Chelan yawned and stretched his arms skyward, then rolled over to the side and hopped off of his ride's back. With a smile, he patted his father's Pidgeot's shoulder. It would be the last time he would see it in a good long time, most likely. The large bird turned it's head to stare down at him. At first, the young trainer-to-be mistook the expression as affection,but then he remembered who he was looking at. He chuckled and reached into the satchel at his side, pulling out the last of the pokeblocks his parents had given him for this precise purpose. With a flick of his thumb, the pokeblock lifted into the air. With an equally practiced snap, the Pidgeot snapped it up at it's apex and munched happily before swallowing it.

"Bye, Jet!" He waved his arms as the bird grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Soon enough, he'd have his own pokemon to bond with, and he promised himself that by the time he returned to Mitdate town, he 'd have a team that would rival his father's. It was a strange thought, but the next time he would see Jet would probably be as an opponent in a pokemon battle. Chuckling at the high-shooting thought, he turned and gazed up at the pokemon laboratory. Everything started here. He started forward, walking up the path towards the front door that would open to his future.

Destiny crept up the hill that led to the Pokemon Lab up ahead. She was running a minute or two behind and she was not happy about it. She was all about perfection and punctuality. Showing up late to receive her first Pokemon could be viewed as an omen of a bad journey. She shook her heard she would not, could not let that happen.

She stuck out her chest as she made her way to the top of the hill. She was DestinyRae Morgenstern. Daughter of Adrian and Jordan Morgernstern. She was meant to do great things. Just because she was starting her Pokemon journey a few years late didn't mean that she was going to be behind. Oh no. In fact, she was going to study and work her fingers, and her Pokemon, to the bone until she was ahead of them all. After all, there could be only one Pokemon Master.

She marched down the hill humming a marching fugue as if preparing for battle. She stopped in her tracks and nearly fell over when she saw that she was not the only one who had arrived at the Pokemon Lab.

"And just who are you?" she sneered, "I was told that this was going to be a solo appointment and a solo expedition. I've waited a long time for this moment and nothing and no one is going to ruin it, ESPECIALLY SOME COCKY EYED BOY LIKE YOU!" she screamed at the unknown figure.

Chelan raised his hand to knock on the door, but even as he did he heard someone else stalking up the path towards him. He blinked and turned, tilting his head. As his ears and his pride were assaulted by the stranger, he leaned back and away. He didn't know who this person was, nor did he know why she was screaming at him, but he did know that it was rather impolite.

"Well, ah..." The boy scratched the back of his head. "I was just told to come in at any old time today." He motioned his confusion by holding his hands up in the air. "Sorry, but I don't think I really want to wait til a later time...I just flew in from across the region, and-" He stopped himself from blurting out the joke that was tired when his grandfather was in diapers. "And...er...I'm rather antsy to get my own 'expedition', as you put it, underway...I hope you won't mind, though?" Somehow, he thought she might mind. But not too much, surely. Right?

His eyes kept flicking to the door behind him and, half because he wanted to get himself out of this particular situation, he knocked on it.

Destiny watched the sniveling creature practically kneel before her and beg forgiveness for stealing her time slot. Well, that wasn't really what happened but she could pretend couldn't she?

She stood there for a moment tracing her foot in the sand musing about what to do. By the look of this wimp if she screamed at him one more time he would probably get out of there fast and she could continue her day undisturbed and alone.

But she couldn't help but be slightly comforted by his presence. She eyed the boy up and down. He seemed down to earth, carefree, and well, normal. It was the last part that irked her slightly. Destiny was not a huge fan of normal. Normal was boring and boring was what she had been subjected to for the last fifteen years.

Still she thought to herself It might be nice to have some company for a change.

She felt herself slowly start to warm up to the boy, just a bit. She would give him a chance. His company felt nice and was probably only temporary anyhow. She decided to make the best of the situation at hand.

"I'm uh, sorry we got on the wrong foot. I can be a little cranky in the morning." she said cheerily. "My name's Destiny but my friends call me Rae. Well, they would if I had any. I should certainly like them to if I did," she said speaking quickly and blushing slightly at the mention of friends.

She hoped her sudden change in mood wouldn't frighten him, but she wasn't counting on a positive reaction to her sudden change of heart. Destiny had a sort of tendency towards mood swings. In fact her unpredictable patterns were what had cost her a social life. She had made a promise to herself just days ago to try to stay calm and here she was not even five minutes into her journey and already trying to pick a fight with some strange boy. She'd have to be more careful and watch her temper. Though that was going to be quite the task considering she needed to focus all her attention on her training. Then again, she always was good at multi-tasking.

Destiny was trying to repair a rather terrible first impression when she was interrupted by a unorganized looking woman whom she assumed was the Pokemon Professor.

Well this is certainly not what I was expecting, she thought to herself.

She followed the woman down the corridor that led to the woman's office. The Pokemon Professor had accused her of being late. She froze in her tracks. H-how did she know? She had only been a moment or two late and had arrived several minutes before the woman had opened the door. Destiny began to wish that the floor would open up and swallow her whole, but no such luck was to be found.

The woman began chatting to her and the quiet boy still at her side. Suddenly, the woman's chatty tone turned serious and pointed as she directed herself straight to Destiny. She snapped her fingers impatiently and waited for Destiny to tell her just what they were doing here.

Why am I here? This ladies gotta be kidding. Why does any kid visit the Pokemon Lab, to get a first Pokemon of course. Duh. What a reject.

Destiny rolled her eyes slightly before answering. She tried to stop the gesture from being visible but she knew both the Professor and the boy had seen her act of rudeness.

"I, uh, we're here for our first Pokemon, err at least that's why I'm here. I don't really know him so I don't know why he's here. Is this not a good time? I can come back later, you look like a mess. I-I I mean you look like you could use a rest. Yeah that's what I meant!" She snapped her mouth shut so as not to nail the proverbial last nail in what was about to be her coffin when the Professor told her to get lost.

Oh why did I have to open my big fat mouth she thought. I wish she had just asked that other kid I'm sure he wouldn't have made a total fool of himself.

Even though the girl was now approaching him with more friendly words, he was suddenly more wary of her than ever. Thankfully, Professor Pierce saved him from the overwhelming awkwardness. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed her down the hallway.

He was half listening to her, really. Actually, he was more focused on what he was just starting. His mind wandered to the choice of pokemon he'd have. Not that it was all that much of a choice. His mind had been made up on the way here. A bit too late, he chuckled at the fact that the professor had called this Rae person out on being late. He let himself phase back into reality enough to hear her send an accidental insult. This was already shaping up to be an interesting adventure. Now they'd been stopped for a while, and Chelan wondered what the question was. Piecing things together from the response that he'd sort of heard, he came to the conclusion that there was something about their goal. Or something.

"As for me..." He cleared his throat, as opposed to letting the silence after Rae's fumble, "I'm here to start an adventure with a new friend. I'm gonna set out and do my best and win some badges, and then I'll return home and show my family that even though I did what they wanted, I did it my way. Then I can finally kick my dad's butt in a pokemon battle. I dunno, I'll figure it out as I go, I guess...." His voice kind of petered out towards the end. His resolution seemed to dwindle a bit, but that's how things went in his head, sometimes.

"Oh I uh," Destiny stammered after looking like a total ditz when not understanding the professor's question. She traced a line in the cement with her foot and paused slightly before answering.

"I want to be a Pokemon trainer, no a Pokemon master. My Pokemon and I will work hard day and night to be the best that we can be. You see, I know I'm late and that I have a lot of catching up to do. I would have started my journey a few years ago but then no one would have been able to take care of my brothers and sisters. But then a few months ago my brother Aiden turned fourteen and my parents were so proud of my commitment to my family that Aiden took over caring for them and my parents told me I could finallly start my Pokemon journey!"

She raised her hand in the air in a celebratory motion and flashed a large smile at the Professor which quickly turned into an awkward half grin. "But you didn't need to know all that. Here I am telling you my life story when you've got so many important things to do, places to go people to see."

So yes, I'm DestinyRae but I prefer just Rae and I want to be the ultimate Pokemon master. That is why I am here to get this starter Pokemon and that is what I plan to do!" She said half triumphantly and half awkwardly.

Chelan smiled cheerfully as Rae finally got around to fully answering the question that had been posed to her. "Sounds like a grand old time, if you ask me." He grinned a little, crossing his arms. "So...I haven't really ever done this before. Do we like...just pick one?" He crossed his arms and tilted his head, gazing at the wall of pokeballs. There were so many...it was strange to think that just one of them would be his partner. Each one of them had a small chance to walk out with him, but as soon as he touched one, everything would solidify. It sent chills down his spine, actually, how quickly everything was about to change.

He leaned on a nearby table and let himself take it all in. The enormity of the world at large, the undertaking he was coming upon, the sheer number of different pokemon in the world, the trainers he'd face, the gyms he would beat, the roads he would travel- The whole thing was just so....big. He caught a glimpse of it all as he flew over the region on the back of his father's Pidgeot. He was eager to walk over it the hard way. And perhaps some day he would have is own flying type pokemon, and he could take to the sky whenever he wanted. And it would all start with one pokeball, right now.

Destiny breathed out a small sigh. So this wasn't going to be as easy as grabbing a Pokemon and running. She was going to have to chit chat for a while. The Professor wasn't nearly as off putting as she had first thought and she was actually starting to warm up to her a bit. She could feel her mood lift and her emotions cool to a nice stable calm. This must be what it felt like to be around people and have conversations with them. It was a nice feeling. She was sad that it would probably end soon.

If only I didn't have to travel aloone she found herself wishing.

"Well, I prefer fire pokemon. I love Growlithe and Rapidash, but actually my favorite Pokemon is Pikachu. It's just so adorable! Also, I don't think I'd be a type trainer I think it's a good idea to have a well rounded team so that I'm ready in any situation. I wouldn't want to risk hurting my Pokemon by having it fight something that it was very weak against," she said. Hoping the Professor would appreciate her answer.

"Type?"

Chelan had never thought of it. He found it a bit odd, actually. In all his time studying pokemon, he never really chose a favorite type. He began fishing through his head, sorting pros and cons. Water pokemon were pretty cool, but then again Electric types were nothing to shake a stick at. Grass type pokemon could pull off some crazy combos, but fire could completely overpower anything in it's path. Rock and steel were sturdy and dependable, Dark and Ghost were mysterious and powerful. So many different types, but...

"Well...I don't really care." He shrugged in response to the question. "The type of a pokemon really doesn't matter all that much to me, and none of them really appeal more than any other..." He frowned internally. "I'm not sure what that means." It was indeed a mystery to him. But what DID it mean? Was he a weirdo? Did everyone have a favorite type? Was he the only one that didn't? Why did people have favorite types in the first place? Well, ok, that one was kind of obvious, but...This would have to be something he would look into as his journey commenced.

Chelan followed the Professor out into the poke-playpin. He smiled slightly at the variety and the number of pokemon that were here. He waded into the mass of bodies, hovering his feet just a few inches above the ground, to avoid stepping on said tails. A few feet pawed at his legs. He reached down to scratch at a few friendly heads, which butted into his hands. It was a little overwhelming, actually. He chuckled a bit to himself.

From a short distance away, a pair of eyes stared at the newcomers. They blinked a few times, and a mouth below the ovules grinned. A slight blur emerged from a set of shrubs nearby, bounded over the top of a few of the pokemon, and attached itself to the back of the nearest person's shirt. "Vwee!"

Chelan blinked and stood straight up, feeling the tiny claws scratch at his back lightly. It didn't really hurt, but it was surprising. He turned his head to try and see what had attacked him, but he only opened himself up to further attack. A set of teeth nabbed his earlobe, Not harshly, mind you, but still enough to make him wince lightly and lose his balance. He teetered a little and tried to catch himself, but as one foot left the ground he fell to the side. The other pokemon cleared a space for him, and by the time he hit the ground and regained his senses he was on his back, and on his chest sat a slightly scruffy looking Eevee who looked just as pleased with herself as she could be. She grinned and swooshed her tail, holding her chin high in the air. "Vwe."

Destiny wandered through the pack of Pokemon searching for the perfect starter. She tried to approach a friendly looking squirtle who ran away as soon as she got close. She was greeted by a filthy looking chickorita whom she scoffed at and walked away from.

Destiny watched as Chelan seemed to be almost fatefully paired with a small eevee that had tackled him to the ground. She sighed heavily. If only it were that easy she thought sadly.

After a few moments of wandering Destiny's eyes fell on a group of tiny pichu. "They're so adorable!" she squealed. She walked slowly towards the pack of pichu holding a small tidbit of Pokemon food in her hand that she had brought with her from home. She was glad she had thought to pack some before she left.

A scruffy pichu with extra long black tufts of black fur on it's ears approached Destiny, it's eyes on the morsel of food in her hands. "Come here little guy," coaxed Destiny, urging the pichu towards her. The pichu came close to Destiny snatched the morsel of food with it's teeth and ran up a tree to devour it's prize.

"Hey," called Destiny teasingly, "Come back pichu! It's not polite to eat and run." The pichu perked it's ears up finished it's morsel and ran back down the tree. It found a place for itself on Destiny's lap and curled up to take a nap, snoring softly and squeakily as it slept. Destiny sat quietly and stroked the pichu as it slept. She allowed herself to relax and enjoy the cool summer breeze and the shade of the large oak tree above her.

The boy tried to say something, but the Eevee on his chest had stretched and stood so that her front paws were on his mouth. "Mph mmm mum mmurum." He blinked and reached up, trying to move the fox-like creature off him just a little. She struggled and slinked free of his hand, but her paw wasn't on his face anymore. "Well, I suppose if I can't choose a type to like, I might as well chose one that can let me decide later."

He sighed a bit. But hey, the thing was actually kinda cute, as she sat there cleaning her face. Scrappy, this one was. She mewed and glanced back at him as Prof. Pierce mentioned something about nicknames. He did want to give his pokemon a nickname...it felt right. But he needed to choose a good one. Something that meant something. His mind flashed back through friends he'd had, family he cared for, other pokemon his family had owned. Then he tossed all those names aside. He stared at the Eevee, concentrating hard on it's confused face.

"Um...Carol?" As he attempted, she narrowed her eyes and growled. "Um, ok...Tessie?" Her eyes narrowed further. "Shimon?" She raised a paw and flashed her claws dangerously. "Um, um, ok...Abby?" She stared some more, and a few tense seconds later she looked away and retracted the sharp points. Chelan sighed in relief. Looks like that one stuck. The Eevee (Abby, rather) hopped off of him and allowed him to get up. He stood and walked out of the pen, closing the gate behind him. Abby leaped up onto her soon-to-be trainer's shoulder. Or, as she seemed to think, her newest conquest.

Destiny chuckled to herself as she watched a small eevee 'claim it's trainer.' She looked down at the little Pichu sleeping in her lap. Now what do i call you she mused. Well, first she needed to find out whether it was a boy or a girl. She thought about simply asking the Professor for the gender of the creature but then changed her mind and decided to solve the mystery on her own.

At that moment she heard a soft yawn as the Pichu began to wake up. "Hey there little guy," Destiny said, "You are a guy right?" The Pichu smiled and chirped in response. Well that was easy she thought to herself.

"Now, a cute little pichu needs a cute little name," she cooed. The pichu glared at her, she could tell then that he didn't appreciate being spoken to like a child, even though he was very young. "Okay my mistake," said Destiny sighing. "How about... Gerald?" she asked. The pichu shook it's head in disagreement. "Yeah, I don't like Gerald either," she laughed. "Hmm, Jake, Mike, Jordan?" The last name perked up the Pichu's ears and he chirped in approval. "All right," she said laughing, "Jordan it is. You and I are gonna be really good friends," she said reassuringly while continuing to pet the Pichu and feed him another piece of food.

She sighed. It felt as though they had been at the Pokemon Lab all day and yet she really wasn't ready to leave. She had enjoyed the extra leisure time. She enjoyed playing and frolicking with the Pokemon and meeting new people. Chelan may be boring, but he was also sweet and kind. She found herself wishing she could travel with him. She thought about asking him to join her but she figured it was a little too early to bring up the topic so she said nothing. Instead S=she glanced over at him and the new found Eevee on his shoulder and flashed them both a wide grin.

"Okay Professor," she shouted as she closed the gate behind her with Jordan in hand, "We've got our Pokemon and our nicknames. What's next?"

"Oh no Professor, thank you," said Destiny smiling. "Today's been a really great day and it's all thanks to you and Chelan!" At that moment the tiny Pichu lightly sunk it's teeth into Destiny's arm. "Yow!" she yelped "And Jordan too of course!" she said while patting the tiny Pokemon on the head.

She stood there smiling at the Professor and Chelan and wondered where they would go next. There were so many towns and so many Pokemon. She wanted to visit them all!

"In fact, I was thinking. Hey Chelan! Do you wanna travel together? Maybe just for a while. It can be nice to have some company on the road." she said smiling. "I'm also a pretty good cook," she said with a wink.

Chelan smiled as he took his fair share of the swag they'd been given. Abby swayed a bit on his shoulder, and caught herself by sinking claws in and holding tight. Wincing slightly once more, he made a mental note to buy a backpack so that she could rest on it. It was either that or buy so many extra shirts that he would need a backpack to hold them all anyway.

When he was addressed by that Rae girl, he turned to look at her. "Company, huh?" He pondered. His dad had driven the point into his head that as he traveled every trainer on the road would want to battle. That sounded troublesome, to be sure. With two people, maybe he wouldn't have to necessarily battle every single time. Also, it could be dangerous out there. The two of them travelling as a pair would be a lot safer.

"That sounds good." He shrugged a bit. "Having some company would be great. Probably be safer too." He smiled. "Thank you, Professor. I'll be sure to come back and visit some time. I'm kind of interested in what you do here." He picked up the pokeball that belonged to Eevee. He pointed it back up at her and leaned back a little. "Alright you, take a little break, ok?" Really, he needed to get the claws out of his shoulder for a bit. Abby poked the button on the front of the ball with her nose. A moment later, he shrunk the ball and slid it into the bag at his hip.