...woah.

The immersion in this game was something else, was all he could really say. He had never really dabbled into VR besides the arcade stuff, and it didn't quite entice him to purchase a personal unit, but UNOVR was supposed to be different. For one thing, it was a Pokemon game, and if the stories were to be believed (of glitches, uncanny sentience, and it being a game where one could truly find themselves lost in), well, Arthur was not going to resist its siren's call forever. And here he was, standing on the grass that felt creepily realistic (why were his feet bare?) and a stretching horizon that seemed to have some kind of faint dark fog rolling in the air.

Or were his eyes playing tricks on him?

In any case, there was a clear place he should be proceeding to - the Pokemon Lab, if it could be called one, sat in front of him in utter disarray. That was what the game on the overlay said this place was, but whatever was in front of him was...could they even be called a Pokemon Professor? It was hard to describe if this were truly one of the glitches of the game or if it was wholly intentional, because it felt like there was a character model that should be talking to him and gesturing in front of him, but all he could see were its silhouette and a pair of glowing, unnerving purple eyes.

The apparition acted like there was nothing wrong with her and seemed to continue her programmed routine, though she also mentioned the shadow. Huh. ❝Err, okay.❞ if she said so, he supposed.

At least the game's tutorial was still doing as intended - a starter Pokemon was promised, and there were 27 Poke Balls on the display case. Arthur wondered for a moment if he should be worried if she touched one of those Poke Balls, like, would it get corrupted or something? But she had been grabbing books left and right and the models for those items did not visibly change, so maybe his concern was unfounded.

He decided not to sit.

❝Questions like, a personality test? Guess it's pretty random. Whatever, go ahead. Should I say 'Fire'? Do you need the specific keyword?❞ he wasn't sure if the NPC was going to answer his questions, and he was more of just rambling to himself than anything else. Hopefully this wouldn't take long.

These questions appeared somewhat random, and he had no idea what kind of points system they were going to use to determine his starter. Oh well, it wasn't like there was any harm in answering generally, since it wasn't like they were asking for highly sensitive information. Staring at the apparition was still rather unnerving, however. He couldn't tell if those eyes were smiling, as there was no way he could see a mouth in the ghostly fog.

❝Depends on the surprise.❞ it was hard for him to be surprised, or at least he had ensured that when things did not go his way, he was to ensure that he would not look like he was caught off-guard, unless the situation called for it. Maybe he could appreciate a gift, but those were rare and often useless, tossed into some corner to be forgotten.

❝I get bored all the time.❞ it was why he was here, after all. A shiny new thing to play with, and hopefully to keep his attention for some time. So far it had been interesting enough - the AI was surprisingly top-notch, and his first encounter with an NPC already made him raise his eyebrows.

❝A...what?❞ pterodactyl...oh, the Pokemon. A dinosaur, was it? What kind of birthday present would he even give one? Food? A squeaky toy? ❝Hm, six feet under, in the yard, so that if they try to find it they'll just ruin the garden, not the house.❞

She was an artist? Arthur was not sure how the drawing was to be used or why the NPC would even keep data like that, but he supposed it was another quirk, or it really was just a random pick. He still wasn't sure whether he should try to keep looking at her or somewhere else, because what would he be looking at if he were to stare at the abyss that was expected to be her face?

He almost dropped the Poke Ball that was tossed at him, but he kept it in his hands, unable to hide a quiet wonder in his eyes. This wasn't his first time playing Pokemon, but the last time he played was when the screen was much smaller and further away, pixel creatures barely moving in their predetermined places. How was his starter Pokemon going to move here in UNOVR? After a few moments to marvel at the little contraption (and also glancing at the name - thankfully, he remembered what a Chimchar was, he had played Pokemon Diamond when it came out), he pressed the little circular button on the center, which gave a satisfying click before it opened and released a small burst of red light.

And right above him, as if loading into the world, fell a Chimchar on his arms. This one was easier to catch even with the Poke Ball still in one hand. The Pokemon let out a small squeak of surprise, looking around nervously before looking up at Arthur with wide eyes. <Trainer?>

He was startled. It really was a Chimchar - and it almost appeared living and breathing; it had weight and it shifted around, and it spoke (he knew he had chosen this option at the start of the game, but it still surprised him nonetheless).

Huh. He couldn't help breaking into a grin. This was really, really interesting.

❝Yes. You may call me Kon. Did you come with a name?❞

The Chimchar shook its head. <No...>

Well, that was to be expected. The game always prompted the player to give a name to their Pokemon when first received. ❝Well, I'll figure out a suitable name for you. We shall see what this world has to offer, hm?❞

It nodded, still looking rather nervous, but it wasn't struggling in Arthur's arms or anything. A start of a beautiful partnership perhaps?