{Starter} A New Polarity

You're binary, and desperate to deal in high figures

Verley walked, half-hunched over, down a path of a mixture of frozen dirt and snow, their knees bent to keep their feet from slipping as they trudged. Their hoodie clung to them, doing a sub-par job at keeping them warm at best, but they did not complain. Verley did not mind the numbness of the cold; the lack of feeling in their skin was an intriguing sensation that they welcomed as a change of pace, as it were.

But despite that numbing chill and the calmness that winter brought, Verley was not in the best of moods. True, they were hardly ever in what one would describe as a "good" mood, or even a "decent" mood, but as their ill-equipped shoes crunched the ice under them, Verley grew more and more disgruntled. It was not where they were or what had happened in the recent past that was bothering them, but rather where they were going and what they were going to do there.

They had signed up to research abroad before college, and they had been lucky enough to be sent to their first region of choice, Obstina. But upon arriving, they had received the rather unfortunate news that they were being required to obtain a "starter Pokémon" from the region's lead professor. There was no outright animosity towards the woman herself; Verley was not very familiar with her work, but certainly she would know much about their field of study. But Verley was not good with talking to people, or with requesting things from others, and this first step on their journey had already turned them sour.

Why did they need a starter? Their job was to write a few papers on biodiversity, Pokémon behavior, and ecology, not to battle their trained lackeys with other people's trained lackeys. "It's a requirement," their school had said. "Insurance that you'll be protected, so that the school board won't be held responsible should something happen." As much as they were fascinated by Pokémon, Verley had never thought of themself as well-equipped to take care of them.

As they reflected on their dissatisfaction for the umpteenth time whilst on their walk, Verley approached their destination: a building upon a hill, ample enough in size, with a fair amount of wooden steps leading up to the door. It was now that Verley finally took notice of their surroundings. All around they could hear the calls of Pokémon that, logically, shouldn't have been heard together; Pidgey and Swellow songs could be heard in the trees, side-by-side, and as they marched ever closer to the door, they caught a glimpse of a Patrat and a Rattata scamper into the bushes. They certainly weren't bluffing, thought Verley, remembering the pamphlet detailing the diversity found in Obstina they had received back at home.

They had reached the stairs now, conveniently enough covered in ice. Verley let out a huff, their breath crystallizing into a cloud around their head. Grasping the handrail to their right with both hands, the young researcher tentatively placed one foot on the first step. They pressed down firmly before putting their other foot on the next one. It was slow going, but Verley soon enough made the climb to the door, now shivering. Letting out another sigh, the researcher knocked loudly on the door to announce their presence. "Verley Linnaeus, Class 25C," they called from outside. "Here for a 'starter Pokémon', as per their ludicrous protocols." Satisfied that whoever was inside had heard them, the young researcher reached out their hand to grab the doorknob...

And promptly slipped on the porch as the door swung inwards, landing on the linoleum floor inside with a hard thunk.