"Yes, that's me," He stated, trying to sound firm but instead sounding firmly uncertain. He was TheMorningStar now, not Ezra. But... He didn't feel any different. He barely looked any different if one didn't take into account the tattoos the avatar had. "I'm... Here to apply, yes," He agreed faintly, a worry forming in his mind.

"...Is it possible... That I won't end up having a match?" He inquired, finally voicing his concern. Gameplay-wise it wouldn't make much sense to show the player all these options and then say they couldn't have one. But he was used to rejection, and the wording made his anxieties spring up strongly. "I mean, I want a match," He added, just to make things clear. "I just..." His gaze darted around nervously.

He was supposed to be braver here. Whatever happened, he would face it, he decided, as he forced his gaze back to the Professor. This was a game, he was TheMorningStar, he reminded himself yet again. "What are the questions?" He inquired, a touch bolder than before but still rather soft-spoken.

The answer was simultaneously reassuring and not. Just because something had yet to occur didn't mean it wouldn't, so it sounded as if it was entirely possible to end up partner-less according to the statement. But, then again, without his anxiety speaking for him, he himself knew that consistent pathways led to consistent results.

And then there came the next bit. He nodded along. Even though they weren't real, he wanted to become close to his pokemon. They might be the closest things he ever had to friends. Sure, there were other players, but he found he rather doubted they would want to befriend him.

Still, the brisk attitude of the Professor had him shrinking back some. But the questions themselves were rather startling, especially the first one. "Uhm, a... catchphrase? No, uh, I don't think so? Unless, uhm. Well, does stuttering count as a catchphrase?" He wryly asked, a hint of bitterness combined with amusement to the soft-spoken tone, the question mostly rhetorical.

"I... don't know if I'd call myself 'overly' cautious. I'm... definitely cautious. But... Once bitten, twice shy, yeah? There's valid reasons for me to be cautious. The world can be a difficult place. So... While some others might call me 'overly cautious'... I think I'm rightfully cautious," He explained his answer thoroughly. While he could just answer 'yes' or 'no', he wanted to get the most accurate partner he could, and perhaps some details in his words might lead to him getting a more fitting partner.

"My bad habits... I suppose it's hard for me to give up on an idea when I get attached to it. I can, eventually, but only after a long while. And... I stutter, as you've heard. Even when I try to be braver, I get nervous quite easily. Uhm, but I'm not sure if all of those are habits, or if they're, well, behaviors. There's probably a difference? ...Oh, I was supposed to say good habits, too, right? Uhh..." He pauses for a long moment before finally answering, "...I would like to think I'm the sort of person that always tries to be kind to others whenever I can. Does... Does that count as a good habit?"

He anxiously awaited the results of him answering the questions, hoping that for once he would be sufficient.

No one has ever cared to listen to Ezra's words with anything nearing as much intensity of seriousness as this NPC does for TheMorningStar. It provokes a strange combination of emotions. He's scared by the potential of the concept of someone listening as much as it seems a dream come true. Even if this is an NPC, maybe this proves this world will be different for him in a good way.

It's promising in a way that makes him hope. And hope, he's learned by now, is absolutely terrifying. It is rare that he has had hope that hasn't been crushed. But he isn't a failure here in UNOVR. His opinions seem to matter. His choices matter. Maybe even he matters.

So, he smiles, shyly but warmly as the pokeball is gifted to him. "Thank you," He says soft-spoken but so very sincere. He tries to thoroughly recall what he knows about Rowlet, a thoughtful look coming onto his face. "...A grass-flying type that becomes a grass-ghost..." He nods decisively to himself. "Maybe... I'll see how they feel about the name Virgil..." The name of Dante's guide through the Inferno. It feels oddly apt as a name.

With just a hint of a smile, he goes to set off, to check out this world he has decided to be a part of. Good and bad, at least he will have one certain companion through it all.