He stood there, all six feet four inches of stolid, unflappable man, gazing up at the perfectly innocuous door that led to the Ranger Station with the air of a man staring into the very jaws of death itself.

Well, not quite - but he was looking at it with some small amount of displeasure; Lips compressed into a firm line, brows furrowed a touch more intensely than usual, and fingers slowly flexing back and forth. < Honestly, Bronze, do relax. I know this is something of a momentous occasion for you humans, but you are usually so composed. It’s just a starter Pokemon, hardly anything truly special. > His slate-hued eyes flicked to the small, dark shape that sat by his side, the corner of his mouth twitching up in amusement at the faint trace of mild rancour that laced the Zorua’s elegant tones. She’d been sore about the whole ‘official starter pokemon’ thing since he’d brought it up - which was perfectly fair, really. She’d been with him for years, after all, so it was only natural to be a touch prickly about not being considered his starter.

The stiff fabric of his beloved navy jacket rustled softly as he rolled a shoulder in a slow shrug, replying with a placating, ”C’mon now, Valia, you know you’re my special lady. Don’t be upset with me, we need more pokemon on our team if we’re to do well, and it’s just the way things are done here.” He flashed her a quick smile, doing his best to ignore the slowly tightening knot of apprehension that was lodged within his chest. She ignored him, naturally, instead turning a cool gaze upon the doorway and maintaining an aloof silence. She’d get over it, he was sure. Probably.

Sweat trickled down his back and stuck his shirt to his chest.He was regretting wearing the jacket.

He returned his focus to the Ranger Station and frowned at the offending building. Why did he have to have his nerves flare up like this, now? It was just a starter pokemon, nothing earth shattering - Except that it was supposed to be the most important step on a Trainer’s journey, and I've been dreaming about it for two decades now. What if it was a pokemon he didn’t like? What if he wasn’t suited to raising the kind fate selected for him? What if it doesn’t like me? His fingers contracted into a tight fist, eliciting a creak of protest from the thick, protective gloves he wore - sans fingers, because he hated the lack of sensation that caused.

It was stupid, he knew. He was usually pretty good with pokemon, being pretty calm and quiet, but...He couldn’t shake the trepidation that the thought incurred. It could be the most pathetic, wretched excuse for a pokemon in all the world, and it’d still wound him to have his intended starter spurn him. He could have gone to the lab, where they had pokemon that were specifically intended to be starters, and a healthy number of them, too, so being rejected wasn’t too much of a concern. But that hadn’t really felt right to him, not really. The way the Rangers did it called to him, spoke to him on some level that he couldn’t quite express. Maybe it felt more natural to him - despite the unnatural nature of the reserves the pokemon were kept in. Maybe he liked the idea of helping a pokemon that wasn’t as fortunate as the ones in the lab. It didn’t really matter. He’d done his research, mulled it over, and, well. None of that mattered now, because he was here. No sense turning back now.

He took a slow, steadying breath and unfurled his aching fingers, resolving to just get it over with. What would be would be, and if it didn’t work out - so be it. He had Valia, and he could always catch more pokemon. He ascended to the Station, and passed through the doorway inside, reining in the worries that threatened to flare up as soon as he crossed the threshold.

Blessed air conditioning. Sweet, artificially cooled air! He let out a quick breath of relief and elected to remove the jacket, folding it up over his left arm as he stepped up to the desk and withdrew the form from his pocket, which he presented without fanfare of flourish. He’d filled it out before arriving, double and triple-checking it to be certain, and the appointment was pre-arranged. He didn’t like leaving room for error, where possible.

“Hey there, Ranger. Pleasure to meet you. I have a Starter appointment, under the name Thaddeus Nathaniel Winters - but call me Bronze, please.” He offered a genuine, warm smile as he extended a hand towards the Ranger, the bronze studs on his knuckles gleaming faintly in the light. Valia sat primly at his side, tail curled about her feet, gazing up at the Ranger unreadably.