02:34

Blinking slowly, Lolita sat up, staring blearily at the clock, turning off the alarm, wondering why the heck she had set it if she had no school today... wait... something was on... what was it... she looked around her room, still in a daze... what was it... OMG! She shot up out of bed and ran over to her draws, rustling through, trying to find the outfit she had decided on yesterday... shit, where WAS it? Come on... shirt, check. Underwear; check. Shoes; check. Socks; check. Pants... NOOO! She ran out and search through the dirty washing and held up a pair of pants in success. Yes! The ones she had worn yesterday! Got them! She dashed off into the bathroom and pulled on her clothes, throwing her PJ's into the backpack she had sorted yesterday. She breathed in her breakfast before shouting a good bye to her mum and running off to Professor Oak's lab, where she would get her first Pokémon, hopefully Squirtle, and meet her best friend, Archie, as they both started their Pokémon adventure!

Archie dragged herself out of bed, straightened her PJ's and stumbled out to her kitchen.

She grabbed a mango from a bowl and checked the water level in the kettle.

Too low. She opened the lid and filled it up at the sink, making sure she didn't overfill it.

Setting it back down, she turned it on. She

pulled a cup from the cupboard and loaded it up with her custom Mocha mix four parts each hot-choc and Milo, and a half teaspoon instant coffee.

After eating her mango, she poured the boiling water into the cup and added milk.

She poured the result into a thermos and stumbled off to find clothes.

The usual T-shirt and shorts ensemble, with black ankle socks. Today's shirt was green with the Cookie monster on it.

She picked up yesterdays pants and transferred the contents to her clean pant pockets. Cards, coins.

She blinked, then remembered she'd had hr phone charging last night.

She pulled it from the charger, and stumbled into the bathroom, gave her teeth a quick brush with her awesome Batman toothbrush and matching paste, and grabbed a hair tie, putting it on her wrist while she brushed her hair.

She washed her face, chucking the wet face-washer in the bathtub.

Grabbing her key off a hook, she pulled some money out of Charlie the pig, grabbed her bag, and thermos, and checked the time.

She was early, so she tracked down her library books and black scarf, then went out the door.

Lolita arrived, puffing, outside of Professor Oaks lab, and stood outside for a bit, gathering her breath. Ok, so she wasn't the fittest chicken in the pen, but what the fuck, who cared, really? Once she had gathered her breath she checked herself over once more, to make sure she didn't accidentally put her PJ's back on, like one of the guys who started last year did. Yup, she was all fine and dandy, wearing her favorite t-shirt, a deep purple with two Whooper's on the front, and black pants with ones sneakers. Yup, a-ok to be presented in. She then glance up at the path to Oak's front door and groaned, seriously, who has a front path that goes for a mile, UP A HILL?

Once she had finally gotten up to the top, she knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. As she did so, she looked behind her and saw someone heading up the path. She waved as they approached.

"Hey!"

Archie sipped her thermos, and stopped.

She looked around, and sighed.

She had forgotten to change her alarm clock and had gotten up early, and now she was almost to Professor Oak's lab.

A smirk twitched on her lips, and she sped up.

Soon enough she was leaning on the wall, perked up from her mocha.

"Mmm. Warm." She mumbled, looking around. Someone ran up, then stopped and stood puffing. Archie stared. She'd been waiting for about 20 minutes, and now Lolita had turned up. Well, what the hell.

"Oi. You."

She emerged from the shade, smiling.

(Reo: wait, where are we? at the front door, or at the start of the path?)

(Rat: Um, front door.)

(Reo: thank you, I was confuzzled)

"ARCHIE!" Lolita grinned and grabbed her into a hug.

"YAY! YOUR HERE AS WELL! Say, have you decided which one you want?" She tried to make a conversation as they waited.

"I know I want Squirtle!"

Archie grimaced.

"I wasn't really planning to get a Pokémon. I got up early by accident, and thought it was tomorrow. Heh."

She shrugged.

"I figured I'd be here for support."

She lied, smiling. She had flipped a coin to decide whether to go home or not. She had yet to flip a coin on taking a Pokémon anyway. Because maybe it was fate.

Lolita frowned at her friend; she hated how her friend didn't really like Pokémon, to Lolita, Pokémon were the best things in the WORLD. Couldn't Archie just TRY one Pokémon, just incase she turned out getting along with it anyway. She could see, from the expressions on her face, that she was debating on going away.

'He, too late.' Lolita thought as the door creaked open and a grey haired head poked out.

"Ah, Lolita, Archie, I presume your here for your Pokémon?"

"YES SIR!" Lolita saluted, happily, while Archie fidgeted beside her.

"Aw crap."

She looked at the sky, and then sighed.

"Well, I'm not sure. I never really wanted to be a Pokémon trainer..."

It's not like she didn't like Pokémon, she just didn't like the idea of capturing them.

That's what trainers did. She had planned to put out food for a local stray, in case she could make it stay. Hey, she should make a poem about that.

She stared at her friend, knowing that she's end up getting dragged in.

She had always bought the posters however, and it would be nice to see them.

"I'll see what you have."

She held out a hand, and went with the flow.

Professor Oak smiled down at the two girls in front of him, understanding both points of view. To become friends with Pokémon could be done in many ways, and some didn't like some ways, while others liked all. It was how the world worked and that's how it would always work.

"That's fine, come on in."

Lolita grinned, feeling all bubbly and hyper on the inside. She was SO CLOSE to getting a Pokémon! She was going to get a SQUIRTLE! YAY! She glanced around the lab, all the white machines and stuff. Soon enough they approached a round machine with three pokeball's in the middle. Professor Oak opened all three and out came the three starters. Squirtle, a turtle Pokémon, Bulbasaur, a dinosaur Pokémon and Charmander, a dragon Pokémon.

"Saur!"

"Chaaar!"

"Squiiiirrrtttllleee!"

"OMG! SO CUTE!" Lolita grabbed the Squirtle and hugged it, grinning madly.

Archie chewed her lip and looked at them.

"I-"

She sighed. She was nervous of fire, so Charmander was a big no. Bulbasaur was looking as her. She looked back, a lump in her throat.

"Hey."

She reached out a shaking hand. The Pokémon looked at her. She petted it's head gently.

"Wow. Your not so bad."

She looked at Professor Oak, who was looking at her with and odd expression.

Professor Oak watched Archie with a strange expression, why was she so scared? Its not like he would give dangerous Pokémon to starters, seriously?

Lolita grinned, Squirtle sitting on her lap, watching as Archie communicated with the Bulbasaur, hopefully she could make friends with one of them. Probably Bulbasaur.

Archie pulled her hand back and adjusted her sweatbands. Then she scooted forwards, towards the Pokémon.

"Hey, Professor Oak, is this a girl or a boy?"

She rubbed her hand on its smooth head, head cocked to the side. She remembered how much she had used to love Pokémon.

She hung outside the local professor's lab, back at her old town, all those year ago.

She sneaked a glance at the Charmander, making sure it kept it's distance, because just being in the room with it gave her the willies.

"Bulba..."

She smiled, and caressed its ears, letting down her guard a little. After all, it's not like Oak would let anything bad happen.

"Your a nice one. I bet you like Poffins."

She smiled wider as it sat down with a thump.

Professor Oak smiled as he watched the Pokémon get along with the children. Kids could always connect with Pokémon in a way that humans couldn't, it was just so.

"He's a boy, as is Squirtle. They both seem to like you both, would you like to keep them?" Lolita grinned and nodded quickly.

"Oh, yes PLEASE!"

"Squirt! Squirtle squirtle! Squiiiiirtle!" He turned to Archie.

"What about you?"

Archie's smiled faded.

"Well..."

She looked down at him. Bulbasaur looked up with wide eyes.

"Bulbasaur."

Archie sighed. She knew if she walked away from this, it would haunt her forever.

She nodded to herself, and looked up, forcing herself to make the right choice.

"I like him. And he's a plant Pokémon, so we have things in common. So yeah, I guess I will. Okay."

She stood up, feeling sick. It was a big step, and she didn't know if she was ready, but never.

"I will." She looked around, confused about what she should do.

Professor Oak grinned at them both and told them to wait, heading into his back room. While he was gone, Lolita turned to Archie, confusion clear in her eyes.

"Thought you didn't like Pokémon?"

"Squirt?" Squirtle pulled a dramatic pose, edging away from Archie slowly.

She reached down and patted Bulbasaur on the head.

"Well, if I said no, it would bite me in the ass everyday for the rest of my life. I already have enough to regret."

Her sweatband slipped, and the end of a scar showed. Archie pulled it back up.

"Besides, they're not all bad." She said, trying to avoid glancing at the Charmander.

"I wonder what Oak it up to..."

Professor Oak walked back into the room with 12 pokeball's and two pokedex' in hand, giving 6 balls (Reo: lol, I thought males only had two) and a pokedex to each girl.

"These are your identifications and pokeball's, you don't have to use them if you don't want to, but keep them handy just in case."

"Squirtle!"

"Whoop! Thank you professor Oak!"

Archie took them, and tucked them in her jacket pocket, then looked down at Bulbasaur.

"Well, if that's all, then I should head home. I need to pack."

She glanced at her friend, who had never been to her house. She would most likely try to use this as an excuse.

"If you're planning on going on a big journey, say bye to your mum first."

She smiled, and patted her shin.

"Come on you." Bulbasaur looked at her.

She twitched her head.

"Come. I'm going to introduce you to the home crowd. Come along."

She left the building, the Pokémon hurrying after her.

Lolita frowned as Archie wondered away, why was she never aloud to her house? She shrugged before calling out to her.

"I'LL MEET YOU ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN!" And skipped off to the fields, carrying Squirtle, who was grinning madly.