You walk around the forest, avoiding the tall grass and any shady clearings as possible. Soon enough, you find yourself observing a couple bee Pokémon you haven't seen before, shocker, I know. You're unsure as to what these creatures are, but it's clear to you that staying away from them is the best option for now, at least until you have a Pokémon of your own to defend yourself with.
You venture on a paved path that seems to lead to a fork in the road. You look up and try to see the lab from where you are, but it seems the leaves and branches have gotten thicker and bushier than you previously thought possible. You'll have to make a risky choice and hope it's the right one, but just as you try making a choice, you suddenly hear what sounds like a howl in the distance. You assume it's some kind of canine Pokémon, but something about the howl sounded different.
It almost sounded like something was whistling into the howl itself, like wind passing through a wooden instrument. You start to pick up on a strong smell, the smell of timber wood. You immediately deduce that this is one of the forest's native species of Pokémon, but you don't have any Pokémon to defend yourself with.
As you close your eyes and brace for the worst, you feel a soft, yet firm hand grasp onto your arm and pull you onto the right path, in the literal sense. A hand covers your mouth, and your eyes snap open. You follow the arm and see who it belongs to. A woman with navy hair, streaks of silver and white, and wears a black labcoat adorned with stars.
Before you can attempt to say anything through her hand, she puts a finger to her lips, almost like she's telling you to be quiet. The sound of trees being disturbed and uprooted from the ground was the least of your problems.
From beyond the hiding place the professor pulled you into, you could see the Pokémon that let out that whistling howl. It was a large wolf-shaped creature, its skin looked to be sculpted and widdled from timber wood, all while large thorn-like nails protrude from the ends of its feet. Its eyes glowed yellow with an aggressive and primal fervor, but before it could try and track whatever it was picking up, the beast sniffed the air, growled and immediately went back the way it came.
The professor immediately pulls you up to your feet and pulls you down the path by your ear. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young man. You couldn't heed the warnings on the sign, could you!? The fact that you don't look like anyone in Ponville Town tells me all I need to know. You're that boy from the Orre region who was supposed to be my new assistant, and now I have to deal with my brand-new assistant nearly getting himself mauled to death by a Fibrewulf!" Professor Nocturna was clearly not in the best mood at the moment, and she definitely didn't seem this agitated on the tape, from what you can recall. "Relocate your lab, she said. We can finally find another use for our old castle and save on resources, she said. You'll be fine, she said. Why did I listen to my idiot sister again?! Oh, that's right, she funds my research, the same research that has basically become utter garbage!" Nocturna growled, mumbling to herself.
You take notice of where she's pulling you, and before she can say another word, she notices your attention being grabbed by the sight of her lab. "Yes, it's a nice place, but look at the location it's in! All of these renovations are useless when the lab is in the midst of the Everfree Forest, but did my sister care? No!" Nocturna griped, pulling you into the lab.
The inside of the lab was grand and large, consisting of computers, solar panels, as well as various guards and scientists in lab coats. You weren't even listening to Nocturna's continued rant about her sister anymore, you were just enamored by how high-tech and high-maintenance this place was. Once an abandoned and dilapidated castle that had such rich history, was now refurbished and renovated into a Pokémon laboratory fit for royalty. It almost felt disgraceful to step into such a building, much less be dragged in by the professor who owns it.
Nocturna dragged you over to a table covered in a star-patterned cloth, with three Poke Balls present on the table. "You, wait here. Don't leave this spot and especially don't touch those Poke Balls! Not without my say so. I need to get my blood pressure medication, I'm way too high strung right now." Nocturna instructed firmly.
The professor leaves up a set of stairs, and goes to find her medication, leaving you on your own to wait on her return. So many questions are going through your head. Why was she so high strung? Why was she taking her aggression out on you? Was she that mad you didn't show up on time, or was there another reason at play?
It was hard to tell with the professor, she looked like she was running herself ragged, when exposed to some proper light. She had bags under her eyes, unlike how she looked in the VHS tape, basically glowing with youthful vigor, now she's basically acting aggressive.
Before you could ponder on possible theories for her behavioral change, you saw her coming back, and she seemed a bit calmer than before, though she still looked like a bit of a wreck. Her hair was frizzy and unkempt, she was clearly deprived of a few good hours of sleep, but she seemed to be in a much better mood, all of a sudden.
"Phew... good thing I found my medication, otherwise I'd probably go mad by this point if I didn't have them... You there, young man, forgive me for my abhorrent and aggressive display, for it was not my intention to act in such a manner towards you, I was merely agitated that my last assistant basically walked out on me two days prior to your arrival," You nod your head, and the professor pointed to where your head was injured amidst the fall. "I hope your head injury has healed nicely, I would've met you at the hospital for an escort to take you to my lab, but by the time I was informed of your arrival, you had already found your way to the emergency route. I was thankful that the emergency route was made to be short and simple, but apparently not surveyed enough if a Fibrewulf could come out of the brush like that. That's on me, clearly my survey staff doesn't know what I pay them for." The professor explained, glaring over at a group of scientists who smile awkwardly and shudder at her presence.
You ask the professor if she's the same Nocturna from the vhs tape you saw, and she nods her head in approval, giving a warm smile.
"Why indeed I am, I must once again apologize for my outburst, I wasn't trying to direct my anger towards you, your head injury is a very sufficient reason for you running late, as well as not knowing where my lab was, that could also be because of it, I'm guessing," The professor walks over to a bookshelf and takes a couple books off the shelves and pockets them in her coat. "In any case, you should know that it's rather commendable to brave the Everfree Forest on your own, not many of my assistants can do what you did, and you did it all without a Pokémon of your own to protect yourself with. I commend your bravery in trying to seek out my lab, but I must ask, what happened to the guard who was supposed to escort you here?" The professor asked.
You explain to the professor what happened to the best of your ability, and her face goes a bit pale at the thought. You ask the professor if she's alright, but she immediately shakes off the feeling and tries to hide her emotions. "N-No, I'm fine! I'm just... shocked that you made it out of such a situation on your own. It was brave of you to grab the guard's Poke Ball, and you said it's in Nurse Redheart's hands at the moment?" You nod your head yes, and Nocturna seems to relax a fair bit. "Oh, good. I'll have to stop by the hospital and pick up the Pokemon Kenjins had with him, have his family decide if they wish to release it, or take it into their care. That poor creature, it probably doesn't even know its master is likely..."
The professor seems to space out for a moment, a look of melancholy and momentary grief pains her face, and she wipes a small tear from her eyes. "I'm fine, just remembered why I became a researcher..." The professor takes a deep breath and collects her thoughts. "Anywhom, I believe I'll give you some time, around maybe a week, maybe a month and a half to try and adjust to life in the lab, as well as to make yourself known to those in Ponville Town before I give you your first paid assignment... though it would be rather time consuming to send you back on your own, and the Everfree Forest's plentiful species of Pokemon can be rather... excitable, to say the least." The professor informed, now aware of the other problem she had with her lab being in this kind of environment.
The professor thought for a moment, and then her eyes shifted to the three Poke Balls on the table. She lets out a sigh, and smiles patiently. "Oh well, if it has to be done, then so be it. I shall provide you with one of the Eqtrot region's starter Pokémon. I'm well aware that calling them "starters" has been changed to labeling them as "partner" Pokémon, but to start out with such a unique and almost one-of-a-kind species, only to label it as your partner, it baffles me to see others in their ignorance," the professor took another breath and relaxed for a moment. "My apologies, some researchers nowadays have no respect for proper classifications, as you could probably guess, I'm a stickler for such details. But, enough chitchat, let me introduce you to the Eqtrot's STARTER Pokémon." The professor declared.
Nocturna wasted no time in grabbing the three Poke Balls and tossing them into the air, one by one, the starter Pokémon of the Eqtrot region were revealed in blinding flashes of light.
The first creature was a small white bunny creature with green leaf-like tips at the ends of its ears, as well as some needle-like spines poking out of its cheeks and a small orange nose. It had a brown bushy tail, which contrasted with its entirely white furry body, as did the green needle-like spines that sprouted from the bushy tail as well.
The second creature was a small round black bird that had a striking resemblance to both a baby chick, and a bomb. It had a small bronze nozzle on its head, with a small plume of fire burning out of it. It had small beady black eyes, and a big ol' beak. it had small nub-like flippers, and its body seemed to be made of a very sturdy bundle of charred feathers.
The third creature was a small blue baby gator with a vacant and thoughtless look on its face, as well as a wide smile. It opened its mouth to reveal that it had no teeth, it was all just gums. Aside from that, the creature had a tough tan-colored underbelly, as well as a small silver-colored spine growing out of the back of its head. Its back was covered in a small silver-ish chitin, but at the end of the creature's tail was a small brown rock.
The three Pokémon sat on the table, and at first, they seemed rather calm and eager, but then their personalities showed themselves in an abrupt fashion. The bunny scowled at you, crossing its little arms as it turns its back on you, while the small black bird flaps its flippers eagerly, and looks at you as if it's trying to study you. The small blue gator simply let its orange eyes go wall-eyed as it looks at you with the most thoughtless, but most adorable smile as it waddles its way towards you, only to then simply fall off the table without a care in the world.
You look at the professor, then back at the three starter Pokémon, and you are already trying to figure out your choice.
"Well, let me introduce you to them. The grass type starter is Shrubunny. As you can see, despite its small stature, and its cute and cuddly appearance, Shrubunny are known to be as abrasive and prickly as the needle-like spines that grow from their face, and as deceiving as the rocks that stick out of its tail." Shrubunny sticks its tongue out in a bratty manner and continues to ignore you.
The professor continues on with explaining. "The fire type starter is Bombirdi. Its resemblance to a bomb is no coincidence, I assure you, but there's no reason to be alarmed. Bombirdi are actually seekers of knowledge, they're always eager to learn more about the world and everything in it, but sometimes that eagerness can be a bit much for its body. The more excited it becomes, the brighter the flame on its head burns, and since it's already where a burning wick would be, let's just say it's gonna be brighter than a thousand exploding suns." Bombirdi looks at you with a look of intrigue and excitement, making you smile nervously.
The professor picks up the docile and affectionate gator Pokémon and sets it back on the table, booping its snout gently as it stands still. "And finally, the water type starter is Gumgew. Very little is known about this species, but we are constantly studying it to learn more about its habits. Despite it being a water type, all Gumgew seem to always have a rock on the end of its tail for reasons we have yet to confirm. As you already witnessed, this Pokémon is rather affectionate, as well as thoughtless. Most times when we get close to it, it will snap its toothless maw at us, often trying to bite us. We initially thought it was being hostile, but we've since confirmed it was its unique way of showing affection. Some researchers have said that Gumgew is like a metaphor for philosophy, but this remains undetermined. Me personally, I think they've finally lost their marbles." The professor explained.
Nocturna backs away from the table, leaving the three Pokémon to finally look at you, wondering which one of them is the one you'll pick.
"Well, three Pokémon with their own quirks and faults, but any of them could qualify as the starter Pokémon that speaks to you. So tell me, young man, which Pokémon do you choose as your starter? Shrubunny, Bombirdi, or Gumgew?" Nocturna asked.
It wasn't that hard of a choice, but at the same time, you made your choice rather meticulously. You were cautious, you were careful, but at the end of the day, this was gonna be the first Pokémon you raise and care for, till the day you die.
But, you came this far, and by this point, the choice was clear from the start...