"Ahhh!!!" Clad in white linen pyjamas, Lux performs her morningly wake up scream.
"Ugh! Shut up sis" Nox in matching linen pyjamas—but black—try's in vain to block the noise out with a pillow.
"Kids get up!" A burly man with heavy arm hair and a big black beard appears in the oak doorway to Nox & Lux's room.
"Hi daddy!-" Lux runs with surprising speed to her dad's side, a blonde blur, "-so, are we doing you know what today???"
"If you mean getting your starter Pokémon, then yup" Nox immediately gets up for that.
"Get dressed kids, cause you're gonna be Pokémon Trainers!" Dad leaves the room.
Nox brushes her teeth, brushes her long black hair, showers, and gets dressed.
She looks in the mirror, she wears a plain black t-shirt with a black & red plaid jacket over it, black leggings, a red beanie, black flats, and a black bag.
As Nox puts in her lip piercing, Lux observes herself in her own mirror.
Lux wears a white sundress with yellow sunglasses nestled in her long wavy blonde hair, yellow heels, a brown purse, and a ring with a piece of amber in the middle.
"Wow, I'd like to see you hike in those" Nox says while putting on her eyeshadow.
"Oh trust me, I know how to hike in heels" Lux replies, applying blush to her cheeks.
Lux & Nox's makeup contrast just as much as their outfits: Lux' is tons of blush and a nude lip, Nox' is a black lip, and sharp red eyeshadow.
Both girls scurry out of the room.
"Ready to hit the road girls?" Eric Twy picks up his giant muted blue backpack.
"Yuppie! I wonder what Pokémon I'm gonna get! Maybe a Charizard, or Metagross, or maybe a REGIROCK!" Lux yells.
"What about you princess" Eric addresses Nox.
"Uh—Ummm…something cool, don't really have a preference?"
"Sis you're lying, I heard you praying to Arceus for a Lopun—"
"Shut up Lux!" Nox interrupts her while blushing beet red, wacking her in the back.
"Hey! I already have back pain, don't make it worse" Lux then struts outside to the car.
———
Eric, Lux, and Nox all pile into Eric's red rust-bucket of a truck.
"So what do you actually think you're gonna get Lux?" Nox asks in the back seat.
"So let me think? There's Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. I think I would like…PIPLUP!"
"Piplup fan eh? I'll settle for my Bewear" Eric comments from the front. Yeah, Nox recalls dad's Bewear, unfortunately not being able to see him that often due to him getting easily tired from him and dad having to do so much manual labour at their job, thus wanting to stay in his ball.
"I think I might want a Chimchar, but really I could go for any, all of them have great potential. Obviously Piplup eventually becoming a steel type is interesting, but a Torterra being able to support an entire tree on its back is so cool! And you can't forget Infernape with its immense speed and fighting typing which means it's suited to fight both Torterra and Empoleon" Nox monologues.
"Translation: ALL THE STARTERS ARE SO COOL!" Lux comments.
"Oh! Looks like we're almost there girls!" Eric tries to change the topic before Nox goes into one of her characteristic orations about the science of Pokémon that go on for hours.
———
They get to Prof. Rowan's lab, well lab is a bit of an understatement. The facility was a small building with two huge boxes coming off it and a giant glass dome behind them.
"Where are the Pokémon!" Lux says to the bored looking attendant who's typing on a computer.
"We have an appointment with Rowan" Eric saves the conversation before it starts.
"Prof. Rowan will see you, go to the right and you'll find him" The attendant points to a hallway coated in blue walls & white floors.
"H-Hello you three…*coughs*…" Prof. Rowan says while finishing a sandwich, a bit of sauce getting on his gray moustache. Rowan gets up from his computer chair to meet us.
"We would like your two finest starters please" Lux exclaims.
"Sorry, we only have one left" Rowan releases a Piplup from a pokéball.
"OH MY GOD IT'S SO CUTE!" Lux picks the penguin Pokémon up, hugging it.
"W-What about Nox?" Lux starts acting less chipper, setting the Piplup down, it now trying to scale her leg.
"Well we do technically have one more, but it's…" Rowan trails off.
"We'll take it, even if we have to pay for it" Eric pumps a fist into the air.
"Fine-" Prof. Rowan drops two pokéballs and two Pokédexes into Lux's hand: Piplup's ball, and Nox's mystery Pokémon.
"Here sis" Nox takes hold of her Pokémon's ball—and her Pokédex—, she then releases the Pokémon inside.
In a flash of light, donning white & black fur, mean red eyes, hackles rising, teeth bared: It's a Poochyena.
Nox gets on one knee, not even shaking, "Hi Poochyena?, I heard ya quite interesting… look, even though this is our first meeting I, wanna start off this journey with you"
The raven haired girl notices Poochyena's hackles slack some, lips peel forward a bit more.
"I know you're probably scared but don't worry, I can be your trainer and make you strong…if you'll have me" Nox finishes.
"P-Pooch…" Poochyena wads forward, nervously placing a paw on Nox' hand.
"Hi buddy" Nox scratches under Poochyena's ear, she leans into it, then licks the raven-headed girl's hand.
"Awww!" Lux squirms.
"Shut up" Nox takes out her Pokédex, holding it in front of Poochyena.
"Let's see here…oooh, 'tracks prey for thousands of miles', Rattled, hardy nature, age 12…Oh! Moves!-" Poochyena yaps at the mention of her moves.
"-tackle, howl, sand attack…poison fang?" Nox looks down at Poochyena.
"So you were bred huh?" Pooch nods at that.
"Oh yeah I should see too!" Lux mirrors her twin, pointing the Pokédex at her starter, who's sitting on the lab floor.
"Dex entry: blah blah blah…ooo! You're a sassy Piplup, okay-" The blonde twin makes a thumbs up at Piplup.
"-Anyway, your moves are…tackle, pound, and growl, we can work with that" Lux squints.
"Well, I guess we're official Pokémon Trainers now huh Lux?" Nox stares at her sister while smirking.
"Well girls…let's go get your packs from the truck then you'll be on your way" Eric says, hiding the tears he wants to shed.
The pair of 18 year olds get their big backpacks (one yellow, and one red) with everything you could want for travel (potions, food, water, clothes, sleeping bag, notebook for Nox, etc).
With the sun setting behind the duo just on the threshold between Twinleaf Town and Route 201, they run to their dad and hug him.
"Goodbye my little girls, I'll miss you" Eric whispers to his children while tears leak out of his eyes.
"We'll miss you t—wahhhhh!" Lux cries.
"Bye, I love you dad" Nox hugs him again, Poochyena whining by her shoe, while Lux' Piplup is in her ball.
"But before you two leave" That gets Nox and Lux' attention.
"You have to fight me and Francois!" Eric takes his single ultra ball off his belt.
"Let's do this! Come on out Piplup!" Lux looks to Nox as they made their way to the other end of the mock-battlefield.
"Okay, looks like it's our first fight Pooch!" Poochyena struts in front of her trainer.
"Now because of the strength difference, it will be a test to see if you can knock my life long partner Bewear over" Eric explains as he releases Francois from his ball.
"Piplup Pound!" "Pooch Tackle!" Both Pokémon charge the big pink & black bear, but before they can connect their attacks…"Francois, use Protect"
"What the hell dad!" Yells Lux.
"I never said Francois can't use moves to stop you" Eric smirks.
"Lux, I have an idea" Nox states aloud.
"Yeah?" Lux nods along.
"I want you to have Piplup move around while attacking Bewear" Nox explains.
"Got it, you heard the woman Piplup!"
"Now Pooch, run around and keep using Howl!" Nox finishes.
"I see, Francois use Double Team!" Eric counters.
A few minutes go by of Piplup using Tackle and Pound on each and every clone until there was just the one Bewear, and Poochyena Howling up a storm until, "Now it's time to attack!"
"Go Piplup! Use Pound on Francois!" Lux shouts.
"Pooch, Tackle reach around" Nox' command takes a moment for Poochyena to understand, then she does as ordered, moving to Francois's rear.
"Francois Protect again!" Eric hollers. The move stops Piplup from connecting Pound, unfortunately the Protect doesn't extend to stop Poochyena who topples the giant.
"Wow! I can't believe you girls did it! That was amazing you four!" Eric praises.
"Oh my god! Nox you're so smart!" Lux hugs her sister.
"Well…heh heh…I guess we're going now?" Nox states as if it was in contention.
"Let me heal your Pokémon first" Eric takes out a potion, then sprits the liquid on all three Pokémon.
"Bye daddy!" Lux and Piplup hug Eric.
"Bye dad" Nox and Pooch also join in on the hug.
"Be Be" Bewear completes the group hug.
"Ow…a little too tight Francois" Eric squeaks out.
———
Loading dex entry for Piplup:
Piplups are generally quite proud Pokémon, to where they may not listen to their trainers and are difficult to bond with.
They tend to live in northern climates, they also have thick downs which protect them from the cold.
Piplups are skilled swimmers, able to swim for 10 minutes on average.