[attr="class","empncl"]

They stood up, and brushed themselves off. Fox had been sitting on the ground, outside the Ranger's station, probably looking like an idiot. But they had needed to calm down, to take stock of the situation. They were (hopefully) going to get their first Pokemon. Finally! They were only 19 years old, after all. All their friends and schoolmates had gotten Pokemon years before them, or at least had Pokemon around the house. All Fox had ever done was watch them battle or watch contests on TV. Their parents had never had Pokemon, for whatever reason, Fox had never pried after that one time they had tried and got met with a snippy 'we don't talk about that'. But it was time! Their story could metaphorically begin. Hopefully. But they were trying not to think of all the ways it oculd go wrong, of all the ways they could end up leaving without a Pokemon.



Fox had arrived at the Pokemon Lab in Cassopeia, and had been presented with two options - get a trainer ready Pokemon, or, and this option had immediately appealed to Fox, make the journey to the Ranger's station and catch their own Pokemon. Maybe not catch though, the Lab assistant had emphasised. More like, potentially negotiate with. Fox was bad at negotiations, but they wanted to get off on the right foot with their Pokemon and thought that maybe, putting in the extra effort would make them stand out. Not that they were anything special of course, Fox didn't believe that at all, and was actually incredibly anxious about being a drain on the Rangers. Which is why they had been sitting out on their butt front of the Ranger's station, getting dust all over their otherwise clean but faded black jeans. Jamming their hands into their pockets, taking a deep, deep breath, and entering the station.



They were immediately assaulted by the lights in the station. Fox had issues with sensory things, and unnatural light was one of Fox's main triggers. Of course they had learnt to deal with it considering they were exposed to unnatural light almost all the time, but in times when anxieties were already running high, they found themselves more conscious of the strain on their eyes. It was going to be okay though, they kept telling themselves. It was going to be okay. They were going to get a Pokemon and they were gonna rock out with it. They were gonna end up being the best of friends and be amazing partners - oh, who were they kidding. Those thoughts were just fake positivity. At best they'd be friends. But Fox knew that Pokemon had their own personalities and finding one that Fox, with all their issues and stuff, got along with, could potentially be very difficult. Fox took another deep breath, realising they had been standing at the front door, probably blocking the way, a bit like an idiot.



Perhaps the Rangers were used to gormless people standing about not really knowing what way is left or down or all around - messes, really. They must get a fair few people who had never had any Pokemon experience before. Or maybe those people were sent back to the Pokemon lab and told not to step out of their depth in future. Maybe Fox had it all wrong and they should turn around, make the trek back to Elara town, and get back on the bus and head back to Cassopeia. Maybe everything they had decided was wrong and -



"Hello?" Fox called out. The impulsiveness of speaking out caught them by surprise and they blinked a little bit, as if trying to figure out where the voice had come from. It was a good thing though, as they had been about to turn around and leave, making themselves look even more like an idiot than before. Fox took another deep breath, a step forward, and rested their hands on the front desk, looking around for someone. "I'd like to get a starter Pokemon here, if that's possible?" They hoped someone had heard them, that they wouldn't need to repeat themselves, but they had spoken out and now they couldn't leave. It was just etiquette. Their journey, as they say, had begun.