11.22.15 -- We are approaching the holiday season very rapidly. I understand that things get busy around this time of year, just try and make sure that you don't forget about us! And, because winter is coming, things in Rakuen are about to change! Our winter event will be starting on December first so keep your eyes peeled for it and be sure to participate. You won't want to miss out. Enjoy the last little bits of your fall!
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Mina stumbled as she pressed against the double doors of the pokemon lab. She pushed with her right side, leaning on her left leg, because she didn’t trust her right one. Finally the doors opened. They opened so abruptly that Mina lost her balance. In her haste not to let her nose meet the shiny tile, she flailed her arms and landed on her left knee. Not a good idea. Her lips parted as a scream of pain escaped her. Heat and pinpoints radiated from her kneecapt up to her thigh.
Almost too quickly she tried to stand, again leaning on her left leg. Another mistake for her. The pain multiplied to the point she gave up on that idea. Instead she rolled until her legs were no longer under her. Leaning on her right side this time and only using her right leg to stand, she managed to become vertical again. She rubbed the white and gray support patch on her left knee. The pain wasn’t as bad now, but she had to sit down. Luckily, she found a chair in the corner.
Once sat, Mina could now take in the laboratory. It was large, that was for sure, at least twice the size of her living room back home. There were several other trainers standing around and most, if not all, were staring at her. Her olive cheeks took on a plum color as she looked away from them. Damn, haven’t you seen a girl with a bad knee before? She cursed under her breath. Mina wasn’t going to be fake and act like their stares didn’t hurt her. They did. Her parents looks of worry floated through her mind, but she quickly shook them off. No, she was nineteen and past due for this piece of happiness she wanted when she was ten. If it wasn’t for those freaking Poochyena then maybe she’d be a gym leader or even pokemon master by now! Again, she shook away the thought. No need to be a negative Nellie.
Her blue eyes glanced up again. Where was the professor anyways? Apparently a lot of trainers were waiting to receive their new starter. Mina didn’t mind though. The wait would let her leg pain fade, which would allow her to walk again. The only thing she hoped for was that her starter wasn’t a Poochyena. Just their faces drew fear into her. She wished it didn’t. Mina recognized that they were cute, but their fangs…all she saw were memories of blood and snarls when she looked at them. Instead, she hoped for maybe a Growlithe. For some reason she had always admired their bravery and protective instinct. Surely a fire puppy could protect her if a Poochyena attacked her again…Then again her cousing, Randall, had a orsola and she had fallen in love with the breed. They seemed so cheerful-the opposite of Mina Blackwood. Their determination to win though, was similar to Mina’s determination to survive and get through her pain.
Once more, Mina shook those thoughts away. She realized that she would be happy with whatever the Professor gave her. After all it would be her partner and if she didn’t like him/her, she’d need to live with that. Those thoughts left on their own though as another door in the lab opened. She wondered if it was her turn yet?
There he was, relaxing peacefully in the break-room, munching happily on his lunch. Dakota had been waiting for over two hours for a break in the new trainers in order to escape so that he could enjoy the spoils of his sandwich. Sadly, the peace was not kept. The interns that had been running the front lobby were suddenly overwhelmed with new trainers who all needed a new Pokemon of some sorts. The lab assistant sighed as one of the perky young girls came back to tell him that he was needed out front to try and reduce the number of people standing in the lobby.
In a matter of seconds, with his sandwich still in hand, he had most of the lobby cleared out. There was only one girl left sitting unattended to in the corner of their seating area. Dakota took a moment to take a large bite from his sandwich, quickly swallowing the bite whole. "I can help whoever is next right over here." His eyes bore into the girl as he called out the same words again hoping she would hear and join him at the desk. In the meantime while she was playing deaf, he munched away at half of a sandwich.
Mina glanced up, then did a double take. Where had all the trainers gone? There were at least thirty of them just in front of her. While she had been deep in thought, had they all gotten their Pokémon? Sure, that could happen, but so quickly? She bit her lip nervously. Did the professor rush the process? This was bad. Mina was very bad at decision making, let alone decision making very quickly. Her cousin had always had to make her decisions for her when she was growing up. Mina realized choosing a Pokémon was a bit harder than deciding what color socks you’d wear that day, which made her even more stressed. She knew she wanted someone she could deal with. No one loud and obnoxious. She also knew he had to be able to grow up large or strong. Enough, so that if her knee did fail her, she could rely on the Pokémon to assist her. Both her Growlithe idea and Corsola idea could do that. Growlithe of course because they were loyal and when they grew, they grew big. Corsola, because they were sturdy and steadfast. Mina shook her head again. She was sure the professor would have at least one Pokémon that matched those qualifications. Or, at least, she hoped he would. Otherwise she knew she wouldn’t be able to cope. He better not give me an Igglybuff or a Poochyena…She thought to herself. If she received an Igglybuff there would be a long, hard road in front of her. And if she received a Poochyena? There would be no road at all. The fears would be too much for her. She knew she would most likely run from the lab if given that choice, which would be embarrassing. Most people thought Poochyena were cute pups. They wouldn’t think that if they knew what she had been through, or knew what Poochyena were capable of, once in a pack.
Mina shook away those awful thoughts and lifted up her head once more. Her eyes scanned the room until she finally set her eyes on the back door again. There, standing in front was a tall man in a thick overcoat, a half-eaten sandwich in his right hand. She realized he might be the professor, so she tried to stand. Unfortunately, a loud cracking sound came from her leg and she fell back into her chair. Mina rubbed her left knee, willing it to try again, all the while the pain was increasing again. Screw it. She reached behind her and pulled out the hand-maid cane her cousin had made for her. It was carved from cherry-wood and painted a brilliant red. Although beautiful, Mina hated using it. People tend to stare at handicap people and Mina wasn’t good at stares, or being called handicap. It was just a bum knee after all.
Again, she tried to stand. Although, the pain was still there, due to the pressure not being on her knee anymore, but her cane, it was manageable. She limped to the man, her cane thwak, thwak, thwak all the way there. When she reached him, she ignored whatever look he would give her. Instead she tried to smile-not easy given her pain.
“Professor? I’m Mina Blackwood and I’m here for my pokemon.” She stated as confidently as she could and waited.
Dakota watched as the girl struggled to walk over. A part of him wanted to go help her so that she could be comfortable but as she grabber her cane, he knew that she would not accept his help. She had a stubborn air about her, something that would probably never go away. The assistant made a small mental note of that before she arrived. It would be something to consider when giving her Pokemon options.
After she arrived in front of him, the girl said her name was Mina. Before stating her name she said the silliest thing. She thought that Dakota, a man with a sandwich that had been stream-lining the whole process was the man in charge. He chuckled as he took a seat in the desk chair and shook his head. "Here, take a seat and rest your leg. I'm not the professor by a long shot, Mina. I am one of his close assistants though and have been working in this lab for almost five years. I promise you are in good hands." If he took in the injured leg that seemed to be permanently injured, the stubborn air and the fact that she was a little older than most new trainers, Dakota was left with three extremely good options for starters. The man reached into the drawers of the desk that was behind him and sifted around for the three Pokemon he had been thinking of.
Once the Pokeballs were safely in his hands he set them before Mina. "I have three options for you, the first being a very gentle Deerling. He is the spring form and will stay that way most of the time unless you have him out on the day of a season change. Next I present to you a Vullaby. She is still a fairly young Pokemon but she has quite a bit of heart and will love you until the ends of the earth. Lastly I have a Pikachu. This little guy is far different from the other Pokemon as well as other Pikachus. He is completely blind which has given him more understanding than other Pokemon. His blindness doesn't effect him though because he uses his tail as eyes." Dakota leaned back, pleased with his options and hoping that Mina would be pleased as well. "You are free to release any of the Pokemon if you want to interact with them to help decide."
Mina took in a deep breath as she sat at the desk, making sure to hide her blushing cheeks with her violet bangs when the assistant said he wasn’t the professor. As he put the three pokeballs before her though, she glanced up. Three red pokeballs sat in front of her; a spring deerling, a young vullaby, and a blind Pikachu. She should have been disappointed about no Growlithe or Corsola, but instead she was filled with excitement for the three Pokemon. She knew she had to choose wisely, after all, she hoped they would be with her forever. She knew living as a trainer would be unpredictable. Her own father was proof of that. Mina recalled tales that he had told her of him battling, and how some of his pokemon never made it back from the fight. A chill ran up her spine, making the hairs on her neck stand on end, as she thought about that. Her father would have such a morose look on his face when he recalled these time. Mina didn’t want to do the same thing.
As for the Pokemon before her, she knew a bit about them already. Deerling were usually timid, but could be determined and persistent in battle. Although they started out small, they grew up to be powerful Sawsbuck who you didn’t want to mess with. Vullaby were more of a mystery to her. She hadn’t encountered them ever in her homeland of Hoenne. Not even her father, a season Pokemon trainer himself, had seen one for himself. She knew though, mostly by word of mouth, that they were a dark-flying type, but that was all she knew. They were rumored to be great fighters who didn’t back down. But Mina was still unsure. The assistant had said it was still young. Would that mean clingy? Lastly she had a Pikachu…A blind Pikachu. She had wanted a pokemon who could support her and help her when she wasn’t able to help herself anymore, but did she actually want a Pokemon who could understand her instead? With them both having disabilities she was sure that would earn points in the bonding process, which, she had heard, was crucial for becoming great partners. The assistant had assured her that Pikachu’s blindness didn’t affect his fighting, and that it ‘saw’ with it’s tail. She didn’t know if that would be enough, but also knew she could just judge a Pokemon by it’s Pokeball.
Mina was indecisive as it was and knew she’d need to see the Pokemon to make a better choice. Even though she had a good feeling, choosing would be difficult even after seeing them. Ever since she was little she was teased for being so bad at decision making. It wasn’t that she made bad choices, but it was that she made no choices. She would take nearly thirty minutes just deciding what to have for breakfast. Mina knew that choosing her first Pokemon would be a bit more important than deciding between eggs and bacon or French toast. “I’d like to interact with them then.” Mina decided as she grabbed the pokeball farthest to the right. She ungraciously got to her feet and walked a few feet so the desk wasn’t in her way. With a click of a button a yellow mouse pokemon was released. Mina instantly recognized it as a Pikachu. She was pleasantly surprised; if it hadn’t been for the Pikachu’s very pale blue, almost white eyes, he would look just like any other Pikachu.
She got on her good knee to kneel. Although she had her doubts about the Pikachu, Mina had to give it a chance.
“Pikachu?” Mina whispered. Instantly Pikachu stood back on his haunches and flicked his ears so they stood tall. He’s listening for me. Mina smiled. She had only whispered, but, as she guessed, his senses were sharper than a normal pokemon’s due to his disability. The Pikachu came up to her and raised his head so his eyes were turned to her, even though he couldn’t see her. He cried out loud and grinned before letting sparks fly from his cheeks.
“So you want to fight, huh? I like your spunk but maybe not.” Mina sighed. She knew she could barely handle her own pain, though she wouldn’t tell anyone that, how could she rely on a Pokemon with a disability? She had wanted a Pokemon who could support her if ever she was unable to. As she watched the Pikachu feel around with his tail to the ground, unusual since most Pikachu held their tails high, she began to lose hope for him. Then an idea struck. “I just have to see something.” Mina groaned as she reached into her pocket to take out a piece of paper. She flapped it a few times to get Pikachu’s attention. “Pikachu,” The yellow pokemon turned to her again. “If you can hit this was an electric attack, but not hit me, then you might have a chance.” She challenged.
Mina wasn’t sure that he would even listen to her, but he seemed determined to get out of the lab and train already, so he did as told. How he did it was another thing altogether. Mina watched as he got on all fours, tapped the ground with his tail to get baring, then stood on his toes and sniffed the air. He opened his mouth slightly, before grinning. He let out a sharp, confident cry before letting loose a single bolt of electricity. It easily knocked the piece of paper out of Mina’s hands before dissipating. To say she was impressed would have been untrue. She was more and realized this pokemon might just be able to help her out. “That was great.” Mina complemented the Pikachu before returning him to his ball.
Next she took the middle pokeball, limped to the middle of the room again, and released the Pokemon inside. It was a very fluffy black bird Pokemon, which Mina guessed was Vullaby. Instantly, the dark type pokemon jumped into her arms, rubbing her head against Mina’s chin. Mina stumbled back and fell, hitting her head against the chair.
“OW!” Mina growled. Vullaby cocked her head to the side, thoroughly confused. Mina put her down and attempted to stand up. Only, every time she tried, Vullaby jumped back on her. It got to the point Mina was getting annoyed. And she knew she couldn’t be annoyed with her partner. “Okay you’re cute and all, but sorry you’re too clingy. I can’t deal with you.” She returned Vullaby to her Pokeball.
After standing once more, she grabbed the last Pokeball. She released it, stepping back in case she was tackled again…But that didn’t happen. In front of her stood a Deerling who seemed to be taking everything in. Large brown eyes stared back at Mina, as if deciding whether to approach or not. Mina was still trying to regain her composure from the Vullaby, so she guessed her temper was warning Deerling to stay put. Mina breathed in and out for a few seconds before addressing the Pokemon.
“Deerling.” She called. Deerling cocked her head to the side, waited, then took a timid step forward…then another. Again Deerling waited until she sensed it was safe to approach this quick tempered stranger. “Sorry about that.” Mina reached out her left hand. Deerling took a step back, stared into Mina’s dark blue eyes, then stepped forward again, but not to her hand. Instead she nudged her elbow, where the Poochyena’s had hurt her so long ago. “Yeah Poochyena’s suck.” She put her arm behind her. That’s when Deerling stared up at her again and cooed. She headbutted her hip, so Mina pet her head. At least she wasn’t as difficult as Vullaby, but just to test it, Mina stepped back. “Back up, Deerling.” Deerling tilted her head, confused at the sudden change, but stepped back after a few seconds, her hooves clacked on the tile floor. “Okay good, now return.” She returned the brown and pink pokemon to it’s pokeball, then turned to the Assistant. “This is so hard. It’s between the Pikachu and Deerling though. Can I take a second to think?” She asked as she sat back into her chair.
This was hard, as expected. First there was Pikachu, who was definitely cute, but cute wasn’t what she needed. What she needed was determination and someone who could offer her support when she couldn’t offer herself that. Pikachu was talented, but why was her mind turning back to the Deerling? The way she had noticed her scars, then tried to comfort her about it? That was support and that was her trying to help. Mina laughed. I guess I already have my answer. “Alright, Mr. Assistant. I’ll go with the Deerling.” She handed back the two Pokeballs that contained Pikachu and Vullaby, but held Deerling's to her chest. She knew she had made the right choice and was very grateful that she had found the perfect Pokemon for her.
Congratulations on choosing your first Pokemon. You may now start your journey as a trainer. Below are the items that you receive in your starter pack as well as the needed information on your new Deerling. Enjoy!
Starter Pack -- Town Map -- Pokedex -- 5x Pokeballs
. Deerling || Female || Sap Sipper The Deerling is a gentle soul who only wishes to help. She keeps a careful eye on everyone and everything, making sure that she is being respectful of personal space as well as attitude. She is always listening and ever loyal. Truthfully a wonderful soul to travel with.
