Only One?

[zero]

When you grew up in a port city, you weren't exactly startled to find that the next place you visited would be nearly the same, just upped on the scale of size.
Marion reacted this way, because it seemed sensible.

Skin moved on the face, gold and green closing as the female blinked. It was almost like home, aside the fact that this port city was rather loud and nearly unsightly with its large amount of people and Pokemon. The Sinnoh trainer stepped forward, having embarked from one of the numerous ships that sat in the harbor.

Head was tilted upwards, lips parted slightly as gaze took the sky. Though all regions shared the same sky and land, it eas easy to tell of the differences between. The air was different, even the smell of sea salt differing from Marion's usual scent. In this region, there were differences. Just as there would be in others to come.

Head was turned, boots scuffed on the ground before the trainer hefted her backpack higher, posture kept as right as possible in the swarming croud. There was so much noise, so much movement. It was all rather sudden, to have been on a quiet and peaceful ship and ripped out of the scenery to be placed in chaos. However, Marion was not the type to stand with mouth agape at the changes. Annoying it may be, yet the female simply walked onward, not saying a word as shoulders were bumbed.

"This way, this way! I heard Pokemon are being given out at the Research Facility!"

Gold and green blinked slowly, thin line of the lips managing to turn up. Looked as if she wasn't going to have to scrounge about for help from a stranger.

Bag was shifted over to a single shoulder, free hand pulling up the fabric of her shirt to cover her shoulder. The checkered material simply fell back over the skin, leaving a green and black tank top strap to be seen. Action had been shoved away, little notice as the female trudged onward. White hair, dusted with a slight tan, flowed in the sea breeze, checkered bow in the side threatening to become dislodged from the locks. Boots made an ever constant clop on the ground, streets maneuvered through and around. The child Marion had seen before had pointed to the rather large and impressive building on the other side of the city.

And unlike many trainers who would complain about the walk after becoming bored within the first two minutes, Marion found it to be relaxing. Head was lowered slightly, breath let out before a slight hum was given. Her whole life had been left behind on Sinnoh, and she was to continue a new one in the Novus region. It was a rather exciting and thrilling turn of events, though you couldn't tell by looking at her.

Head was raised, forward motion coming to a slow and steady stop. That was the Research Facility, all right. A large building, quite a bit larger than it had appeared at a distance. Eyes blinked, blank face looking over the front doors and the rest of the exterior. Pack was shifted on the back, steps forward taken. It was now or later, and the sooner the better. What kind of Pokemon were going to be inside? Hopefully types that Marion would find herself interested in, otherwise the journey would seem rather pathetic and simply useless.

The Sinnoh trainer was hoping she would find something worth while.
Perhaps a new friend, much like the Pokemon in her home city.
Perhaps a rival, one like herself that cared and dared not show it.
The latter would prove to be amusing.

Door was reached, head tilted back to look toward the top. There didn't appear to be a bell, and knocking would feel odd. Most of the time people barged into places like this unannounced, right? Hand reached out, wrapping around the door handle. It was pulled back in a fluid motion, feet stepping forward to allow the trainer to enter. Marion stopped once inside, looking up an about as the door slammed shut.

"Excuse me... Is anyone here..?"
Voice was light and calm, somewhat melodic but with a hint of emptiness.
Well, that was Marion for you.

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[Night of Fire]

"Ah! No! Don't!" A frustrated voice cried as the door opened and Marion stepped inside. Mere nanoseconds before the door closed, a dark shape raced out the door, barking the whole time. In close pursuit was a more tannish-gray shape, however, as the other pokemon had gotten out the moment the door shut, the other one just ran straight into the door, falling backward and rubbing it's nose. It appeared to be a Smeargle.

Fortunately for the Smeargle, a young man raced up to the door. Judging by his white lab coat, he was one of Professor Crow's assistants. Blond hair, which hung to the shoulder blades, was tied into a horsetail at the nape of his neck. Amber eyes bespoke frustration and too much excitement in one day. (Though, honestly, for him, there was no such thing as too much excitement.) He reached a well-tanned hand to the door knob, and, ignoring Marion completely, pulled it open, let the Smeargle through and followed it quickly. Even after the door shut, you could hear excited shouts and yells, cries out things such as "Come back, Poochyena!", or "Get her, Rem, get her!"

The lab was a mess. Papers still fluttered in the air from the Poochyena's escape, and various claw marks were on the walls and floors. Bits of fur was everywhere, though mostly just hanging in the air. Perhaps the dark-type pokemon was being brushed, and had run away when the lab assistant had held him? It seemed likely, as there was a brush meant for pokemon on the floor, the area which was surrounded by the most flying fur. In one part of the room stood a desk, a desk which was singed in some places, and even completely destroyed in a few others. This appeared to the the source of the papers. A few piles had remained neatly stacked, but most were just scattered on the desk and in the area around it, and, of course, in the air, though most had made it to the ground in various parts of the office. On one wall stood a door, locked and well-guarded, judging by the number panel to the right of it. In fact, the door was the only part of the room that was undamaged, and considering that it was made of steel, the reason was obvious.

"Heh, another new trainer," a smooth voice mused. In one corner of the room, a young man stood. In fact, this young man looked exactly like the one that had just left. Blond hair tied back, golden eyes, tanned skin...In fact, the only difference between the man that had just left and the one currently standing was the lab coats. The young man exiting had been wearing a white lab coat. However, this one was dressed all in black. Black slacks, black sleeveless shirt, black shoes, black band around his bicep - Even the hair band he wore was black! But, it appeared that this one was also a lab assistant, judging by the white lab coat that still hung on a hook near the entrance. At his feet, a Dusclops stood, apparently playing with...the ground? As Marion walked in, it looked up and raised it's hand in greeting, grinning a typically mischievous grin that all ghost pokemon had.

Slowly, the young man surveyed Marion, almost sizing her up, his amber eyes moving slowly from the top of her head to the toes of her shoes and back up again. "Heh," he turned his head away slightly as he chuckled, pushing himself off from his leaning spot on the wall into a lazy walk toward Marion. When he got there, he extended a hand in greeting. Guess since he's gone, I have to greet her and give her her first pokemon, he thought to himself. "My name is Dimitri, and this is Winchester, or Win, as we like to call her," he intoned smoothly, as he gestured to the Duskull, who again smiled that smile that showed she was up to no good. "The idiot you saw running out the door is my twin brother, Xavier, and his Smeargle, Rembrandt. He made the mistake of letting the Poochyena out of the room, now he has to catch her." He smirked to himself in amusement.

[zero]

Gold and green blinked at the sudden chaos that was met when the door swung open. A seemingly lab assistant running out with a Smeargle, chasing some odd dog like Pokemon. Head was turned to the side, gaze following the mild drama as the scene continued. Weren't Pokemon Research Facility's supposed to be orderly and calm? Or did they always look like they were ready to fall apart?

Cool gaze watched as the door banged shut once more, attention soon turned to the torn apart room. Broken and burnt desk, hair flying all over the place.
Starter Pokemon. They were usually a bit off.

At a new voice Marion turned to face it, though she remained unsurprised and calm. Gaze watched the Dusclops with slight interest, and the trainer's attention was soon turned to the more orderly assistant that the ghost Pokemon was accompanied by.

Weight was shifted slightly as Dimitri came forward, right hand wrapped around the strap to her bag as her other extended to shake his hand, though a bit timidly. Marion was not used to human contact, nor conversation. It had been an awkward turn of events when she was younger, but now people were usually ignored.

"Oh... I see. I suppose that's my fault, I opened the door..."

Lulling voice was accompanied by blank stare and thin line of the lips, hand pulled back to her side after a single shake of the wrist was given. Were all the Pokemon going to act like the Poochyena? Hopefully not, it would be bothersome.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Dimitri... My name is Marion." A pause, and then, "I've never seen a Dusclops before..." Voice trailed off as lips gave a slight twitch, corner pulling up into a light smile. Which really looked more like a smirk, a rather bad habit of the female. "Interesting... Oh, and yes, I'm a new trainer... from Sinnoh."

Sinnoh. This was Novus, a whole new game. Head moved, white and dusted tan swaying as gaze was turned to the rest of the room. To fallen papers and more hair gliding through the destruction. Head tilted to the side, eyes blinking before gaze was turned back to Dimitri.

"Is the lab always in this shape..?"

(( D: It's kinda short, but I'm tired and annoyed with my cousin, so blah. ))

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[Night of Fire]

Dimitri nearly sighed in relief when Marion pulled her hand away after that single shake. She didn't appear to like human contact. Dimitri nodded, though mostly to himself. Good. They seemed to understand each other then. Not much talking, get her out of her as soon as possible so he could get back to his daydreaming.

"Oh...I see. I suppose that's my fault. I opened the door..." Dimitri snorted internally. Yeah, it was her fault! And now it was his job to clean up the lab since his brother was off chasing Poochyenas! The sense of kinship quickly disappeared, even, he thought to himself, (if the girl was really like he thought she was), if it would reappear later. However, for now, he put on a fake smile and said, "Oh no, it was an honest mistake. You could have opened that door at any other time and it would probably be this chaotic," he said, unknowingly confirming her doubts of the nice, orderly lab.

"Interesting... Oh, and yes, I'm a new trainer... from Sinnoh." Dimitri raised an eyebrow at the word Sinnoh. Ah, Sinnoh. Unknown to the girl, both Dimitri and Xavier had been born in Sinnoh. Sunnyshore City, to be exact. Dimitri remembered walking the solar panel streets...basking in the warm sun with a book in his hand...and having to hike up to Snowpoint City and freeze his butt off to visit his cousin. Yes, Sinnoh. "Ah, Sinnoh," he murmured to himself. He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Yes, as I said previously, that lab is almost constantly this way. Never quite a dull moment," then, to himself, he muttered, "Never a moment to sit back and relax." He walked over the the table, easily finding the paper he needed even though the desk was a mess. He walked back over to Marion. "Here. These are a list of the starter pokemon currently residing in the Origo Pokemon Research Facility."

((Don't worry, though, if you think that last post was short, as a warning, my posts start to get shorter and shorter as the roleplay goes on.))

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[zero]

(( xDD I tend to do that as well. ))

There wasn't really much to talk about, and Marion liked that all the more. If there was no conversation, there was no interaction. And thus she would just get her Pokemon and be able to leave, and then all would be fine and dandy.

"Oh no, it was an honest mistake."

Somehow, Marion didn't think so. Opening the door and letting a Pokemon escape and pushing trouble into the lab assistant's hands seemed somewhat unfair. Of course, these thoughts were soon to vanish as the female watched Dimitri go into a stage of silence. Gold and green blinked evenly, lips pressed together to form a thin line in slight disinterest. Of course, she didn't mind the silence.

Sinnoh. Yes, that was what she had said.
Was Dimitri trying to remember which region it was? Where it was?
It mattered not to Marion.

"Here. These are a list of the starter pokemon currently residing in the Origo Pokemon Research Facility."

Simple enough. Marion reached out and took the paper, slowly pulling it towards her. Head was lowered, gaze skimming the paper. Unlike the lab, the list was rather organized and nice. Not a pain on the eyes like she had been expecting.

Actually, no. Marion had expected the rather tightly sealed door to swing open and for many wild and rather rude Pokemon would come spilling out.
Thank Arceus that wasn't the game plan.

Grass.
Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treeko, Turtwig.
Living in a port city, Marion was used to water and flying Pokemon. Grass would appear occasionally, lost in the streets and trying to make it to forests and such. Grass Pokemon were a new concept, yet Marion didn't find herself very interested in them at all, even if they were good against water.

Fire.
Why was this expected to be the next in the lineup?
Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar.
Fire was good against grass, and horribly weak against water. Yet fire was also a very strong element, and thus common amoung most trainers. That wouldn't do.

Water.
Squirtle, Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup.
Water seemed like a very nice choice. Yet Marion frowned at the list, finding herself to be quite contradicting. If she was in a new region, it would be best to start new. That was what she had told her mother. She could always find water Pokemon swimming about somewhere in Novus, so they were out as well.

Ground.
Cubone, Phanpy.
Ground was weak against water, yet they were powerful against fire, which was common. They would have an advantage in most battles. Something to look into.

Rock.
Geodude, Larvitar.
Similar to ground, and however weak against ground attacks. Rock Pokemon did have rather high defence, they were just hard to relate to on most occasions, much like ground. You couldn't really... cuddle them. Marion didn't mind that fact. They seemed interesting. Marion gave a slight smile. Yes, interesting.

Ghost.
Glance up had been given, gaze moving to the Dusclops.
Shuppet, Drifloon.
Ghost were interesting. They gave off the appearance of a nightmarish creature, yet they didn't really mean to scare people. At least on a few occasions. A rather... odd bunch. Marion mused that she would probably be able to get along with one.

Electric and normal had been passed over, not much interest given. Electric was strong against water, yes, but Marion didn't want to be shocked accidentally on a trip through the water, or even on land. Normal was just... well, normal.

Flying.
Doduo, Wingull.
Wingull. She knew those. Pesky birds that flew about the harbor all the time, landing on ships and the tops of buildings. They could be peaceful, but they were usually quite annoying. Doduos were unknown as of yet, but she had seen pictures.

Poison and bug were also briefly glanced at and then shrugged off. Bug Pokemon, though they did evolve quickly, Marion could never see as the proper partner to travel with. No, she wasn't afraid of them. She just didn't like the idea of this huge insect tramping alongside of a trainer through city streets.
Poison didn't really appeal, Marion didn't like to but status effects on Pokemon.

Dark.
Murkrow, Houndour, Poochyena.
Poochyena was the Pokemon that had escaped out the door when she had opened it. Marion's smile returned, a faint one. It had been a rather outgoing Pokemon, and roudy enough to dart out the door at first glance of freedom. But would a Pokemon like that try and escape soon after gaining it? Probably.

Psychic.
Abra, Ralts, Beldum.
Hadn't she seen a Beldum before? They were rather unique creatures, a hunk of metal floating about, one eye on a rather leg like appendage. They were interesting and odd, slightly attracting to the eye after their final evolvation.

Dragon.
Dratini.
Only one Pokemon listed. Was that good or bad? Marion gave a slight frown. She knew those Pokemon, had drawn them a lot in her spare time as a child. Of course, she had never seen them in person. It would be nice to see a drawing come to life.

Fighting.
They were also given a small glance, gaze soon moving to the next. Pokemon that enjoyed battling so much their type was made for it, that just didn't seem right. At least it didn't to Marion, and thus she didn't have any interest in them.

Ice.
Sneasel, Snorunt.
Sneasel was the Pokemon that had ran into the door. It was a rather odd looking thing, but appeared somewhat... off. They just didn't look exactly friendly in Marion's eyes. But she was just that, simply on the inside. Snorunt. She had seen a Froslass before from a traveling trainer. They were beautiful creatures, yet appeared to have this inner malice. She had grown to like them.

Gaze was pulled from the paper after the long moment of silence that had became when she was looking over it. Marion frowned lightly, looking to Dimitri.

"What do I do, now that I have read the list?"

Somehow, it seemed like an idiotic question. But there weren't really any instructions on the paper, such as to hand it back and say which Pokemon you wanted. Honestly, Marion would rather see the Pokemon she was interested in before just saying a name. Hopefully that was what was going to happen.

(( Oh, uhm... xDD This one is... long. Sorry. xD ))

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[Night of Fire]

((Sorry I took so long to reply, I wanted to write a long, well-thought out post, and I was uninspired at the time.))

Dimitri watched as Marion's eyes skimmed the page, skipping occasionally. Perhaps bored by the type or species? Her eyes also paused in a few places, probably the pokemon that interested her most. Of course, being too lazy to memorize the list like his brother, he could only guess to the types.

"What do I do, now that I have read the list?" Dimitri looked back at her from the list. "A popular thing to do would be to request a few pokemon to see if they liked the personalities, then make a decision. Or, if you already know what you want, then I can bring it out to show you." He started walking toward the locked door, his ears pricked for Marion's answer. Oh, yes. He liked Marion. Nice and quiet, though chances are, he wouldn't like her as much if Xavier were around...

"I'm back!" cried an overenthusiastic voice, breaking Dimitri's calm. He winced, twitching. Xavier walked right up to Marion, grabbing her hand a shaking in vigorously up and down. "Oh, you must be a new trainer her for your new pokemon! I'm Xavier, and I'm sorry for my brother Dimitri over there, he can be SUCH a drag sometimes!" he rolled his eyes skyward. Dimitri sighed, leaning back against the wall to fall into the shadows again. The Poochyena Xavier had been chasing, which had been caught by the Smeargle, stalked over near him to sulk.

Xavier finally released Marion's hand, walking, or more like skipping, toward the locked door. "So, which pokemon do you want to see? You did give her the list, didn't you?" Xavier glared at his mirror image, who merely rolled his eyes.

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[zero]

(( xDD That's alright. I don't mind length, as long as I can reply.
And sorry, I was at my grandma's for a whole day... D: Her computer hates me, and wouldn't let me log in and everything. Because it's a jerk and stuff yeah. ))

"A popular thing to do would be to request a few pokemon to see if they liked the personalities, then make a decision. Or, if you already know what you want, then I can bring it out to show you."

Somehow, this seemed to be the most reasonable thing to do. Slight nod was given, gaze lowered to the paper once more. Just ask to see the ones she liked. Alright then.

"Well, I did have some interest in a few... If it's not a problem, I'd like to see Larv..."

Why was someone shaking her hand? And rather... excitedly? Lip had twitched, beginning to curl up at the rather unwanted contact. Xavier. Marion liked Dimitri more. That was a given fact. Her hand was finally released, quickly pulled back to the side. Might as well go along with it; it wasn't like Marion had much of a choice when she was going to be given a Pokemon.

"Ah... Well, I'd like to see Larvitar, Houndour, Dratini, and Snorunt..."

They were the names of the types that interested her the most, and a few of these Pokemon the Sinnoh trainer had never seen before, and knew little about. Though they were grabbing at her attention.

[/center]

[Night of Fire]

((Yet again, I'm sorry I didn't reply for a long time. I becoming the mod I promised myself I wouldn't be! I promise that I'll try harder next time. Only thing is, I'm leaving for a fishing trip up in Washington today, and will be gone for the next week. But as soon as I get back, I'll reply, promise!))

Xavier turned his face to the side slightly, smirking at his brother's hyper ways. "Heh," he even found it in him to give a quiet laugh. However, his brother ignored him, walking quickly (instead of skipping) toward the locked door. Easily, he punched in the code on the number pad by the doorway, knowing it by memory even though it appeared to be exceptionally long. As he opened the door, it appeared to be filled with pokeballs, stacked in neat rows on the many shelves. It was a big change from the look of the rest of the lab. Xavier scurried around, muttering to himself as he picked four pokeballs from different points of the room. Then, he returned out the door, closing it behind him. Finally, he stepped out in front of Marion, releasing the four pokemon from their pokeballs one by one.



The first one out of it's pokeball was the Larvitar. It glanced around quickly, taking in the room at a glance, until it saw the small pile of Poffins sitting on the desk as a treat for pokemon that behaved. It scurried over, making quite a leap to land on top of the desk, and wasted no time in starting to eat them. Dimitri winced as he heard the table creak slightly under it. Ah, that one. The little glutton.

The Houndoor looked up Marion, then down Marion in wide-eyed fascination. It was as if it had never seen a human before, let alone a girl. It appeared curious about everything about it, and didn't hesitate to go over and sniff something or prod it with a paw if it looked interesting. So, it did just that. It walked up to Marion, poking her leg with a paw.

The Dratini also looked up at Marion, though not in fascination like the Houndoor, but in more fear and shyness. Slowly, it backed up to hide behind Xavier's legs. It appeared a rather shy pokemon. "Don't worry, once it gets to know you and it's surroundings, it's the most cheerful thing on the planet," Xavier assured her.

The Snorunt sat down as soon as it was out of it's pokeball. It stared at it's feet, moving them almost in a rhythm. As it did, it almost sang a song to himself. "Sno. Runt! Sno. Runt! Sno. Runt! Sno. Runt!" And on. Eventually, it did notice Marion, and it raised a hand to wave at her. "Snorunt!" it cried cheerfully. It appeared very playful.

"Well? What do you think? Which one do you want?" Xavier asked, almost bouncing in excitement.

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[zero]

(( :3 I don't mind. I should be plenty busy next week. Fair is starting, and I have to lug my goat about in an effort to get some ribbons and not lose my mind. xD

And, just to say, this reply is taking a lot of thinking. xDD ))

Larvitar.
The first Pokemon had seemed to be uninterested enough in her, having gone to nearly crush a table as it stuffed Poffins into its face. Marion tilted her head slightly, watching the odd creature with light interest. She had always liked cooking Poffins, even though they never turned out as entirely perfect as she had always hoped. Gold and green watched the Pokemon for a little while longer before the trainer gave a small frown. Could she make that many Poffins?
Marion had been mainly interested in the Larvitar's fully evolved form; many a time she had attempted to draw a Tyranitar in all of it's glory. Such powerful Pokemon. But wasn't power something fool-hardy to choose Pokemon over?

Houndour.
Now this Pokemon was interesting.
It was curious, yes, but it wasn't a cat so it wouldn't die of it. Head had been tilted downwards so that Marion could peer at the Dark type, slowly lowering to a crouch, hand brought out at an even pace, so as not to startle the dog. Smile slowly pulled over the face, a light one as eyelids drooped slightly. She found herself attracted to the creature that seemed to be attracted to her as well. Houndour seemed like a prime choice. And Houndoom were rather pretty in her mind.

Dratini.
Gaze was turned to the Dragon type as she pulled her attention from the Houndour. A shy little thing, but according to Xavier, who it was currently hiding behind, it was a rather cheerful and nice Pokemon. Marion was intrigued by this; if she could get a Pokemon to like her enough to be rewarded such a treat, that would be marvelous. Not many times did you meet a trainer that had a Pokemon which only shared a bond with those closest. Marion figured in her head that she could work for that.

Snorunt.
Smile had widened as ears caught the Snorunt's song. A rather, if almost overly, cheerful creature. Marion had an interest in Froslass, having heard tales of the ghostly creatures that froze Pokemon and trainers alike that were stuck in snow storms. A beautiful and yet deadly Pokemon.
However, even though the Snorunt was cute and could /sing/, Marion found herself slightly disliking of it's overly happy attitude. Though she did smile back, it was a nearly forced one. She would not be able to cope with such a thing.
It was almost like the other lab assistant.

Gaze was turned back to the Houndour, the trainer wondering what the Pokemon would do. Probably sniff her hand or something along those lines.

"I'm sorry, but I'm unsure as to which one I want as of yet."
/At the moment, Dratini and Houndour are my top choices./

It seemed almost rude to pass over the Larvitar and Snorunt, though.

(( ... xDD Yeah I don't even know. I got conflicting messages all the while as I typed this thing out. Poor Marion. She doesn't know what to choose. And I would feel bad for dismissing some Pokemon so quickly. xDD ))

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[Night of Fire]

((Yeah, the choosing part is always hard...))

Xavier just grinned at her. "Don't worry, sometimes it takes a few minutes of observing to figure out which one you like best! Oh!" He turned as another trainer walked in the door for his first pokemon, running quickly over to assist him.

Quickly, the Poffins on the table disappeared, and the Larvitar licked it's hand, pressing it to the table to get the last few crumbs. Seeing that there was no more, it sighed, glancing around the room. It gave an almost serene greeting nod to Marion, before laying back on the table to promptly fall asleep, snoring slightly.

The Houndour, at the extension of Marion's hand toward it's face, scrutinized it. Finally deciding that it wasn't interesting enough to prod at (but certainly interesting enough to observe), it rubbed the top of it's head to her fingers, giving a happy growl in it's throat, the equivalent of a purr for a dog-pokemon. It glanced momentarily over at the Dratini, who remained cowering behind Xavier, before returning it's attention to Marion.

Finally, the Snorunt glanced up at Marion and the Houndour, and a strange emotion built up inside of it. Was it...jealousy? Of course! IT was supposed to be the cutest pokemon! IT was the one that trainers were supposed to pay attention to! Not Houndour! Quickly, it stood up, rushing over to Marion to demand attention in the form of jumping up and down and crying, "Snorunt! Snorunt! Snorunt!"

[zero]

(( xDD Yeah, I know. Poor little Snorunt... It's too... out there for Marion. ))

Small smile and nod had been given to Xavier; that was reasonable.
Now, which one did she wish to have? Glance to the Larvitar had been given; it ate and slept. Was not that the job of a Snorlax? Rather odd and somewhat off, but it was a nice Pokemon. Still, Marion doubted that it would be able to battle without trying to wander off and steal food or simply fall asleep where it stood.

Attention moved to the Houndour as the top of it's head grazed her fingers. Ears were scratched lightly behind, smile having returned to the face. Oh yes, she liked the Houndour. It was friendly, at least for the most part. And the little dog Pokemon appeared to like her back; at least that was what Marion gained from the situation. The Dratini, on the other hand, appeared too shy. And the Sinnoh trainer figured that she could get along just fine with the Fire and Dark type in front of her.

And then the Snorunt.
Marion couldn't stiffle a laugh as the Pokemon ran oer and began jumping and crying its name. An attention-seeking little thing. Though Marion had to admit to herself that it was cute. However, the Snorunt almost seemed demanding for said attention. Hand that was not held out to the Houndour moved, reaching out to pat the top of the little Pokemon's head. Marion tilted her own head to the side, smiling lightly. What an odd creature. But it seemed to like being the center of attention.
Would not that be better for Contests?

[/center]

[Night of Fire]

Slowly, the soft growl coming from the Houndour grew, becoming a contented hum. Except for a distasteful look down at it, the Houndour ignored the Snorunt, focusing on the fingers scratching behind it's ears. It moved it's head forward slowly, so the hand was now scratching lower on his neck, almost between the shoulder blades. It gave a contented sigh. That was the spot.

The Snorunt, frustrated at only the small pat at the head instead of the full-on attention like the Houndour as getting, continued to cry, though it was more indignant than attention-seeking. However, it was still rather distracting. Dimitri twitched. The constant high-pitched noise was giving him a headache very quickly. So, he stepped forward. Xavier was busy, he wasn't going to miss his only quiet time!

"Have you chosen which one you would like?" he asked politely.

[/size]

[zero]

Head was raised, smile having remained, though a weary one at that. The Snorunt's cries were beginning to become more annoying than anything. And from her growing likeness of the Houndour, Marion figured that the little Pokemon was going to have to find a trainer that would be overjoyed with its attention-demanding attitude.

"Have you chosen which one you would like?"

"Mmm?" Gaze turned to the Houndour after said words, silence reigning for a while.

Scratching between the shoulder blades had continued, and after a few more moments Marion slowly stood, inching her hand away from the Pokemon. Gaze turned to Dimitri, smile slowly beginning to grow. This was a time where she could afford to be truely happy.

"Ah, yes... I'd like the Houndour."
Hopefully the Snorunt didn't throw a fit...

[/center]

[Night of Fire]

The Snorunt gave Marion a nasty look. Ha! How could a Houndour be cuter than it! It scowled, turning away with an indignant, "Runt!" and stalked over to the trainer that Xavier was helping. The trainer took a liking to it's amiable nature, and took it immediately.

Dimitri nodded in approval. "Yes, it's very nice, isn't it?" Suddenly a nervous young man burst through the door. "D-d-d-d-octor D-d-d-d-dimitri!" he stuttered out. He was obviously terrified of the young man. "I-i-i have the items yo wished me to bring!" Dimitri tilted his head slightly toward Marion, and he dumped the items at her feet, running away with hunched shoulders. "Good luck," and with that, Dimitri turned on his heel, returning to his usual dark corner.

Marion received a Houndour!

Name: You choose
Species: Houndour
Gender: You choose
Type: Dark/Fire
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Leer, Ember
Met: Received at Origo Pokemon Research Facility; lv. 5

Marion received a starter pack!

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