The Grand (Re)Opening!

Reservation employees were shuffling about nervously as the minutes ticked by. Professor Magnolia fretted over various pieces of paperwork. Dr. Claire McKinney paced back and forth, worried about the population and if there was enough of each kind of Pokémon for the new trainers. Various helpers and breeders were running across the reservation, making sure everything was in its place. The only ones who were seemingly calm were Elliot, head of the Rangers, and Kamira, head of Security and Engineering. They were towards the back of the area, not looking as if they were worried one bit.

The clock chimed as it reached Noon; the Reservation was open for business! At the front, just on the inside of the gates were machines that dispensed Pokéballs. They were built with a special AI that knew if someone tried to come back and grab more ("So don't even try it!" -Claire). The Reservation team collectively (save for Elliot and Kamira, probably) held their breath nervously as they waited for the incoming rush of trainers. Over the speakers, a recorded message played. "Welcome to the Flora Pokémon Reservation! To get started, please grab a Pokéball from the dispenser and choose your Pokémon! Any questions should be directed towards Professor Magnolia, Dr. McKinney, or any other members of our staff! Happy befriending and have a nice day!"

---

This topic is meant to never end. Everyone is required to post here if they wish to receive a Pokémon. Most of the time, you can get it done in a single post. If you wish to have an interaction with any of the Reservation team, please PM on here or on Discord and we'll try to create a separate topic for you. However; not every request will be granted. We're busy people, please understand that we can't have a billion topics going for everyone who wants to talk to the Professor, or to Claire, etc etc. Welcome to the site, enjoy your stay!

There was a sleeping bag located not too far off from the Reservation's entrance, and cuddled up inside it was a petite girl with delicate locks for hair, foaming with the sweetness of cotton candy and the aroma of roses in the air. A loud voice boomed, trickling into her ears like waves crashing into a cliff-side. With a disgruntled noise bubbling up from her throat, Khulan shifted her head, yawning as she stretched and blinked. "Uwa..." Was that... a crowd of people? What did that announcement say about Pokemon? "Is this a dream...?" Absentmindedly, she flopped back onto her pillow, pulling her covers over head. "Mm.. I must be dreaming..."

Just as she was about to drift off once more, the pre-recorded message repeated, and the gossiping strangers gathered at the front of the reservation, their stampeding and excited footsteps rumbling the ground where she rested. Khulan jolted awake with a start, shivering in place as a light bulb flickered on in her head. Her head spun left and right like a Baltoy as she drank in her surroundings. People. The front of the reservation. Pokemon.

...
. . .
.  .  .

"Wah, I completely overslept!" With rushed movements, Khulan sloppily folded over her sleeping bag and stuffed it into her backpack. When it refused to fit perfectly, she exasperatedly groaned, flimsily forcing her bag to buckle, some of the blanket spilling over to the side. The petite girl skipped on over, past the entrance and past the others with a knowing, confident glint in her violet-blue irises.

She didn't bother with the line, humming a gentle tune as she went on her way and approached the most obviously friendly staff member at the Reservation. Towering above her was a man with dark tanned skin and sable hair, golden eyes sparkling (they were definitely sparkling) like a Sunny Day. It seemed as though he didn't notice her, and so, Khulan poked him a little on the side.

"Excuse me, sir!"

The man might have jumped out of his skin if he were that kind of person, but instead, he flinched and glared with the sort of expression that would drive anyone else away. But not Khulan. A one-thousand watt smile etched on her face, radiantly shining, she took his silence as a chance for her to continue speaking, "I'm Khulan. My application mentioned that I wanted to receive my Frillish without meeting it first." More silence. "Would you mind telling me where its Pokeball is?"

He kept glaring and glaring. Nothing happened. She didn't go away yet. Rubbing the back of his neck, he quickly walked elsewhere without a word. Just as quickly, he returned with a red and white sphere in a transparent bag, and from the corners of her eyes (if she squinted enough!), she could see her name in dark black marker on a label. Holding it out for her to take, Khulan's grin widened even more.

"Thank you! Mr..." her voice trailed off, her head tilting innocently to the side as she gave him a questioning look.

"Don't do that 'mister' and 'sir' bullshit with me," he responded harshly before wincing. "Err... Elliot. Sorry."

Shaking her head, she waved her hands in front of her in dismissal. "No no, it's fine! Thank you, Elliot!"

Well on her way, Khulan stepped out of the reservation with a renewed sense of energy. She hopped up onto the fence to sit on (though it took her a few tries), keeping her Pokeball carefully in her hands.

The wind blew against her pink locks, caressing her cheeks with a gentle stroke of the finger - not unlike the way her thumb fell over the crimson red surface. A question flickered into her mind, the same one that kept her awake at night ever since she applied to be a trainer, as she admired the small device: What color would her Frillish be? Pink or blue?

Brimming through every vein with excitement, the single color she hoped for dominated her head, she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed the Pokeball like one would to summon a Hoopa from its lamp before she pressed the button to enlarge it. "Go!" She could hear the Pokemon's cry as she kept pleading and pleading (cross your fingers!). Unable to bear with it any longer, her eyelids fluttered open to reveal...

Blue. The Frillish, in its almost translucent color and smooth appendages, was the same color as the vast expanse of blue surrounding the Oasis archipelago. A permanent frown was etched on his features.

Khulan scratched her cheek with her index finger, her eyes turning a bit to the side as the water jellyfish cowered in front of her, like how a Mimikyu would cuddle up in its cloth to hide away. "Eto... You're not quite what I was expecting, but..." She hopped up onto her feet, offering her hand out to the Floating Pokemon. "It's nice to meet you!"

If anything, the Frillish only floated further away, his scarlet eyes glancing at the pale slender fingers warily. Khulan blinked before bringing it back to her side. "Muu... You don't like handshakes?" He nodded. "Then, let me try this again..." Under her breath, she mumbled a few things about not remembering exactly how it went, but before long, she gave a respectful dip of the head toward him.

Clap your hands and twist your left until its peak meets the land.

"Let's be friends, Pito!"

Sprinting to the reservation, hoping that there would't be a crowd trying to get in and new trainers trying  to get their first Pokemon. Cecilia didn't like crowds, it's not like she couldn't stand them, but she prefer not to deal with them. Making a stop at the entrance of the reservation, relived that there was no crowd. She then walked in and looked for the dispenser that she heard carries the Poke Balls. After walking around for a while, she found the dispenser and grabbed a Poke Ball. "Okay, now I need to find a Pachirisu." Cecilia walked around for a longer time than previously. Then sensed something in front of her and looked down to see a Pachirisu on the ground. She put the Poke Ball away in the pocket of her coat and bent down to pet the little Pokemon. Her intention was to let the Pokemon get comfortable with her before catching it. After spending a good amount of time with the Pachirisu she gave the little one a nickname. "How about Eve? You okay with that?" Cecilia was looking down at the small Pokemon smiling. The Pachirisu started hopping up and down. "Haha. I'm assuming that's a yes." Grabbing the Poke Ball out of the pocket of her coat she pressed the button enlarging bigger than she remember seeing it from when her mother used to do Pokemon Battles. "Poke Ball Go!" Hitting the small Eve's head and bouncing on to the ground, shaking, back and forth, back and forth. Suddenly stopping and clicked. Yay! I caught Eve! "Eve you can come back out." She threw the Poke Ball and Eve came hopping out. "I'm glad I got to meet you, may we have a great journey ahead of us!" Picking up Eve and heading towards the exit. This is where my adventure starts! Smiling Cecilia cheerful exits the reservation.

Laine had warned Mason that he was going to be late if he didn't get up and go with Laine. But the young teen just shook his head and stayed where he was in the Undertown. Knowing Mason the teen probably arranged some deal today anyway even though the two agreed that they wouldn't. Oh well the reservation was going to be open all day today anyway... Hopefully Mason wouldn't be too far behind.

Laine perked up as soon as the entrance of the reservation. The blond pulled the door open the air from inside helping to set excitement in the young adult. Oh man he was so ready to get his pokemon. He wanted another companion besides Mason, and having a pokemon to potentially help with the risky deals  would help greatly. Oh man he was excited. The repeating track of the machine guided him towards it to get a pokeball. As soon as he got one he stepped out in the reservation.

Being out in the reservation was different. It was hidden from public eyes for a while and it was the perfect definition of a pokemon haven. Laine walked out towards where he saw some pokemon hanging out but as soon as he got close enough the pokemon stared at him and scattered. Oh.. That was interesting. Laine turned to walk to a different area but as soon as he turned a white pokemon was staring up at him. "Oh! Hello." He said with a wave towards the pokemon staring at him.

It looked like a Vulpix but it was different than the usual red he had seen before one time. Was this the Alolan version he heard about? The vulpix let out a noise and perked its tail up in response of being talked to. It seemed it had interest in him. He crouched down becoming face to face with the Vulpix. "Would you like to be my friend?" Laine asked. The vulpix in response to the person coming closer to it's level lifted itself up by placing it's front paws on laine and licking his face.

Laine laughed at the vulpix's response. "I think he will like you too. You are very cheerful. I don't think anyone could resist that." The blond dug into his pocket pulling out the small pokeball before pressing the button in the middle to make it full size. "Here. Then you can officially be my friend." As Laine held out the ball towards the Alolan Vulpix a light came out and consumed the pokemon taking it inside. It didn't take long before the pokeball confirmed that the Vulpix was his. "I think i will call you Valor. For how brave you are."

Bea was towards the front of the group, eager to get in and get her first Pokémon. She was bouncing on her feet waiting for the gates to open. Finally, after what felt like hours, the gates clicked open. A welcome boomed over the speakers and the crowd rushed in, all trying to get their pokéballs first. Once she finally got to the dispenser, she was so excited she nearly couldn't press the "dispense" button. Finally, after getting past the mass of people and getting her pokéball, she ran off through the reservation to look for her new partner. Beatrice was wandering through the trees, looking everywhere except in front of her when she bumped into a Pokémon. "O-oh, sorry," she began, before realizing before her was just the cutest darn thing she had ever seen. A Combee was fluttering in front of her, looking confused but unhurt. The young girl fawned over the Combee as it continued to look confused. Eventually, the Combee smiled and fluttered closer to her, brushing against her shoulder. "Um.. Did you wanna be my partner?" She asked it, holding forward the Pokéball. The Combee buzzed happily and tapped itself against the containment tool. It fluttered three times before making a chink noise, signifying that the Combee was officially caught. Beatrice immediately brought Combee out, happily, and hugged it.

---

Rowan, unlike Beatrice, was toward the back, with his hands in his pockets. He hated crowds but was excited for his Pokémon nonetheless. He anxiously waited for the people to get through the gates to get their pokéballs and move along, but was getting impatient as it seemed to take forever for people to press a simple button and move on. He rolled his eyes as he went through the unorganized line. After what seemed like a year, he finally made it to the line of dispensers. He pressed the button simply and moved on to the reservation. He tried to avoid as many people as possible as he made his way through the areas, even going so far as to move in wide arcs away from crowds. He passed by many Pokémon, none of them really sparking his interest. He was just about to give up when from out of nowhere something began chomping down (gently) on his head. Reaching up instinctively, he plucked off the creature biting his head. Pulling it down so he could see it, He realized it was a Gible, smirking like it had just done something smart. "Are you proud of yourself?" he asked it, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't help but smile, however. Something about the land shark just made him smile for no good reason. "Yeah, I think you'll do," he said, tapping the pokéball to the top of the Gible's head. After a few shakes of the containment unit, it clinked and he knew that the Gible felt the same way about him.

Stella nearly tripped over herself as she ran forward to get a Pokéball from the machine. She grinned to herself, finally ready to begin what promised to be the best day ever. Pokéball in hand, she headed into the reservation, skipping forward as she struggled to resist the temptation to take off at top speed in search of a new friend. Her determination held out longer than one might expect, but it did wear out eventually - she started running ahead without looking at the ground below her, eyes on the sky - or at least the higher branches of some trees - before tripping over a twig and falling on her face.

“Aw, c’mon!” She’d like to have a day, just once, where she didn’t fall flat on her face. Maybe she had gotten too excited and run too fast, but could she even really be blamed for that? She pushed herself back up with her hands, and started skipping forward. She didn’t get far, however, before a thought interrupted her search for a cute Pokémon friend. “Oh, no! My keys!”

Admittedly, the blonde had a habit of misplacing them, and it was one of those habits her mother was less than fond of - every time she couldn't produce them when she returned home, it was another lecture about responsibility, and a few days of not being able to leave the house by herself. Okay, she kind of understood why, since they needed to change the locks every time she lost them, and it added up pretty quickly. But it wasn’t that she wasn’t responsible, she was! Just not responsible for losing them, most of the time.

Stella searched her pockets to see if they were still there somehow, and came up empty-handed - well, actually, she found a lollipop and carefully tucked it back into her pocket, but the important thing was that her keys weren’t in there - and turned around to retrace her steps as best she could. She still couldn’t see them, but she did catch sight of a flash of silver in a nearby bush, and chased after it. Maybe it would be her keys, and if not, then maybe whatever Pokémon she was following would be her new best friend.

It didn’t take too long to catch up to it, and seeing it in a patch of grass led her to act on impulse - she threw herself forward and into the grass, reaching for the silver object, not really caring about the stains her brand new dress was likely to receive - well, more of them, after her earlier fall, so really, what were a few more? -  and grabbed onto something, but it wasn’t metal, and it felt annoyed.

The feeling’s mutual, she thought to herself as she pushed the grass aside with her free hand. “I need those keys!” The Pokémon made a sound between a purr and a laugh, and Stella got a good look at it for the first time. “Hey… You’re a… What was it called? ‘S not a Meowth, it’s the one that takes things… It doesn’t matter! You can’t have those!”

For the thieving Pokémon’s part, its annoyance intensified. It turned its head away from her, pulling the keys in its paw closer to itself. Stella had been so excited that day, and so ready to meet her new best friend - No. She wasn’t going to let this Pokémon ruin her perfect day. Instead she released her grip and headed off in search of another Pokémon to make friends with - what was one more set of keys, given her track record? Sure, the lecture would suck, but she’d live. Especially with a Pokémon to play and train with. She reached into her pocket to produce the Pokéball, and groaned when she couldn’t find it.

Just behind her, she could hear a click. Turning around, she saw her Pokéball on the ground, and picked it up. She’d caught something without even trying? It had to be fate, guiding her to her perfect partner! She tossed it out experimentally, wondering what would greet her -  a Pidgey, or maybe a Popplio? And then she heard the familiar jingling of her keys.

As she turned around, she realized that she had, at least, finally remembered what the purple problem was called - a Purrloin.

“Oh, come on!” Then, a few moments later: "...Is Nathaniel okay to you?" The Purrloin didn't protest, so she took it as a yes. "Alright! Let's make the best of this!"
~
Zoey played with the Pokéball a bit as she walked, spinning it in her hand without really paying attention. It was hard to believe, honestly, that this was really happening. She wasn’t sure that excitement was the right word for what she felt, exactly, but she was definitely grateful for the opportunity. She walked through the Reservation slowly, trying to take in everything around her. There were Pokémon all around simply living their lives, and it was nice to just silently observe the Pidgey on lower branches of a couple of trees as she passed by.

She could hear what might have been voices or might have just been the wind, but she wasn’t paying much attention to them. Eventually, though, something interesting did catch her eye - a peculiar sound, and when she looked to see where it was coming from she saw a flash of purple flame. Now that was worth investigating, and she made her way towards the source, though she didn’t walk any faster.

Eventually she reached a small rock, around which a few Litwick were… Playing? Performing some sort of ritual sacrifice? She didn’t really know, but one of them was on the outside of the group circling the rock. She decided to approach the little Candle Pokémon, calmly and quietly so as not to scare it off. She would’ve held out a hand to it, but she didn’t really feel like getting hot wax on her hands. Or the burns that would probably come with them. “Hey there,” she greeted softly, noting that it was the only Litwick who wasn’t currently on fire. Recalling what she had read about the Pokémon, she decided to count her blessings on that front. “You wanna come with me? I could use a buddy.”

She held up the Pokéball before setting it down, a clear offer, and waited as the Litwick considered her. It didn’t take long for it to move forward, pressing itself against the button.

Shake, shake, click.

Litwick might be soul-sucking ghosts, at least according to what she had heard and read, but this Litwick was going to be her soul-sucking ghost. “I think I’ll call you Lighter. It suits you.”
~
Lucien examined the Pokéball carefully before setting out on his search for the ‘Perfect Pokémon’ - after all, any Pokémon he was going to train would have to be perfect. He paused now and then to observe some of the Pokémon in the reservation just going about their day, but found some flaw with his perception of each of them. If one was too loud, another was too quiet. If one was too small, another was too big.

He couldn’t really say how long he had been looking when he finally saw it in a patch of grass. A Pokémon he had seen in pictures - Furfrou. Of course, it was perfect! A smile crossed his face, and he leaned down and held out his hand. The Furfrou sniffed it, and proceeded to nuzzle into his hand. Lucien didn’t know what he was expecting, exactly, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t expecting its coat to be that soft.

“You’re coming home with me,” he declared to the fluffy creature, as though it was the greatest possible fate. He stood tall and stepped back, readying the Pokéball and tossing it lightly. As his chosen partner entered the ball, Lucien watched it shake, and took a moment to acknowledge how special this moment was. He would only get to catch his first Pokémon once, after all - it had to be perfect. He heard the ‘click’ that signified a successful catch, and smirked to himself.  Of course he found his perfect partner, and of course he did so easily.

“I believe this is the beginning of something beautiful, Pharaoh.”

Well, as far as Lucien was concerned… It was pretty perfect, all things considered.