Arrival

[Micah]

The sky is dark and a thick fog covers everything as the SS Articuno floats into the port. You, along with the rest of the children from the country of Faramon had been cramped together in a small steel room since the "evacuation." It was through the steel room's single small window that you see the sky, the fog and the port. After several minutes of shouting and loud metal crunches the door to the room that you had been trapped in opens up and you are led off of the ship and onto a dock. Each of you is returned the two pokemon you had selected take with you, and you are each issued a green devise that the dock worker tells you is your Visa and pokedex. It will be your id in this country and if you should lose it you may become deported. After that is done and everyone has received their pokevisas the adults return to the ship. You and the forty or so other kids that had been on the ship are left to mill about and do whatever you want to do. You have entered the Kanto region and it is here that you must make your fortune.

[jimm]

Orange lets Sunshine out of her pokeball for some fresh air, and looks through the features of the pokedex while leaning on Sunshine. Orange glances up occasionally to watch the passerby.

[Micah]

The pokedex seems to have four different settings. One of them shows a sort of trainer id like thing that is your identification and travel visa. One of them is the basic pokedex. It currently has no data, though there is a scan button so you can use it on your currently owned pokemon right away. The fourth setting looks like a map program. It is currently loaded with a map of Kanto though it seems like you could probably download more maps somehow. The last setting is a sort of news feed. Right now there are mostly a bunch of stories about the war in the home country.
As you are looking through the 'dex you notice a brown haired kid dressed in a white lab coat. He has his pokedex out and he is scanning Sunshine and looking around for any other pokemon to scan.

[jimm]

I glance through the news feed briefly, scan Sunshine myself, then make my way over to the other kid and introduce myself.

[Micah]

Most of the new feeds are basically decrying one side of the conflict or the other as being horrible. The country that you guys are all from is a smallish country called Liacara and its opponent is the neighboring country Kaliastr that is at war with it. Both countries are democracies, with a minimal League presence in each country. Kaliastr is a slightly larger country and is a bit ahead as far as military technology goes, but Liacara is well known for having an incredible diversity of pokemon and its pokemon trainers are known as some of the strongest in the world. As such the countries are likely close to equal in strength so the war could continue for quite some time. So far neither country has asked for or received aid from any other countries. War began 2 months ago, but it was an isolated conflict that start spreading all the way along the border only in the last couple weeks.
You scan Sunshine and now the pokedex has a host of information about the pokemon. It speaks to you in a machine like voice and says: "Aron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. Aron has an impressive defense power and eats iron ore in order to build up the metal in its body."
When you introduce yourself the boy turns to you and cocks his head to the side for a second before smiling and introducing himself in turn.
"Hello, my name is Benjamin. I am a scientist. I am from the northern part of Liacara, where the fighting broke out. How are you liking Kanto? Seems a bit dreary so far, but we only have a few minutes worth of data to work with."
The boy seems far too young to be a scientist, but he seems awfully confident about the idea and he is wearing a lab coat.

[jimm]

"I lived on the coast, so I like seaside weather. I'm sure the city will be beautiful in the sun after this storm, when the sea has washed everything clean. What are you researching mister scientist? Do you want to see my other pokemon?"

[Micah]

The boy scientist looks around at the dock you are standing on and then replies, "You may indeed be right about the beauty after the storm. As far as my research is concerned, most of the study I have done has been on regional differences in pokemon in Liacara, but my true interest lies in the research of pokemon's diets and how it effects their ability to do battle. My hero Professor Blaine was the scientist that discovered that an increase in protein can lead to better physical attacking powers. His research led to many other similar discoveries and I hope to make some advance in that field while I am traveling Kanto. As for whether I would like to see your other pokemon, I would most emphatically say yes. I would show you mine as well, but I have a rival among these people," he gestures to the throng of other travellers, "who for a number of reasons I do not want to know which pokemon I chose to bring. If you would like to see them I would be happy to show you them in a different location. Perhaps we could meet up at this towns pokemon center later?"

[jimm]

"Sure! I'll see you there later. I'm going to have a look around. It was nice to meet you, Benjamin." I walk towards the center of Vermilion City, taking in the sights and watching the crowd pass by. I plan to stop by the Pokemart and check prices then find something interesting to do in town.

[Micah]

As you walk away from the dock you notice giant concrete building with the word Gym in big red block letters emblazoned on the side. There are several people battling on small battlefield outside the gym even though the rain is starting to get pretty bad. The rain is also making you quite cold, but you manage to wander around until you find the pokemart irregardless. As you were walking through the city you noticed the pokemon center and very few people. Seems like the rain is keeping most everyone off the street tonight. Inside the pokemart you find only the shopkeeper, who greets you and then turns back to his book. On display, the shop has pokeballs, potions, super potions, antidotes, awakenings, paralyze heals and repels, each for the standard price. The shop also seems to be something of a general store and has different kinds of food, coats, rope etcetera. Prices of note are the rations for 50pyen a day and the raincoat for 1000pyen. It also seems that this shop sells magnets of all shapes and sizes, including a few that increase the power of electric type pokemon who hold them. These appear to cost about 1500pyen.

[eive]

Roofie, who fell asleep on the boat, wakes up and runs off the boat as it is about to leave the harbor. He stares around the dock, and decides to seek the shelter of the nearest Pokemart. He needs to get a few antidotes before he does anything else.

[jimm]

I buy ten days rations, thank the clerk, then pack them away where my jacket was in the bottom of my duffle bag. I wrap myself up as best I can in my light coat, which I always thought of as much warmer than necessary back home, and head over to the pokemon center to look for Benjamin and a place to stay for the night.

[Micah]

The two of you just miss each other. Orange exits the shop and disappears into the rain just as Roofie turns the corner and walks into the pokemart. Roofie also notices that he is quite wet once he gets inside the pokemart. The shopkeeper greets Roofie and again turns back to his book. Prices are the same as what I mentioned in the post above. As Roofie is looking around another kid, about the same age also enters the shop. You can't tell whether they are a boy or a girl because they are covered in a thick black coat and their hood covers their hair and shadows their face. Shopkeeper also greets them and they also begin looking around.
Meanwhile, Orange makes her way to the pokemon center and finds it without much trouble. The problem however is that it is packed. Pretty much everyone from the boat headed over this way and the line to check out a room or have your pokemon healed is almost thirty people long. The nurse in charge is trying to get the line moving as efficiently as possible, but their may not be enough room for everyone. You see Benjamin close to the front of the line. In addition to the trainers in the line their are a couple of groups huddling in different circles talking and a guy in the corner who appears to be performing some sort of puppet show.
From the ambient voices you pick up that one of the groups is planning to hike to a different city this night, while another group is trying to pool money to rent a hotel room. The center is really warm and stuffy and the coat you were so glad to have seconds ago is starting to get really hot.

[eive]

Roofie picks up two antidotes, and waves at the gender neutral kid. "Hello" he says. He has to repeat himself louder, after realizing that he had mumbled to quietly hear himself.

[Micah]

The kid turns toward Roofie and nods. "Greetings fellow pokemon trainer. My name is Lea. How goes your journey if you happen to be on one?" The voice sounds mildly feminine, but it is a bit hard to tell because their was a noticeable quality to the voice that is reminiscent of someone speaking to a large number of people.

[eive]

"My name's Roofie." He mumbles. "I've just left my town. Are you from around here?" He fidgets with the sleeve of his too-big sweater. He wasn't sure if it was warm enough, but he hoped so. It would be unfortunate if he got a cold.