[Koragg]

Nazo nodded to the professor and followed him out the door along with Sandy. She seemed to be okay with the idea which he liked. He did like the idea of traveling with a cute girl. "I agree as well, it would be nice to have someone looking out for me on my journey. It's going to be a long one, the company will be nice. Besides there are much worse partners I could have ended up with." He smirked at her when he finished his statement.

After Nazo and Sandy had exited the door, the professor smiled at them. "Alright you two. Make me proud and become great trainers. Don't be afraid to check in every so often as well. Goodbye!" Professor Oak closed the door and Nazo turned to Sandy. "Well, shall we get going? We have a lot of daylight left m'lady." He smiled and started walking down the path from Oak's house and towards the exit of the town.

As he was walking he pulled the pokeball off his headphones and said, "Well time to meet my partner, let's rock Purrloin!" The ball grew bigger and he threw it in front of him, releasing his new partner for the first time.

((I'll stop it here since you are going to control my pokemon. :P ))

[Shenandoah]

((Okay! BTW, your scarf is in your pants... O.o))

Sandy watched in awe as a feline form appeared from the light that looked nothing like a Meowth. Instead of cream fur, it was purple with cream spots and was overall a very amazing looking Pokemon. "Oh, wow!" she murmured as the Purrloin stretched herself a bit before looking around.

Purrloin looked up at the two Trainers and flattened one ear slightly while the other remained erect in a near classic questioning move. "Purrloin?" she purred, drawing out the first part of her name as she inspected them with green eyes.

"Oh, I want to see my Ponyta, too!" Sandy pulled her Pokeball from the chain around her neck and expanded it before tossing it far enough from the purple Pokemon. Light burst forth to reveal the cream and flame horse.

[Koragg]

((Ponyta's just neigh, so I don't know how to make it say things other than that. XD))

The Ponyta neighed loudly as it was released and trotted around a bit before looking at the two trainers in front of it. It then turned its attention to the Purrloin and looked at it somewhat inspectively. It was trying to figure out what exactly the pokemon was, since it had never seen it before. It neighed more quietly before looking at Sandy, sizing her up.

Nazo chuckled as the Purrloin was released and knelt down next to it. He didn't want to reach out and pet it yet, it might scratch him. "Hey there, Purrloin, you excited to be my new partner?" He smiled at Purrloin and reached into his pack before pulling out a piece of Pokemon food and holding it up for the Purrloin to eat.

He pulled out another piece and tossed it to Sandy. "Give it to Ponyta, it's a sign we are going to treat them well."

[Shenandoah]

((Perfectly acceptable. I know that. You know some of the sounds a horse makes, yeah?))

Sandy took the offered treat and held it out to the Ponyta. "Here," she said, letting the Pokemon catch the scent of it and hoping he'd accept her. "I would love it if we could become friends."

Meanwhile, as she did this, the Purrloin sniffed delicately at the treat her trainer offered with curiosity. The feline purred in approval as she delicately took the offering. Quickly it vanished and she rubbed against his leg for more. After all, that had been pretty good and just maybe she xould get some of that everyday.

[Koragg]

Nazo smiled as Purrloin rubbed against his leg. He smiled and pet its head gently before scratching behind her ears. "I'm glad to see you at least like me because I give you food, in time I hope you grow to trust me as your partner, Purrloin." He chuckled before looking over to Sandy and watching the interaction with her and Ponyta.

Ponyta sniffed the food before eating it out of Sandy's hand. It seemed delighted at the taste. After it finished the treat, it sputtered slighty before nuzzling Sandy's hand, saying it liked the treat. It found her hand very soft and enjoyed the feeling. It whined happily knowing Sandy would treat him nicely.

((I'm researching horse sounds and what they mean so I can be more accurate. :P ))

[Shenandoah]

((I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I just signed a contract for an apartment and there's so much to do before I go into it. I've been researching the few pieces of furniture I still need.))

Purrloin mewled at Nazo as Sandy stroked Ponyta's soft nose. "I think it's about time we got going," she commented, looking at Nazo. "We have a long way to go... and I can't wait to get started!" She flashed a grin at her Pokemon partner and then at her human partner. She lifted the Pokeball in her hand. "I guess it's time to go back in your ball... unless you'd rather stay out?" She hoped not as it would be more difficult to keep a larger group together.

((And sorry for the crummy bridger post. I'm not very imaginative on this one. Take your time on the sounds. Most of them are along the lines of 'whinny', 'neigh', 'nicker', and 'snort'.))

[Koragg]

((Don't worry Shen. I figured you were busy doing something. :D ))

Nazo nodded at Sandy and said, "We should get going. It is a long journey." He picked up Purrloin and said, "If you want to stay out for a while that's fine or you can go back in the pokeball if you wish." He stroked Purrloin's fur as he began walking. He turned to look at Sandy and said, "You're gonna leave Ponyta out? It might scare away wild pokemon. It's not too big of a deal but we can't leave 'em out all the time."

Ponyta nickered softly and nuzzled Sandy's hand. He didn't want to go back into his pokeball just yet. It nudged Sandy to urge her to start walking. He wanted to move around a little and stretch his legs. It had been a while since he was out of Oak's lab.

[Shenandoah]

((Thanks.))

"Well, apparently I don't get much of a choice. But later, maybe it'd be fine to bring them back." As she spoke, Purrloin twined herself around Nazo's legs for a moment before going after Ponyta. "I'm sure it gets stuffy in the Pokeballs. And I'm not that big on confined spaces myself." She followed the pony and feline Pokemon. She caught up and ran her hand along the creme colored back. "Y'know... I think I've got a good nickname for you," she said conversationally. "I like the idea of 'Stomp'. Somehow that kinda fits you. What do you think?"

[Koragg]

Nazo ran after the group to catch up. He turned on some upbeat quiet music so he could talk while listening through his headphones. He fastened Purrloin's pokeball back against his headphone. "Hmm a nickname? I was thinking of calling Purrloin, Kuro. What do you think Purrloin. Do you like the nickname Kuro?" He smiled at Purrloin and waited for a response.

Ponyta liked the idea of being called Stomp. He stopped and blew out his nose while nuzzling Sandy's side, signifying he liked the idea. He then began walking again, eager to explore the area. Ponyta were curious and his sense of adventure was rising every second.

[Shenandoah]

((I'm gonna call Purrloin by her nickname from now on, so, if you want to call Ponyta 'Stomp', you can.))

Purrloin purred in response and edged close enough to rub her head against her Trainer's legs in response with a meaningful and loud purr. It was evident she liked her new name and thought it fit her well. "I think she likes it," giggled Sandy in response to Stomp's reaction. "He sure is eager. I'm glad. Makes me feel a bit stronger at the same time," she commented to Nazo before looking at the slightly older man.

"I know you told me that listening to music makes you happy..." she started before hesitating. "But what kind of music makes you happy? Maybe I could tell you some of my favorite artists and such?"

((We could use real-world artists as there are no real known artists in Pokemon when it comes to music... so far as I know.))

[Koragg]

((Sounds good to me on both ideas))

Stomp was out in front of the group looking around as they walked around. He wanted to explore while his trainer and her friends were talking. He looked down at Purrloin curiously. It wondered what kind of pokemon a Purrloin was. It had no idea it just saw a cat.

Nazo smiled and said, "You actually want to know about my music eh? Fair enough. The music I listen to really depends on what is going on. Right now, I'm listening to more quieter music like some All-American Rejects songs. It relaxes me and I like to be relaxed while traveling. When I'm battling though, I switch to something louder. One of my favorite bands for battle music is Atreyu. Really though I like rock music of all kinds. I have some guilty pleasures too which you'll see if you hang around me enough."

[Shenandoah]

She blinked, not recognizing the band name 'Atreyu'. "Well, I've heard some All-American Rejects... mostly what's on the radio stations with the hits. I also like listening to a lot of country music, like Trace Adkins and Jason Aldean... and a lot of other kinds of music too... Like some Katy Perry and Nickelback and Daft Punk. I've been wanting to try and do that video for 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' on my hands for some time, but I don't think I'll be able to. Not that coordinated with 'em." She laughed.

Kuro sat back on her hind legs and batted the nose of the Ponyta looking down on her in curiosity. She had heard that his nickname was 'Stomp' and she thought it was very funny and ironic. The Purrloin's claws were in, so there was no harm to Stomp's nose as it was just a playful gesture. Later, if it turned out they just didn't like each other, it'd be different.

((And I'm so glad you picked a feline for the first Pokemon. While her playing first rattle out of the box [rather than hissing] is a little unorthodox, Pokemon have a tendency to be more intelligent than regular animals anyway.))

[Koragg]

Nazo chuckled and said, "Country music eh? I used to despise it but now I can listen to it without problems. It's just not an everyday thing for me. I know those other bands I like the song 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger'. I like all kinds of music. My iPod is filled with about 20,000 songs." He laughed at the thought of Sandy doing the video with her hands. "I actually tried that too. I got about halfway through before my brain died."

Stomp pulled back slightly after his nose was batted but he understood the playful gesture. He nickered quietly, a sign of happiness and that he liked the Purrloin. He turned back to face forward and kept walking.

Nazo chuckled again and pointed to Stomp and Kuro. "Seems they are getting along. That's good."

[Shenandoah]

Sandy nodded, having watched the exchange. "I'm glad, too. Makes it much easier." She returned to the conversation. "And as for the country music, there are so many varieties of it now. There's your old-timey country-western, there's the country pop, there's rockabilly, bluegrass, and all kinds. Depends on the flavor you want."

They cleared Pallet Town and were entering the wild. Granted, the wild had a well worn path going into the woods and a more widely used and less Pokemon-populated road that non-Trainers would travel. For their journey, Nazo and Sandy would have to go on the forest path rather than the more popular road.

"Today is so pretty," exulted Sandy, always a fan of the perfect moderate weather with sunshine and little in the way of clouds. "I'm glad that cold snap last week went away or else I'd be having to wear a jacket and all, and I don't want my journey to start out that way."

[Koragg]

Nazo nodded and said, "I don't mind jackets, but I'm glad to be able to wear a regular shirt and pants for once, and yes most music genres have many sub-categories now it's hard to remember them all. Rock is probably split into at least 10 different kinds."

The group continued walking and made there way into the forest. "We have to keep a lookout for wild pokemon now. There shouldn't be anything dangerous around here, but it never hurts to be prepared." Nazo shuffled the music on his iPod to something a little bit louder. He took one headphone off his ear so he could still hear Sandy while listening to the louder music. He turned to Sandy and asked, "So Sandy do you have any experience with pokemon battles?"

[Shenandoah]

Alessandra shook her head 'no'. "Not on a personal level," she replied. "But I have watched a few. As I said, Ponyta... er, I mean Stomp is my first Pokemon. I get the gist of it, but not much else. Do you have any experience?" She could hear the music from his headphone that was off his ear and was suddenly very grateful that he didn't seem the kind to sing along with his headphones on. Not only did that make a person off key because they can't hear themselves, but also because it was just downright rude to sing to something no on else could hear or even wanted to hear.

((Sorry, wimpy post. And Sandy doesn't seem to be doing much swearing yet, but I'm sure it'll come as most of the time I don't swear. *grins* Of course, I did scream 'mother fucker' last night when I stubbed three toes at once.))