[[Chapter One]] Enter Lee!

[ninja]

The air smelled of salt. That was the first thing that Lee Ann noticed about Konika.

It was a simply gorgeous summer day- hot, yet with a pleasant breeze to make the unrelenting rays of the sun bearable. A young girl, only about 13 or 14 years of age, had chosen a path through the center of the village. Now, it wasn't hustling and bustling as one would imagine; most activity at this time of day happened down at the dock; but rather pleasantly roomy, with most people in their respective houses or out in their lawns enjoying the fresh morning. She was just an ordinary aspiring trainer passing through town to get to the lab, (if she wanted to draw attention to herself, she would throw herself into the sea or something) the kind of thing residents of Konika saw often. Of course, she would occasionally receive a wave or a hello as she meandered by ones house- a simple courtesy that many people took for granted.

Back at her home in the Johto region, an area by an immense forest, the air smelled crisp and fresh with a hint of pine. Yet Lee realized she liked Konika as well.

It was strange how something so simple could be so drastically different from region to region! That was one of the reasons Lee Ann wished to travel- to experience the world for herself. And what better way to do that than to take the Gym challenge? With a Pokemon partner by her side she would explore Lanorae, meeting all kinds of people and Pokemon alike. Then one day she would face the Elite, an all-or-nothing fight for glory that would set her name forever in fame...

And in all her daydreaming, she nearly bumped into someone on his way to the harbor.

"Eh! Watch where yer goin', lass!" he barked at her, barging past with the steely force of a sailor.

"S-sorry!" she squeaked in response, making haste to continue down the road. It looked like not everyone was in as good a mood as her.

~~~

Lee Ann Cornelia arrived at the lab around noon. Viewing her reflection in the window on the door, she noticed the wind had been playing with her hair. Her bangs were parted weird, thrown into a kind of zig-zag. Not only that, but the rest of her mane- which she had left down today- was all tangled up in an ugly matter.

'Oh no!' she thought, setting her fingers to work, 'How am I supposed to make a good impression when I look like a hobo?!'

Then she glanced down at her clothes. Her top was nice; a girly, frilly, and overall uncomfortable thing; but her shorts were big and baggy with side pockets. They were clearly designed for guys- and comfiness... "Well," she sighed to herself, "I guess I don't have to worry about looking grungy now." With that set in her mind, she lifted daring fist and knocked.

[Lillian Carbunkle]

"William, would you just go to sleep? I don't need the attitude!" Lillian called in response to the annoyed groan that had filtered in from the back rooms of the lab. The teal-haired woman was tapping her fingertips on the nearby computer desk in an annoyed fashion, the eyes behind a pair of half-moon glasses fixed in a glare upon the hallway the groan had come from.

Another muttered curse came from the back, though the male voice fell silent and Lillian exchanged a glance with the brightly coloured Chatot that happened to be perched on a bookshelf nearby. "I really must ask how I put up with him," she sighed, absently grabbing her ponytail and beginning to play with it. "It's not my fault he's on the night shift."

A knock on the door immediately caught the aide's attention and she nearly tripped over her feet as she scrambled to answer it. She tossed her ponytail back over her shoulder and quickly fixed her lab coat, turning to look at the Chatot again. "Okay Song, do I look frazzled?"

"Chatot! Bad! Chatot!" the bird replied, beating his wings happily in response even though his trainer looked less than approving.

"Thanks Song, you look grand too," she sighed, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she opened the door and put on as wide a smile as she could manage. "Hello there, and welcome to the Konika Village Pokemon lab. Professor Aspen isn't in right now, but I'll be more than happy to help. Just call me Lily. Now what can I do for you?"

It was really rather amazing how she could spring from a foul mood right into a bubbly and helpful personality.

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[ninja]

"Hurry, hurry..." Lee Ann urged the door under her breath, unblinking emerald eyes locked on the handle. She'd been waiting this long, and was not about to be denied her Pokemon because nobody was home! A few moments, and... The doorknob jiggled, and the door swung open to reveal a young woman in a white lab coat.

If she hadn't been so excited, she might have noticed that she looked a bit disheveled. But to Lee, this woman looked just like a princess in a sparkling silver gown.

The lady smiled and introduced herself as Lily. She nodded and offered a grin as well.
"Hi there!" she said, resisting the urge to bow like one would to royalty. "I'm here for my starter Pokemon, as you might have guessed..."
Peering past the aide, she noticed a colorful bird Pokemon perched on a nearby shelf. Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Ohh, you have such a beautiful Chatot!" she exclaimed, waving at the parrot. The young teen could only wonder if it talked...
"But, anyway," she continued, pushing her goldish-brown hair behind her back, "I'm still not quite sure what Pokemon I want to take..."

Up to this point she'd been slightly leaning to an Iglora; they were just so cute! But maybe a Pokemon Egg would be the way to go. Still, would it be wise to let it up to chance? This was her very first Pokemon, after all, the most important decision of her entire life. Her partner would be with her for quite a long time, maybe even forever! What if she got stuck with a Magikarp, or a really ugly thing? She shuddered at the thought of hatching a smelly little Stunky. Decisions, decisions!

[Lillian Carbunkle]

Lillian smiled broadly. "Ah, yes, that's normally the reason we get visitors it seems," she chuckled lightly, stepping back a bit so that Lee could enter the lab if she wished. "And... please, don't encourage him." She sent a sharp glare in the direction of the colourful bird, who had puffed himself up and was preening his feathers proudly in response to the compliment he had just received. "The last thing he needs is to get an ego."

"Chatot! Nonsense! Chatot! Idiot!" the bird responded, giving his trainer a reproachful look as he spread his wings and flapped them irritably in her direction. He whistled loudly, clicking his beak before he settled himself down again. Ego? Him? What nonsense! If anything he just acted upon the truth, he was a simply gorgeous creature after all.

Lillian chose to ignore him, instead focusing her attention on Lee's inquiry. "Mm, well, it's my job to help you out in the regard, so please come in and I'll see what I can do." She turned on her heel, heading further into the lab as she continued to talk over her shoulder.

"We have the three native regional starters of course, Seaward, Firecub, and Iglora. Seaward's an aquatic-dwelling water-type, not exactly the best at moving on land but a simply beautiful swimmer. It later evolves in Songsea and then Sonark, who are both well-known when it comes to their underwater singing capabilities. Generally fairly loyal creatures, and perfect if you're intending on spending a lot of time around the ocean.

Firecub is, as you could probably guess from the name, a young fire lion. They're very playful and curious, but once they evolve into Pyraness and eventually Furion they become extremely capable hunters. Male Furion have manes, while the females done, and the entire line is extremely loyal to their trainer to a point where they have been known to attack anything that may pose a threat.

Iglora is a grass-type, and very quick on their feet. Powerful jumpers as well, and are also playful at their present stage, though as they evolve you need to be a bit... ah, careful. They begin to get particularly protective over the environment, and we have heard tales of a fully evolved Terrador even attacking their trainer if they haven't built a strong enough bond."

She blushed, glancing at Lee. "Not to scare you away from that species or anything, just to give you a fair warning. We also have Ekans, Natu, Growlithe, and Glameow available presently, and of course I can take you to visit our egg room and you can see if a Pokemon will possibly hatch for you there, though I have absolutely no control over what hatches I'm afraid."

She pushed some of her teal hair from her eyes, leaning against the computer desk. "Did that help at all? I can probably take you to meet some of the starters if you want. Normally visitors to the habitats in the back aren't permitted unless you have a Pokemon there but, eh, we tend to be a bit more lenient with beginning trainers."

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