Let There Be No Hatred. [mod.]

[Crim]

As the girl departed the ferry, she cast her eyes up towards the gradually darkening sky. There were many who viewed the night as a time of darkness, as a mere evil to the purity that was day. Beings which dwelled in the night were looked down upon, usually deemed too harsh to thrive in the sunlight. And, what had this dislike of the night caused? Nothing good, certainly. The color black had become negative to some, which had created numerous problems in itself... And that irrational fear of the dark, with lurking demons and hateful spirits, had sprouted in the minds of everyone, from children to adults.

Frie thought that it was a rather silly concept, if she wanted to be honest. There was something beautiful about the night, especially in a setting such as this, with the ocean looming in near silence, yet still making itself known to all with the gentle crashes of its life. The girl brushed a strand of hair from her eyes as she took in everything, a lazy, contented smile spreading across her lips at how vivid the stars seemed. This place already felt like home; and, deep down, she knew that something had meant for her to come here. Frie was not a well-defined spiritual person, for she believed no singular thing. And yet, she had decided that, at the very least, her soul had felt some sort of odd calling to this place.

As the girl made her way along the dock, the gleam of the sunlight caught her eye. The sky had become a mix of almost every color now, the kaleidoscope that was the sunset. The sight of such a beauty struck her, and she paused in her step. There was simply something there that she needed to put into words, on paper, at that very moment. She had waited a long time for the moment which was to come, she could surely wait a few hours more. Sitting down on a bench, the girl pulled a notebook from her bag and began to write. By the time she had finished, night had fallen in its entirety.

The girl stood slowly, making her ways along the streets which were much less crowded now than they had been only two hours prior. She was in no doubt that someone would still be at the Lab at this hour. If she was lucky, perhaps they'd even be someone that would change her life in some sense. It was an almost impossible idea; but, odder things had happened. And, if such a thing did not happen, Frie didn't mind, either.

The Lab itself as she reached it was beautiful, and Frie paused to savor the feelings within her before she entered. The girl was not one to get overly excited about things, but an event of this magnitude sent spirals of energy even throughout her. This was not merely a Pok?mon journey. This was a journey to strengthen herself as well, which would then be used to help influence the world. The young woman curled her tail upwards in happiness, before entering the lab quietly, gazing around before speaking, in a slow, draw-out voice:

"Hello? Is anyone up?"

[ZOM]

Jay had always liked the scenery best on Romulus Isle when it was backlit by a sunset. Every day he would pause in his work just long enough to step outside and watch the sky as it transformed. Stark blue melted into pastels, pink and orange and purple and red, then gradually became blue again, something deeper and more regal than before, before eventually settling at diamond-studded black. Having a shift that started late did have its perks.

After that, though, it was back to toiling away. He was fond of Pok?mon; he had grown up taking care of them, and enjoyed their company. His main issue was that he was really, really lazy, and he liked to take cat naps at every possible opportunity, which this job prevented him from doing. At least by late night only the nocturnal Pok?mon were up, not counting his own little Pok?mon, a Treecko named Saul. Still, there was plenty to do, always. The lab was a hub of activity for new trainers and researchers in the Solastella Region. Any slacking might result in a backlog of work, and that wasn't good when organization and professionalism was so important. Bleh. So, Saul kept Jay company as they both tried not to nod off prematurely. You never could guess when some hopeful soon-to-be trainer would show up; if for no other reason, that kept them both going.

So Jay filed paperwork, and swept the floors, and cleaned Pok?mon enclosures, and played with the young Pok?mon that were awake. "Pretty li'l critters, ain't 'cha?" he drawled, smiling and scratching under the beaks of a pair of Hoothoot. They "hoo"ed in response, and one hopped up onto Jay's shoulder, flapping its wings wildly for a moment as it righted its balance. Saul, perched on the man's other shoulder, blinked his huge yellow eyes at the bird. Jay chuckled and straightened up his posture, stretching his long, lanky limbs before glancing at his wristwatch. Time passed so slowly during night shift. It was late, sure, but not quite late enough that he could pack up shop. At least he had made it through a good portion of his workload. He still had some paperwork to file, but the Pok?mon were set for the night, and everything was pretty tidy. The slacker in him gleefully pondered on the idea of clocking out early, but--

"Hello? Is anyone up?"

Well, things like this were the reason he wasn't allowed. Dagnabbit.

He sighed, brushed some of his long brown hair out of his eyes, and shuffled towards the entrance with the Hoothoot and Saul still perched on his shoulders. "Howdy. Yep, I'm here. What can I help you with?" He had a very thick accent, a country drawl that dragged his words along. This combined with his sleepy, quiet, mumbling tone resulted in a soft sound, kind of soothing and difficult to understand if one wasn't paying full attention. He appeared fully human, with no Pok?mon features to speak of and a completely uninteresting appearance save for that he was abnormally tall, perhaps 6'5". He waited mildly for the woman's response, scratching under the Hoothoot's chin as he blinked at Frie with heavy-lidded blue eyes.

[Crim]

The woman had been correct in her assumptions about someone being up; but, then again, she had never been in any true doubt. It would have been unfair for more... nocturnal visitors if this were not the case, especially since there were some, such as herself, who simply enjoyed the feel of the night. Frie found there was something proper about beginning her journey at the end of the day, something oddly beautiful about thinking about the process in such a way. She'd always had a fondness for thrusting things into a more appreciative life than other, mundane people might have instead chosen.

The man which shuffled forwards to meet her gained Frie's liking immediately, even if she wasn't quite sure why she reacted in such a way. Perhaps it was the slightly comical appearance of the Hoothoot and Treecko upon the young man's shoulders, or the slow, relaxed way he spoke, which made her feel a sort of lazy kinship to the human. The girl dipped her head in greeting, before gazing upwards again, craning slightly to meet his gaze (he was rather tall, after all).

"Greetings." she stated once again, feeling it only proper to actually address a hello to him, rather than simply leave her initial, questioning salutation hanging in the air. "My apologies for disturbing you at such an hour. I simply felt that it was the right thing to do, starting such an important journey at such a beautiful time of the day." The night itself had been beautiful so far as well, and she gazed back briefly out the window, catching the bright gleams of the numerous, visible stars. This wasn't like the cities she had visited in her lifetime. Here, the sky bore no clouded secrets.

"I'm Frie, by the way. And you are?" many would not have wasted their time upon such questions, but Frie found it only polite. This man was a worker, yes, and supposed to assist her, but that didn't mean that she should treat him as an inhuman being. "Those Pok?mon are lovely, too... Are they yours? And that brings me to why I'm here... I'm interested, as are so many others, in beginning a journey. I heard from a local man that there were a few Lapras in at this time...? If so, could I meet them, possibly?"

[ZOM]

He quirked his lips a little at her way of speaking, although he seemed bemused. She talked a lot, and not just in the sense that there was a lot of content. It was the way she elaborated on everything, strung her sentences along like every line was some kind of free-form poem. Not like Jay, who said "hi" instead of "greetings" and figured a simple "sorry" would suffice if he showed up late to something -- no need for a whole monologue. He didn't mind the woman's -- oh, Frie's -- flowery speech, though. It was interesting, especially when coupled with her accent and the relaxing sound of her voice.

"Sure," he agreed, although he wasn't entirely sure why the prettiness of the time of day mattered for the start of an adventure. Surely it would have been more practical to start early, so that she could travel a little after getting her Pok?mon? He had, with Saul. To each their own, he guessed. "Name's Jay Black. Pleasure." He nodded his head, and would have tipped his hat if he wore one. Instead he brushed his curly, long hair out of his face again. He needed a haircut, maybe... With another bemused smile, he waited for her to finish her second monologue, then waited another second to see if she was truly done, then spoke up. "Only the Treecko's mine. The Hoothoot's a ward o' the lab." He gave the bird a fond, gentle pat on the end to show that he still liked the bird all the same, and the Hoothoot cooed happily.

"Ayep, we got some Lapras. Out back, in the pools. Yer lucky, ain't often we get the likes of 'em." He gestured towards a back door, and Saul eagerly scrambled down Jay's arm and hopped to the floor. The Treecko zipped to the door and scaled it, managing to force all of his weight onto the door handle and get it open just a bit. "Heh. Thanks, bud." Chuckling, Jay walked to the door much slower than his companion; he paused to grab up some items first. He let Saul hop back onto his arm before opening the barrier all the way and moving through the doorway.

The "backyard" of the lab was spacious and had a huge field area where a great many Pok?mon were currently sleeping. Small trees dotted the landscape, and surely birds and bugs had made their homes there. Closer to the lab building itself, though, was a series of decent-sized ponds. Surely beneath the depths there were Pok?mon resting, but amongst some waterfowl and amphibians who floated on the water's surface or lay at the water's shores, Lapras drifted completely visible. They were the biggest water-types that could be seen, easily. Their necks were tucked down. They were asleep.

"Gonna have'ta wake 'em up," said Jay, who glanced at Saul. The gecko looked all too delighted to help out, and launched himself off his trainer, propelling himself hastily towards the pools with what looked like a Quick Attack. Saul did not attack the Lapras, though; he merely landed on their back and tugged at their necks before hopping to the next. The Treecko's little hands and arms couldn't hurt the large water-types, but the Lapras did stir, releasing quiet, confused moans. "Hey there, darlin's." Jay's voice was quiet and soothing, and while some of the still-sleeping Pok?mon shifted or made sounds, only the Lapras who were awake glanced at him while blinking their eyes sleepily. "Got someone here lookin' for a partner. Who's interested?" Two of the three creatures visibly perked up, although one seemed as sleepy and calm as before.

Nodding, Jay turned his attention to Frie. "Now," he said, handing over one of the items, "This's yours. It's a fancy phone with a Pokedex on it, that's how you'll see the specs of there here beauties." He gestured towards the trio of Lapras. "Also got an ID, which you best be keepin' an eye on. One sec-- smile." Holding the card like a camera, he positioned it so that it could get a good look at the woman's face, then lowered it once it had made a snap sound. He handed this over as well, demonstrating that the card had gone from pure black to displaying Frie's face. "Well, there y'are. This thing's like a credit card, already has Ƨ100 on it, courtesy of the lab. So like I said, best keep yer eye on it. Now take yer time lookin' over yer options, lemme know which Lapras you fancy."

[atrb=border,0,true] ♂ Lapras, Lv 5 #1 Scroll for more details This Lapras is careless, and apathetic about almost everything. He finds life painfully boring, regardless of what kind of action may be happening around him. He'll follow orders, but he will do so listlessly and without interest, and he'll rarely say a word. Despite what looks like a deficiency of emotion, he does grow attached to those who are unique enough to arouse some curiosity in him. Even these people probably won't know he likes them, though. Any moments of affection or expression will be brief and rare. It takes a lot to rouse this Lapras into feeling much of anything. Name: - Ability: Shell Armor Moves: Sing, Growl, Water Gun, Mist

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♀
Lapras, Lv 5
#2

Scroll for more details

Though she is large even for a Lapras (especially considering her young age), this creature is very energetic and kind of a spazz. She loves to play and have fun, but her energy often results in the destruction of the area around her, and injury to anyone who gets too close. She doesn't mean to hurt anyone. She is actually quite peaceful, and gets deeply upset by her clumsy mistakes -- which she can never seem to intentionally replicate in battle.

Name:
-

Ability:
Water Absorb

Moves:
Sing, Growl, Water Gun, Mist

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♂
Lapras, Lv 5
#3

Scroll for more details

-NAME- is... well, a ditz. He spaces out often, and tends not to understand more complicated concepts and commands without patient and detailed explanation. Despite his unfortunate lack of intelligence, this Lapras is a sweetheart. He's quiet but affectionate, and very trusting of anyone who has yet to harm him; even insults won't make him dislike someone unless they're persistent about shaking him, since he may think it's all a joke. He tries his best to make everyone happy, and tends to get frazzled by violence and arguments.

Name:
-

Ability:
Water Absorb

Moves:
Sing, Growl, Water Gun, Mist

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[Crim]

Frie nodded, smiling at both the Hoothoot and Treecko once more. Grass-types and Flying-types, along with the obvious Water-types, were some of her better-liked types, even if she didn't really /dislike/ any of the other types. Had she not been getting a Lapras, she probably would have been more than content with either of those Pok?mon, or any similar types. However, Lapras was a Pok?mon with had always intrigued the woman. They were quite large, and they'd probably make her look like a dwarf, but they always seemed to gentle, and they were quite intelligent as well. The peaceful creatures just seemed like the right sort to choose to begin such a journey with.

The man-- Jay Black, as he'd introduced himself-- beckoned towards the back door, and Frie giggled softly as the Treecko made quite the effort to open the door. It was a weird sound, coming from the woman, with her deeper tones and usual, slow manner of speaking. She followed along after Jay, somehow even slower than the human, though her eyes were taking in everything with a quiet curiosity, including the items Jay picked up, which both seemed to be small and electronic. The woman didn't really feel like breaking the lovely little silence to ask, and she knew that she'd probably be hearing about them anyways shortly. Instead of speaking, she simply followed Jay out into the back area of the Lab.

Frie had always been one to appreciate beauty, and she had to stop and admit that there was a great deal of beauty outside of the Lab. Everywhere, it seemed, various Pok?mon were sleeping, save for a few of the more nocturnal species. Frie thought she saw a few Sentret all curled up amongst each other in their slumber, though she also saw some less orthodox starter options: Spinarak and Sigilyph and other strange creatures. Frie had to admire the sheer selection of Pok?mon was unique. She had studied numerous other Labs in school, and their selections had never been so vast.

The woman felt pleased by this, though she was even more pleased that all the Pok?mon here looked quite happy and relaxed. The assistants, like Jay, must take quite good care of them, and Frie felt another brief moment of warmth towards the Lab and all its staff. She followed Jay over to the pool, her lazy smile widening and her eyes growing interested as she spotted the three large, sleeping Pok?mon. As she approached, gazing at the three Water-types and realizing just how close her journey was to actually beginning, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Her choice now would have consequences that she couldn't even predict in the long run. She'd certainly have to take this all seriously.

As the Treecko woke the creatures up, two of which seemed much more energetic and excited when Jay mentioned a partner. Frie wanted to go up and meet the three creatures straight away, but Jay distracted her for a moment by handing her one of the two items, which turned out to be quite the interesting phone. From what Jay said, it'd be very useful for her journey in the long run. She thought she might call her family up shortly, as she knew that the time zones were so skewered that it wouldn't be a ridiculous time to call for them, even if it would have been had they lived in this region. She wanted her parents to know what Pok?mon she had chosen (her father in particular had been fond of Lapras, she knew he'd be pleased with the choice).

She smiled briefly at Jay as he held the ID up, marveling for a few moments at how the black, dead-looking screen had come to life with an image of her face, along with some information that she'd no doubt have to fill in shortly. For now, however, she was free to make her choice, and she certainly wasn't going to simply rely on her new phone to make her choice. Pocketing the ID and holding onto the phone a bit tighter, the woman slowly approached the three Lapras. She remained hesitant, not wanting to startle the creatures who were probably still groggy from being awoken at this time of night.

As the girl reached the Lapras, she smiled gently, reaching up one of her hands and attempting to lightly stroke the neck of the first one, who her phone told her was a male. Glancing into the creature's eyes, the woman murmured softly, continuing to pet the creature, "You're a beautiful creature, aren't you? All three of you are. This is going to be quite the difficult choice, isn't it?" She continued petting the first creature for a good long while, noting that he seemed less excited and anxious than the other two. He didn't seem like a bad creature altogether, though, and the fact that he seemed non-responsive made her wonder whether the creature what simply good at keeping his emotions and thoughts a secret.

The second creature was larger than either of the creatures beside it, and it was revealed to also be the only female of the bunch. As Frie moved from the first creature to the second, she noticed that this Lapras was much more responsive than the other one. She was rather sweet, in fact, and seemed to be the most energetic of the three by far. Frie thought that she might need a creature with energy like this, though she also didn't want to unintentionally bore her if she did choose her. After all, Frie wasn't the most active and exciting person in the world.

Frie took her time giving some affection to the second Lapras, before leaving her and moving to the other male Lapras, and the last possible option. He seemed quite affectionate himself, though he wasn't as energetic as the other Lapras, and Frie felt just as fond of him as she had of the other two. This decision was going to, really, be incredibly difficult. She knew she could only take one of the three Water-types, though the sadness at such a realization was lessened by the knowledge that the others would probably be chosen soon, and well cared-for in the meanwhile.

It took her a long time to actually make her choice, and she felt slightly apologetic to Jay, for making him wait so long. However, Frie wasn't going to rush this decision. She knew that she could work with all three of them, and that a completely unique relationship would blossom with all three... However, she found herself repeatedly drawn back to and intrigued by one of them, and, finally, she made her choice.

"Well... All three of you are lovely, and I hope that the others know it'd nothing personal when I don't pick them. But... I think that you and I could become close, in the long run." She approached the first Lapras again, smiling at the creature and wondering whether she'd even get a reaction out of him. Turning back to Jay, her eyes unusually bright, she nodded to him. "I'd like this one, please. Thank you for all of your help."

[ZOM]

Jay didn't mind the long wait. He liked when trainers took their time, actually; it meant that they were really trying hard to make the right choice, for themselves and for whichever Pok?mon they wound up with. That was a sign of a good trainer. The human was tired, though, and he took the opportunity to rest his eyes a little while he waited for Frie. Saul and the Hoothoot would be watching the gal, so if she got up to anything fishy (though he doubted it, since she hardly seemed the type), they would notice and catch his attention. The Hoothoot in question was quietly hooting and shifting in its place on Jay's shoulder, and it was a soothing motion that made him even more sleepy. He probably could have fallen asleep on his feet. It took a lot of willpower to remain conscious.

The first Lapras did not visibly react much at all to Frie's affection and attention. He watched her, and felt perhaps a little curious; she had a way about her that was unique. Still, he merely let her stroke his neck without leaning in or leaning away. His expression was calm and rather apathetic, even as she continued to glance over at him and return to pet him.

The second Lapras, on the other hand, was all too excited by this event. She leaned delightedly into Frie's touches and cooed with glee at the possibility of getting adopted. She had just woken up, but she seemed perfectly awake already. Even when Frie wasn't focusing on her, the Lapras was swaying back and forth and making happy sounds to herself.

The final Lapras, although not nearly as apathetic as the first or as energetic as the second, was happy to receive Frie's attention for however long she was willing to give it. He leaned into her touch as the second Lapras had, although not as enthusiastically, and he pressed his nose briefly to Frie's forehead before she could turn away. When she stepped back to survey the others again, he made a quiet cooing sound of disappointment.

Then Frie spoke at last. Jay opened his eyes, Saul and the Hoothoot stared at her curiously, and the three Lapras listened with varying degrees of interest. When the Pokemorph announced her decision, approaching the first Lapras, the other two looked a little upset -- more so in the case of the second Lapras -- and the chosen Lapras looked slightly surprised. He was often overlooked by trainers, because trainers didn't typically like Pok?mon who seemed not to care one way or another about their prospective partner. And he didn't really care that he was overlooked, because he didn't care about them. He was content to remain at the lab indefinitely, or to get adopted, or whatever else. He truly didn't care at all, about anything. This girl, though, she seemed to think she could get through to him. Interesting.

+Perhaps,+ said the Lapras, eying Frie evenly. His tone was dry, and flat, and he didn't expect that she would succeed, but if she did manage to do so it would be awfully interesting. Anything to break the monotony.

"Okiedokie," said Jay, glancing down at his hands which held three Pokeballs. He mumbled to himself as he tried to decide which was correct, then nodded upon finding the proper one. He handed it out to Frie. "This here's the big fella's Pokeball. I'd say it's optional, but gettin' 'im around without it might be tough." He smiled a little. "Feel free t' collaborate with 'im, figure out a name. An' if ya'll have any questions, the lab's always here. We're happy to help if you wanna drop in sometime."

The other two Lapras still seemed a bit bummed, and Saul hopped back onto the third one's back again, patting his neck in an attempt to comfort him. Jay stepped forward to stroke the second Lapras' neck. "It's alright, you two. Yer a pair'a darlin's, you'll get trainers soon." Smiling, he turned his attention back to Frie. "Good luck travelin', miss. Pleasure to meet'cha." Saul grinned as best a gecko could grin, waving goodbye. +Bye, miss! Have fun with the old grump!+

Frie receives a Lapras, 100 Soleres, a Trainer ID, and a Smartphone!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/IjiL1.png[/img] Trainer ID
[img]http://i.imgur.com/C8Owi.png[/img] Smartphone

[img]http://www.serebii.net/blackwhite/Pok?mon/131.png[/img]
[b]Lapras, Level 5[/b]
Name: -
Gender: M
Ability: Shell Armor
Moves: Sing, Growl, Water Gun, Mist
Overworld Moves: -
Personality: This Lapras is careless, and apathetic about almost everything. He finds life painfully boring, regardless of what kind of action may be happening around him. He'll follow orders, but he will do so listlessly and without interest, and he'll rarely say a word. Despite what looks like a deficiency of emotion, he does grow attached to those who are unique enough to arouse some curiosity in him. Even these people probably won't know he likes them, though. Any moments of affection or expression will be brief and rare. It takes a lot to rouse this Lapras into feeling much of anything.

[Crim]

The Lapras's response amused Frie slightly, for his dry tone suggested that he wasn't nearly as hopeful about their possible friendship. Still, she patted the large sea creature gently on the neck once more, before glancing up at him and gesturing with her new Pokeball.

"I figure I will have to put you in this for a while, at least until we get to somewhere else with water. You don't mind, right?" The Lapras merely grunted an indefinite sound, and the Slowpoke Morph smiled slightly, before pressing the button on the red-and-white sphere. With a flash of red light, the creature was sucked into the Pokeball, leaving many questions about space and matter that Frie honestly didn't care enough about to answer or even consider. She'd always hated math. She merely clipped the Pokeball onto her belt with a smile, before glancing back at Jay one final time.

"Thank you so much. If all goes well, perhaps we'll meet again one day." she wasn't expecting it to happen, but Frie had never been one to rule such things out. The girl dipped her head to Saul, his words managing to get a slight chuckle out of her, before she headed back into the Lab, quietly so as not to disturb any of the sleeping Pok?mon, before heading out the front door. From there, she gazed around, wondering whether she wanted to start so late in the night, or merely wait until the morning. Before deciding all of this, however, she took her phone out, dialing a familiar number up and listening to the rings, until a deep, male voice answered. With a broad grin, Frie began to talk to her father.