Anxiety plagued Luka as he stared at that one last confirmation box. The last time he tried to go outside was a bit of a disaster, and this was going to an entirely different world. He had no idea what his reaction was going to be. Except it wasn't going to be his reaction, he reminded himself. It's an entirely different world, Luka thinks, I'm not me. I'm Viral..

Viral inhaled one last time before pressing the button.

The transition from the starting screen to the lab was a bit jarring, but it helped further cement the idea that what Viral was experiencing wasn't reality. So too does Professor Ash's speech. Think of it like a game. He's a character in a game. Everything's fine.

"Makes sense," Viral replies with a toothy grin. "Lay 'em on me, Prof."

The last little bit of anxiety leaves Viral once he's sat down and being asked questions by the Professor. Most importantly, it gives him something to focus on, but more than that it helps him really cement the kind of character he wants to be. Viral doesn't look at them like questions, but more like writing prompts.

"If you found a wallet on the side of the road, what would you do?"

"Hmm..." Viral crosses his arms and leans back in his chair as he gives the question consideration. "Well, that depends on how honest you want me to be about my answer," He gives the Professor a conspiratorial wink, "Obviously, I'll turn in the wallet, but... Well, who's to say if there was money in it before I picked it up, right?"

"If it turned out that your entire life was only a dream, would you want to know?"

It's a bit of a weirder, more existential question, but Viral can work with it. "If I was trapped in the dream forever, and knowing didn't do anything for me? I probably wouldn't want to know, but y'know if knowing meant I could go full lucid dream and become the god of my dream world, I would absolutely want to know," He answers with a laugh. "If it was something I had to wake up from, though, I mean... That kind of answers itself. I'll end up finding out one way or another."

"What makes you laugh?"

"Funny things," Viral grins, then he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I mean, come on. What kind of question is that? Comedy's such a broad subject. I like jokes and things that are fun, but that can really shift depending on how I'm feeling on any given day, y'know?"

Grookey.

When he started the process of obtaining a starter, Viral wasn't really sure what to expect. There were a few pokemon he thought might be nice to start with, and the Chimp Pokemon wasn't one of the ones he'd even considered. The more he thinks about it, though, the more perfect he realizes the choice is. The Professor really knows her stuff, huh?

"Awesome, thanks Prof!" Viral says, giving the Professor one final grin before standing to take his leave. "Next time I see ya I'll be the Pokemon Master, or... something like that!"