[IC] Journey of a Thousand Miles

[tobiax]

The man shook his head low. The girl looked absolutely pitiable. Tobias only glanced for a moment, wondering what could be wrong. Soon, they entered the lab together, and the man rested the girl on one of the thin couches in the lobby. The man brushed his hair out of his face, then looked to the boy, who stood idly by.
"Go upstairs, to the third floor," he began, pointing at the slim elevator in the center of the room, "There's a refrigerator with water bottles in it. Go get one."
Tobias barely had time to process what he said. However, he did not hesitate, getting into the elevator, which seemed to be a re-purposed freight elevator with its open structure. The rest of the building was dark, and he didn't pay much attention to it. A few moments later, he returned, a clear bottle filled with water in his hands. Swiftly approaching, Tobias handed it to the man, who supported the girl's head as he opened the bottle and poured the smallest bit of water into her mouth.

[Mistress Dizzy]

For a moment, there was no reaction. Then the girl's lips moved very slightly. "Nngh..." Her eyelids twitched, and she shifted a bit. The Professor poured a bit more water into her mouth, and once that was down, then he poured in a bit more. The Liepard started to lick the girl's forehead like a mother grooming her young. As the Professor continued to slowly give her water, her breathing and pulse steadied. "Mm..." Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was glossy and distant. "...where... where..." She tried to look around, and realizing suddenly that she was indoors, she started to panic. Sitting forward rapidly, she tried to get herself off the couch. But she got very dizzy and nearly blacked out again, slumping back weakly. "Nnn..."

[tobiax]

Tobias watched with bated breath, unsure of how to feel. The air was tense, and silent, and even the man barely moved until the girl started moving. The man smiled a bit as the girl started to awaken.
"Good, you're awake," he began, but then lurched forth as she began to stand, "Oh! Hold it."
The man slid forward, putting his arms under her and slowing her return to the couch, making sure she didn't hit her head.
"Easy there... Here, drink," he offered, handing the bottle to her, "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl took the water bottle in her slightly weak hands, and started to sip at it slow. "I... guess I passed out." She shrugged slightly. "It's been a bad week for me. It happens." Of course, it hadn't ever happened this bad, but she was trying not to make them freak out. The Liepard who had been lying in wait nearly bowled over the professor in her haste to get to her trainer. She nuzzled her furry head into the girl's middle.

"Luna!" She wrapped her arms tight around her precious Pokemon. The nonchalance that had been on her face before was replaced by bliss. "You followed them all the way here?"

[tobiax]

The man chuckled heartily at the embrace between the trainer and her Pokemon.
"You two care for each other very much," he noted happily, "That's good. I'm glad I could help you two."
He then remembered that there was someone standing behind him, and swiftly turned to face the boy.
"Oh! I guess you did come for a reason, now didn't you?" he pointed out in a well projected tone, "Well, nice of you to stop by. Can I help you with anything?" he asked.
Tobias was about to speak, raising his hand slightly, when the man spread his arms out.
"Oh! I've forgotten to introduce myself! My name is Professor Sycamore," he announced.
At this, the boy gasped slightly, before standing straight and making himself more presentable.
"P-Professor Sycamore! My name's Tobias," the boy introduced himself, rather hastily.
"Oh, Tobias!" the Professor declared with a large smile, "I was waiting for you," he then paused, looking back at the girl, "Just a moment, then we can get to business."

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Tobias?" The girl raised her eyebrows a bit, as she looked past the professor and to the boy. "Oh. You." Her eyes dropped, and she shuffled around in her pocket. "Here. Just take it." There was a sort of emptiness in her eyes. "I... I was just hungry, okay? You want it so bad, it's yours. Never met anyone fight like you before." She held out the crumpled Poke' bills, her gaze downcast. "You have balls. You're an idiot, of course, but a ballsy one."

The Liepard, now calm, settled beside the couch and purred. The girl put her hand on her Liepard's head and simply stroked its' fur lovingly.

[tobiax]

Tobias gave her a curious look, reaching out his hand slowly as the money was offered. However, as her eyes went blank, he froze.
"I-if you were hungry... you could have asked," he replied, his voice sounding slightly shakey, "I... I would have got you something..."
Tobias was cut off when the Professor stood from admiring the Liepard's coat.
"Well, I didn't know you two knew each other... " Sycamore spoke up before clearing his throat.
He then gestured again, this time towards the elevator.
"Now, Tobias, if I may, I believe we have some business to which we must attend," he announced, then turned to the girl on the couch, "You may come as well if you like," he offered, stretching out a hand.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl blinked, before shrugging slightly and taking the Professor's hand. She stood, wobbled and frowned, before regaining her balance. The Liepard stayed right at her side, to help her walk. "I guess I'll go, if there's going to be food. I'll eat anything. Well, except Pokemon food. I'm not picky like that, it's just I tried it and it... didn't end well." She started to walk unsteadily toward the elevator. In her mind, Tobias' words were tumbling around and around. Would he really have gotten her something? She honestly didn't believe it. He was saying that now, but if she and Luna had just walked up to him, he probably would have ignored them completely, or reacted with fear. She'd learned a long time ago that you had to take what you needed, because no one was going to hand it to you.

"What do you do here, anyway?" That question was directed toward the Professor, as she leaned against the wall that housed the elevator. There was a faint sheen of sweat on her face, just from that brief walk.

(I'll be gone until Sunday/early Monday, have a good weekend!)

[tobiax]

The Professor smiled, nodding to her remark.
"I think I can whip something up," he answered with a nod.
As everyone gathered at the elevator, Sycamore looked about with a slight air that seemed like concern.
"I don't thing everyone will fit at once," he remarked with an air of awkward apology, "If no one has any objections, I'll go on ahead. and the two of you can discuss amongst yourselves who goes when."
It was then that the girl asked what he did there. Sycamore laughed, looking at her with a smile.
"Why, I research Pokemon, of course," he declared.
With that, he pressed the triangular button on the wall neat the elevator. The door slid down, and the man stepped inside. It was clear to see that he was right, and the three of them plus the Pokemon could not fit. The rails rumbled as they took the elevator up and out of sight, leaving the two in silence. After a moment, Tobias finally looked at the girl. She didn't look well. She seemed to be sweating
"Hey, you alright?" he asked quietly as the elevator began to rumble back to them.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl looked at him sideways, narrowing her dark eyes briefly before returning her attention to the elevator. "I'll live." She took a few more swallows of water and leaned against the wall more heavily. "I've been worse." That was pretty much a lie- this was probably the baddest she'd felt. What would have happened if they hadn't found her? She honestly didn't want to think about it. Instead, she turned the focus back on Tobias. "I've never seen anyone like you fight so hard for their money. I mean... wow." A flicker of a smile crossed her face. "And no Pokemon either. You do know I could have kicked your butt, right?"

[tobiax]

Tobias scrunched his lips up into the corner of his mouth as she replied. She didn't look alright. His mind began to wander. Did he have any granola bars or something in his bag? Maybe he could give her one... Her next remark caught him off guard.
"Wait, really?" he responded incredulously.
For a moment, he paused in thought, seeming as though he were not going to provide an answer. However, he soon looked to her more directly than he had before, shrugging slightly.
"I guess... I mean. I had to-" he paused, recollecting himself, "If... I couldn't go back. E-even if I wanted to... we didn't have any more money to spare. This was my only shot to actually..." he paused, shaking his head and taking in a breath- why was he even telling her this?- well, she did ask, "to actually make something for myself, you know? And... if I didn't have enough, I... I'd never be able to make it far enough to where I could actually do it on my own..."
It was only then that he noticed the elevator had settled back into place. He didn't know when it got there, and now he just looked at it, Should he let her go first? Would he go first himself? Could they even both fit inside the elevator at once?

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl blinked at him, looking surprised. "...didn't have any more? I thought you were rich." She felt rather confused, he had the clothes, he wasn't dirty, so... why wouldn't his family have cash to spare? There was a funny twist in her stomach, a nasty flutter of emotion that she immediately tamped down. There was no room for it where she was living. She had a right to live, and if she had to take what she needed to do that, well, so be it.

"So... I guess we should go." She studied the buttons of the elevator before pressing one and watching it slide open. Frowning slightly, she stepped in and gestured for Luna silently. The Pokemon looked apprehensive, but obediently curled around it's trainer's legs. "...uh... there's space for you, still..." She shrugged and pressed herself into the corner.
.

[tobiax]

Tobias shook his head, then scoffed slightly- probably the first time he had done that all day.
"Not even close," he remarked, with a slightly dismissive tone.
He might have continued, but the elevator was back, and now, as the girl pushed the button on the wall, it opened. After she entered, he heard her note that he could fit in as well. After a moment, he stepped inside, keeping to the wall. It felt quite a bit different with someone else inside, and a Pokemon as well. After a moment, however, he rolled his shoulder a bit, dropping the bag into his hands. Brushing off a stray patch of dust, he reached inside, fishing around before he withdrew a small object. About four inches long, it was flat and rectangular, shrouded by a white wrapper.
"Here," he offered, extending his hand out towards her, "Take it. You need it right now."

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl looked at Tobias with her eyebrows raised. "...what is it?" She reached out and took it from him, studying it with confusion. She unwrapped it, seeing brown and specks of color. Her head tilted slightly, and she lowered the object to her Pokemon's nose. "Luna?" They did this often when digging through dumpsters. Luna's strong nose could tell if food was too far gone to be edible, and had saved her trainer plenty of headache (and stomachache) in the past.

The Liepard sniffed at the brown bar, then yowled happily.

The girl smiled. "It's good? Thank you." She took it back and bit into it. It was soft and chewy, sweet and with bursts of tangy flavor. "Mmmm..." She started to devour it, and then before the bar was half gone, she broke off a good chunk for Luna and offered it down. The Pokemon delicately nipped it from her fingers and chowed down as well. Soon the bar was nothing but crumbs, which girl and Pokemon both were licking away. "What was that? It was delicious."

[tobiax]

Tobias watched the curious behavior of the girl and Pokemon with a distanced curiosity. Had she really never seen a snack before? His curiosity became confusion, then turned to an odd satisfaction as he saw they enjoyed it. The elevator slowed, seeming to hitch as it passed the second floor before continuing on. At her question, he raised his eyebrows- he would have raised only one, but that wasn't something he could do.
"Seriously, you don't know what a granola bar is?" he responded incredulously.
By the time she would likely be able to respond, however, the elevator made its halt, and the door opened. Instinctively, Tobias took a step into the room, which was now much more lit, with Sycamore sitting at his desk in waiting.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl looked at him, head tilted in confusion. "What's granola?" She muttered her question as the elevator door slid open. Stepping out, she realized she'd never been in such a nice looking place before. The walls were painted a rich blue, there were all sorts of pictures on them. There was a plush red rug on the shiny tile. There were bookcases and stray books all over, along with a few folk in white coats like the one her rescuer had been wearing. "Wow..." She murmured under her breath. "...interesting place."

[tobiax]

Tobias chuckled a bit and shrugged, "I have no idea," he replied with a relaxed tone.
After he exited the elevator, he took a look around. As he saw the Professor, he began to approach, before he looked back at the girl, who looked about in wonder.
"Wow you... " he paused, then smiled and shrugged, "I've never been in a place like this either," he sighed slightly.
He then walked over to the professor's desk, not really paying attention to what the girl did at the moment.
"Greetings Tobias!" Sycamore declared as he stood from his desk, "Are you ready to get your Pokemon?" he asked.
Tobias nodded vigorously, "More than anything."
Slowly, with a certain casual dignity, he withdrew from his desk a cylindrical case. Slowly, he flipped a switch at its side, opening it to reveal three Pokeballs within.
"So, which Pokemon will you pick?" he began.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl looked around at everything, most drawn to the laptops set up about the room. She looked curiously at the screens, but could decipher nothing, and moved on. After peering at one of the pictures on the wall, a portrait of a Pokemon she didn't recognize, she went in the direction of the Professor's desk. She leaned against a small partition that separated the two areas from each other, and watched, curious. Idly she rubbed Luna's ears. She wasn't entirely sure why she was sticking around. Probably because they had helped her, and hadn't shown signs of kicking her out yet. She wanted to ask what was going on, but she had an odd feeling that she would be interrupting something if she spoke.

[tobiax]

Carefully, Tobias pointed his finger out, passing it over the buttons on the Pokeballs. With a slight nod, he turned to look at the Professor.
"Can I take a look at them?" he asked with deep interest.
"Take your time," Sycamore responded with a nod.
Slowly, Tobias moved closer and clicked in one of the buttons. For a moment, nothing happened, until he withdrew his finger and the ball snapped open, releasing a burst of light. The light took shape, and soon, a slim, blue frog like creature with a bubbly clump behind its neck was sitting where the ball had once been. Tobias took it firmly by the sides and lifted the Pokemon slightly, looking into its eyes. It felt a bit lighter than it looked, and had a cool moisture to its skin.
"That's Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokemon," Sycamore informed him.
"A water type, huh?" the boy mused aloud before speaking mostly to himself, 'There sure are a lot of those, huh. Is that the best way to start?' he pondered, remembering his mother's Slowbro.
Setting the Froakie down, he then moved over to the next ball. Pressing the button in a similar manner as before, he watched as much the same thing happened, only this time, an elegant, yellow canine form appeared before him.
"Ah, Fennekin," Sycamore dictated as Tobias moved to be eye-level with the Pokemon, "Fire types can be tricky to raise, but many people find them to be rather rewarding."
Tobias then turned and clicked the next button. The light flashed much the same way as it did the other two times, and in its place, a brown and green creature with a very round head now stood. It glanced curiously at the other two Pokemon before looking at the boy with what looked like skepticism.
"Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon," Sycamore recited from memory, listless tilting back his head.
Before the Professor could continue, Tobias moved curiously closer to the creature. With a testing hand, he knocked slightly on the green portion of the creature's head, and was shocked to find it rather hard. The Pokemon scrunched his mouth, then reached up and did much the same to the boy, but with a mischievous smirk. The boy laughed, then picked up the Chespin, causing it to make a sound that was like a chortling whistle, which sounded a bit like a laugh in return.
"I choose Chespin," Tobias declared, standing before the Professor proudly, looking him right in the face.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl found herself smiling as Tobias interacted with the Pokemon. She'd never seen one like that before. The little green and brown one was adorable, and Tobias seemed to like him very much. It was nice to watch someone else with a Pokemon out in the open. She'd found Luna on the street herself, and they'd grown up together. Pokeballs cost money that she'd never had to spare, so Luna had spent plenty of time outside.

She had to admit, though, the adorable little yellow fox looked sweet too, with its brilliant red eyes. Though, she wouldn't want any other partner but her dear Luna. Even if a fire Pokemon would be endlessly useful during the winter. "Ah..." The sound escaped her mouth before she could avoid it. "So what happens to the other two?"