery while she did it.

“A pleasure, ma’am, and I look forward to it,” Nadia murmured as she followed the woman onto the grass, returning her smile politely. Her eyes slid keenly to the revealed pokemon. Her smile became a grin when the Skarmory preened, and didn’t change as the Kangaskhan loomed over her, though she directed it briefly up at the marsupial. There was definitely a size selection here – large, medium, and small! She was vaguely familiar with both Skarmory and Kangaskhan, and had at least seen pictures of the others if not around the city. The young woman tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, containing her anticipation.

Her eyes flicked to Anita and eagerly back to the pokemon in front of her even as she took the pamphlet from the ambassador’s hand, examining the pictures therein with half of her attention. Hundreds of scenarios flicked through her head, brain running through the pros and cons of each pokemon as much as she could, already discarding the pamphlet choices - she did find a preference for the pokemon in front of her. It was a bit irrational, honestly. And really, this was her decision, so it didn’t need to be perfectly rational, did it?

“I do believe I would like to partner with Kangaskhan,” Nadia said, decision settling on her shoulders. “Though, of course, it has been a difficult decision, and all of you will be wonderful partners to someone.”

[Jenn]

Anita nodded in acknowledgement of the new trainer’s decision. A glimpse of a smile lifted her lips; the young girl had picked a good partner for her adventures. She quickly recalled all the other pokemon before dropping Kangaskhan’s pokeball in Nadia’s hands. Returning to the table in the gazebo, the Ambassador motioned for the trainer to take a seat facing her.

She placed the pokeballs back in the dark wooden box while retrieving other items from the box, which she slid towards the trainer across the table. The stack contained 3 minimized pokeballs, a toolbag, an X-gear with a Holo chip and a booklet. The booklet contained a list of hundreds of items for the trainer to choose from. Trainer Items, Survival stiff, Tools, Weapons, you name it.

“You may choose seven Survival Items under 35₪, as well as a Melee Weapon.”

---

After the trainer picked her items the Ambassador stood up. “Just tell Karen at the front desk your choice of items and she will fetch them for you from my supplies. I don’t know what you plan to do from here, but I would suggest making your way to New Pallet and see about exploring further out. My number is already installed in the Holo chip; don’t be afraid to call if you require assistance.” The mentor extended her hand to the trainer with an exhausted but sincere smile. “Any questions before you go?”

---

You may choose Kangaskhan’s Name, Ability and Gender.

[Nadia Banes]

The cool metal of the pokeball warmed quickly in Nadia’s eager grip. She rolled it over and around her fingers agilely, taking the seat across from the ambassador and accepting the stack of items. Kangaskhan’s pokeball she tucked away in her jacket pocket, preferring both hands to inspect the proffered goods – pokeballs set aside, the tool bag good quality (not that she expected otherwise – Anita did not seem a woman to foist off subpar goods on her mentees). The X-gear Nadia strapped to her wrist smartly before picking up the pamphlet to peruse the other items.

The prospect of a weapon brought a settled sense that she hadn’t realized was missing – not even the impending freedom of her journey or the excitement of a pokemon had reminded her of how good it felt to be able to defend herself. She’d lost her own knives in the attack on her family, and it hadn’t been a priority in recent years, with her mother’s condition.

So it was no surprise that the weapons section was the first she flipped to, pleased to find dagger listed as an option. She’d only used small knives previously, but perhaps the ambassador’s store of weapons contained variety, since the pamphlet only offered a small picture and description. Already having an idea of what was necessary for travel, the process didn’t take long, though Nadia shot glances at Anita over the pages. She was fine if the woman was in a hurry – she had said there was another appointment after theirs, after all.

But the ambassador merely waited until Nadia placed the pamphlet on the table before standing, an action Nadia hastened to copy. “I’ll definitely head that way. I have no questions, so I’ll leave you to your next appointment. It was nice to meet you, ma’am.”

---

So that'll be the x3 pokeballs, tool bag, holo chip&gear and:
tent
bedroll
water filter
flint and steel
canteen
machete
trail rations
dagger

[Olive]

[Thread Complete]