<3
Ooc: I'm going to wing it, and see where this goes. >D Karl and Minnie are both solo, and since it seems that everyone else has buddyrooed off, i'm going to attempt this hookup. I have ambitions for a group of 3-4 though, so if anyone else is needing of travel partners, climb aboard. =)
Minnie tried to imagine that there was a spring to her step as she clambored wordlessly from the first-class ferry shuttling her from home, or what had been her permanent home up until this point at least, in the familiar, worn-down sister region to Johto, Kanto. A nervous frown twitched at the plump lips adorning her face, as self-consciously, she wondered about the Pokemon. No, not the wild Pokemon that might be classified as a starting-out trainer's numero uno concern, for their ruthless, vagabond natures, and constant zest for battle. Minnie had been affronted with countless of these creatures, some magnificent and few in population, while others common as the primitive weeds they dwelled in, but just as magnificent to Minnie as their rarer kin, but the Pokemon she had been promised, the one which would be bestowed on her immediately, in just a few paces, 'til death do them part.
Indecision clouding her ordinarily acute judgment, Minnie's wide eyes peeled open even further as she halted in her already Slugma-paced steps, giving Vince a meaningful stare.
"Shroom?" He questioned her nonchalantly, failing to catch the nervous gleam in his trainer's eyes. Minnie's shoulders dropped in the slightest, as wordlessly, she gathered the little Mushroom Pokemon up in her arms. With a grunt, Vince didn't bother to veil his awkwardness as he squirmed futilely against her affectionate embrace, momentary impatience flickering across his thick brow, until the caress of her sun-kissed cheek across the spores dotting the top of his head pulled the Shroomish into a comfortable lull, and he sighed in utter bliss.
Thirty seconds hadn't seemed to pass, before Vince was treading the air restlessly again, and this time, Minnie was forced to put the Pokemon down. He shook himself out with a disdainful snort, and impatience again flickering across his face, nudged his trainer into gear.
Nothing like a kick in the rear for a little motivation. Minnie thought finally, the usual muddled cloudiness of her brain giving way to coherent thought. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't usually prone to long, rambling drawls of thought the likes of which had been plaguing her today, she just felt overpowered by the atmosphere of glumness that had trailed after her since the yesterday eve, where, after an unbroken and enchanted spell spiraling sixteen years around the duo, Minnie hadn't been from the side of her best friend and partner Kenji for more than ten minutes, fifteen at the most. It had only been a couple hours' travel from Kanto to this destination, New Bark town, but Minnie was missing him sorely already.
Misery loves company, huh? She thought apprehensively, gaze hardening and fists balling up as she tried to cover her moment of emotional vulnerability with outward intimidation. The fact that only a couple Pidgey were tittering about, a welcome 'Kanto' sight, made no difference, Minnie seemed to be fronting for Arceus himself. Sighing and trudging along, she cursed herself for having so many doubts about this new adventure. Sure, Kenji wouldn't be along fror the ride, but it was better off this way, wasn't it? With the duo attached firmly and freakishly at the hip like Siamese Twins, while, had made for an interesting, and even charming little success story in the local papers of Kanto, hadn't done good for their individuality. Having grown up together, it was inevitable that they would posess many of the same personality traits, Quirk one: Their shared stubborness. Quirk two: Their intense to the point of over the top competitiveness in battling, and Quirk number three, and this was what Minnie had detested the most about them, their predictability. While formerly, when the pair had first begun to try their hands at battling, just two kids, she had been able to pull the wool over his eyes with ease, but now, as he had raised every Pokemon she had ever owned alongside her, shared in her delight when she discovered that one of her partners had developed a new move, had even assisted her in catching some of these Pokemon shamefully enough, and even worse, knew their innermost weaknesses.
The time apart would do them some good. Yet, despite this reasoning, Minnie still found it a bittersweet parting. More bitter than sweet, really. Actually.. She paused, contemplating.. Where's the sweet in this situation again? Minnie still hadn't spoken a word to Vince, and as irritable from the long boat ride as he had been, his naturally harsh facial features were softening, yielding to signs of tenderness and worry. He had only been sulking earlier when Minnie had tried to snuggle him, and feigning masculine irritation, as if giving in to his moody trainer would somehow lessen him.
"Shroom.." He muttered begrudgingly, and as Minnie perked up, acute to the only familiar living thing she had been granted to bring with her, and as the little Mushroom Pokemon spoke to her directly for the first time all day, she lit up in instantaneous delight. If there was one thing Minnie cherished as much as her best friend, it was raising and battling Pokemon. She had boasted quite a team before she had been drafted for this new adventure, though few in number for a competitive battling team, harnessing all the power, if not more, than some of Giovanni's Pokemon. All but Vince. Being the newest and least experienced Pokemon on Minnie's team had nothing to do with her near-impossible selection of which Pokemon to take with her, and which to leave behind with Kenji. It had been an emotional capture for Minnie, though it technically couldn't be classified as a "capture", as Vince had chosen Minnie of his own accord.
"What is it, Vince?" Minnie murmured dumbly, as if in a trance, failing to notice that rambunctious weeds and scrappy-looking Pidgey had given way to sidewalks, and pavement, and the persistent theme of dirt paths snaking through small towns. It was on one of these that Minnie started down, checking for the umpteenth time the letter she had been sentfor the address. Doubtfully, her eyes scanned the Laboratory she had been summoned to. She stood still some distance away, and noticed with a sinking feeling, that the other trainers, most of them having arrived hours earlier, were all already scuttling off, laughing boisterously, Pokedexes slung carelessly into knapsacks, new Pokemon like eager puppies bounding at their sides. It was then, like a light at the end of the tunnel, that Minnie allowed her overcast mood to dispel, and, breaking it up into harmless clouds, was a sunny smile, that, had any of the narrow-minded trainers been paying attention, could have lighted up all of New Bark Town.
"This is it, Vince. " Minnie announced with some finality, pale irises shifting nervously down to exchange a jittery glance with the Shroomish at her ankles. He grunted, in what was an indecipherable response. While Minnie's hands shook like a nervous parent's, Vince seemed unfazed by all the commotion, a tune in his step as he danced along contentedly beside Minnie. Due to the Shroomish's squat size, he looked more like a bumbling Oompa-Loompa than a chipper Pokemon. She wrung her hands in a common gesture of nervousness for her, and though she could see the silhouette of Professor Willow tapping her leathered foot impatiently against the decorative cobblestone spiraling their way up to the Lab entrance, Minnie, in an effort to retain her cool and calculative demeanor, kept up her sluggish pace, sizing the older woman up as she was sure Willow was sizing her up, feeling a bit flustered by the automatic appraisal.
Again feeling the need for phyiscal intervention, Minnie shifted her arms so that they offered her leverage in moving, while at the same time showing them off to the other woman. Muscles pruned and sculped to perfection lined her biceps, and while they weren't extraordinarily hulk-like, or even bulky, were shaped enough to where Minnie was remotely satisfied gave off the first impression she wanted Willow to get of her.
Minnie wouldn't tolerate being thought of as "Oh, just another girly trainer meandering around to collect like Pokepets for her fruity Coordinator contests." Minnie hoped more than anything that Willow recognized her potential as a prime candidate for a Pokemon Master, or a great trainer at least, and wouldn't saddled her down with some cutsie Pokemon on the pretense of being strong. Like Pachirisu. Don't get her wrong, Minnie loved coddling cute Pokemon as much as the next girl, but this new team, this Johto team, would have to be more practical than her odd menagerie of misfit Pokemon in the Kanto region. She wasn't just moseying around getting badges under her belt this time. No, this time, she wanted to prove boss at this unpredictible game of battling, and to be a key player, she would need to be contending with at least a mediocre Pokemon, aptitude-wise.
The last few steps between Minne and Willow were finalized, and Minnie came to an abrupt and sheepish stop, at a loss for words, until Willow, a hint of unwavering patience, and just a note of tolerance gave the girl a once-over once again.
"Minnie Jolicouer, right?" She verified, glasses sliding down the bridge of her very narrow nose as instinctively, she pushed them back up to her eyes.
"That's me." Minnie responded absent-mindedly, wishing she could fast forward all the formalities and small talk so she could meet her first Pokemon. Er.. Her starter Pokemon. It was easy to forget about Vince, looming quietly, like a miniature tornado, down at her heels. She grimaced to see that he was shooting Professor Willow an unappreciative glare, Professor Willow, who had invited them to this land, who was giving them one of the rarest technologies in creation, for free! Not to mention a new Pokemon. Though, depending on unstability regarding change, Minnie understood why he wouldn't be thankful for that. It hadn't been so long since the capture, and he had yet to warm to a single soul besides Minnie.
"Vince, come on." Minnie whispered urgently, trying to add emphasis, but wimping out when Vince cast stormy eyes on her instead. He had been relatively at ease mere seconds ago, but the reminder of why they were here had seemed to set him into a hissy fit. Professor Willow pretended not to listen in on their conversation as her long Ponytail swayed back and forth, in time with her footsteps.
"She's giving us our new, and maybe only comrade on this adventure, and if you don't make nice, may decide just to keep you here and experiment on you instead. She may be a Researcher, but I bet she's a mad Scientist at heart." Minnie whispered spitefully, meaning to get a chuckle out of Vince, and being rewarded with an exasperated frown from Professor Willow at the same time as a hint of a smile from Vince. He, however, seemed more amused that his antics had gotten her into the Doghouse. The hall was endless, or so it seemed to Minnie, and she didn't recall the Laboratory being so big from the outside. Most of the doors were locked, harboring precious research without doubt, but every now and again one would be ajar, revealing a Scientist studying a Pokemon, or a room filled with several incubators of Pokemon eggs. Minne wondered dreamily to herself if her Pokemon had been hatched in one of these eggs, or it had been recruited from one untamed little nook of a region that she would never experience. As many Pokemon as she had been raised up around on the Ranch, Minnie didn't doubt that there were a good number for her to still gander at.
Finally, Willow's willowy figure vanished into a vast, cavernous space, and Minnie, unsure whether to follow or not, wavered uncertainly on the outside. Vince raised an eyebrow up at her, to which Minnie just shrugged, biting the ends of her nails.
"Are you coming in or not?" Willow shouted finally, to which Minnie and Vince crept in, both feeling simultaneous uncomfort at all the steel and hard, cold, shiny plastic making up the lab. It was obvious that they were both much more at ease in the outdoors, where an easy getaway could be made, as opposed to cornered in a room with a woman that the both of them barely knew. Minnie searched around for common grounds to make small talk with the woman on, but was disgruntled to find that, despite this being a Pokemon laboratory, unlike Professor Oak's Lab, which was susceptible to Diglett popping up spontaneously, being bear-hugged by a Muk, or having Tea Sandwhiches across from a Kingler, not a single Pokemon roamed the halls unsupervised, and in fact, were handled in balls. This made Vince even more anxious than what he had been upon entering the Lab. Finally, she stood as near to the doorframe as possible, clinging to the one shred of the natural worl she could see, the sliver struggling through the single window at the end of the hallway Minnie and Vince had just traversed, flashing Professor Willow her most enthusiastic smile. From her morose look, Professor Willow knew better than to question the whereabouts of her battling partner, Kenji. Her less than eager attitude was understandable. She had arrived a day late, partnerless at that, and now, the usual zest and vigor shining ever-eminently in her easygoing personality was absent, replaced by nervousness, and paranoia. It was obvious she was unaccustomed to being alone.
Smiling genuinely, Professor Willow, knowing that there were few words to describe this moment, the moment that every trainer, nine or twenty nine, male or female, anticipates in their life, that the Pokeball is transferred, an Olympic torch, from Professor to rising young trainer. Minnie flushed, excitement mounting despite her earlier pledge not to let it. She just couldn't help it. The last time she had been given a Pokemon, it had only been to get her out of somebody's hair. But this little guy, or girl, Minnie reminded herself, was hers, she had earned it. And so, nails digging into the palms of her hands, she fingered the sensor of the front of the ball delightedly, holding her breath as a short, squat little silhouette emerged on all fours. It took but a moment for the blinding white light to disperse, and an organic creature to emerge in its place. Mouth agape, and sporting just two sharp little canines, the Pokemon stared indignantly up at Minnie.
"Bulb." It announced its presence simply, maroon irises locked on Minnie's China blue ones, and to Vince's obvious dismay, it was love at first sight between the two.
"Bulbasaur!" The creature stated proudly, waddling over to Minnie, and dropping to its haunches, to catch her in its magnetic stare once more.
"What do you think?" Professor Willow pressed, discreetly slipping a velvet bag containing several Pokeballs, and a Pastel pink device into her callused hand.
"I think.. I think I feel like i'm home for the first time." Minnie responded honestly, relieved to find a toothy grin spilling out across her face after she swallowed the emotional lump that had arisen. Bulbasaur hadn't been one of the Pokemon she had used personally in the Kanto region, but as a trainer aspiring to defeat every gym, and eventually compete in the Indigo League, she had battled with them frequently, as up and coming young trainers, like she had been, had used Bulbasaurs much like this one. The only difference in this Bulbasaur seemed to be a Mint-colored birthmark on her right cheek, resembling Angel wings, or butterfly wings, or maybe even two halves of a heart.. Something like that. It wasn't this deviance that attracted Minnie to her new Pokemon counterpart, however. It was the startling, hynotizing clarity in the Bulbasaur's strange eyes.
"She's female, which is rare for some reason for a starter to be. I had her reserved especially for you, Minnie. I thought.. I thought you might be a little homesick, and miss your own Pokemon, so here's, at the very least, your own little slice of Kanto."
It was then that the Professor and teenage girl both developed an automatic understanding of the other, and Minnie burst out in a smiling beam of gratitude, tears streaking her weathered cheeks. It was unusual for her to cry, or cave in about anything, but this really meant something to her.
"Bulba." The Bulbasaur stated, seeming to host the same proud independence her trainer boasted, refusing to come outright and cuddle up in Minnie's arms, but questioning her well-being at the same time in a genuine expression of concern.
"Don't worry about me, Rave. I'm just really glad to meet you." Minnie assured the Bulbasaur without thinking, then immediately flushing, and thinking back to what she had just called the Bulbasaur. Rave? The radiant eyes of the Bulb Pokemon had been the first thing to catch Minnie's attention, disorienting her, a twin replica of a Strobe light that you might find at a Rave.
"Did you say she?" Minnie inquired delightedly. She wouldn't have had a qualm even if Professor Willow had been a little confused about the Bulbasaur's gender, but knowing that she had a female ally in her arsenal made Minnie a little extra giddy. Professor Willow nodded carefully, stepping back to let girl and Pokemon meet each other's acquaintence. The Cheshire grin on her face was outshone thricefold by Minnie, who was on all fours in unintentional mimic of the Bulbasaur, who bounded boldly over to the girl.
"Bulba!" Rave exclaimed again, after flashing a bemused grin her new trainer's way, and alloting her a quick burst of affection by headbutting her arm, she then moved over to Vince, who still stood sulkily some distance away from Rave. Minnie ushered him forth, though, and after a few tentative sniffs, Vince tossed in his own nod of approval, to the delight of Minnie, and to the discord of Rave. She seemed to resent that Vince was the dominant Pokemon of Minnie's, and that she was on the lower end of the food chain. Typical to a Bulbasaur's nature, she brandished that same competitive edge as Minnie.
"Mhm." Professor Willow responded gleefully.
"I must warn you, that this Pokemon is among the most hard-headed that I recruited for this go around. She's proved herself to be ostentacious, and downright mouthy at times, even announcing her refusal to fight the way you tell her to fight. If you want, I could.."
"That won't be necessary." Minnie decided firmly, not even letting Willow finish her sentence. She cradled Rave protectively against her chest, who in turn, glanced smugly down at Vince. Vince bristled, but as Minnie glanced down at him, immediately tuned his outrage into an ecstatic wave. Professor Willow shook her head, replacing the alternate Pokeball labeled "Buneary" back into the indentured display Rave's Pokeball had been extracted from, and instead motioned that she was through with Minnie Jolicouer.
"Somehow, I knew you would say that.." She remarked after her, chestnut eyes shining as she noticed the girl set fearlessly off, down way of Route 29, where many of the other trainers had gone. If she linked up with a partner, which Willow didn't doubt she would, as a double lifestyle is how Minnie retained her seniority, he or she couldn't be of the faint of heart, and would need a willpower as iron as this girl's to even hope to match her.
Ooc: Sola, next post, toward the end of it, after i've let Minnie get acquainted with Rave, check out her Pokedex, etc etc, i'll have her notice Karl at the very end. =)
