Neo arrives in Kantex

[PBK]

<sub>ooc|| Finished his profile and updated Jai's...you should read...if you have WAY too much time on your hands....seriously, Neo must have the record for longest profile...

bic||
The boy leaned up against the door to Kantex's laboratory, though he did not know that was what it was. He looked rather out of place in the otherwise quaint town. Perhaps it was his tall lanky body, which muscles seemed to jet out of in a most awkward way. Or maybe it was his clothing, which was torn and dirty, not to mention blood-stained, and the eye patch, made of a cloth wrapped around his head. Probably the most obvious reason to a passer-by would be the way he carried himself. Neo was tired. Famished. Ready to collapse. The only thing that kept him from doing such was the lab's door.

Finally, the teen mustered up the strength to knock. He had no more time to decide whether those inside were for or against him. If he didn't get help soon, he might not make it at all. And at this point, being returned hardly seemed bad, when the other option was falling to a certain death on this porch.</sub>

[Professor Gravon]

Katherina was inside the main lab entrance hall, dragging a tray to a desk when the front door was knocked on.

<Ah! The sliding doors are stuck again!> She thought.
She approached the glass doors.

<Oh my!> She gasped as she quickly slid them open manually, observing the poor trainer.

[PBK]

<sub>Neo held his gaze upon Katherina for a long time. He had never seen a Ninetales before. The only pokemon he had ever been this close to were ground types, the only kinds fit for for hard labor. But now, he had no time to try to figure out what she was.

The teen clutched the outside wall of the lab, partially to steady himself, and partially to use it to press off of if he had to get away quickly. Even if he did try to run, he wouldn't get very far. He was past exhaustion.

"Where am I?" he finally asked, when he had mustered up the strength to do so. If he hadn't of been so weak at the moment, the teen might have seen the sign advertising the many shops and streets of Kantex. Even then, it wouldn't have done much good. Neo was, more or less, illiterate. The school he had gone to didn't value literacy in the working class.</sub>

[Professor Gravon]

Katherina gave him uncomfortable look.
<You are at the Kantex Regional Laboratory... Are you alright?> She asked, worried about this troubled fellow.

<Take a seat, I can get you something that can fix you up!> She offered, thoughtfully.

<Tell me what you want.>

[PBK]

_{"Mm-hmm," Neo said, feeling relieved. Kantex. He had never heard of it. But that was a good thing, right? He followed the Ninetales inside which was not as easy as it sounds. The teen had to rest his weight up against the door or wall while moving....slowly...very slowly. "Food is good," Neo said, before collapsing in front of the chair he'd been offered. The boy was out cold on the floor.}

[Professor Gravon]

(Ooc: I'm sure you wont mind being moved to the kitchen staff?)

<Hey Glimmer! A trainer's hurt! Can you please take them to the staff kitchen?> Katherina yelped down one of the corridors.
The sound of galumphing echoed down the corridor into the main room. A shiny charizard expanded it's wings as it came out of the crammed corridor and approached Neo to pick him up...

[PBK]

<sub>ooc||'course not.

bic||

The boy stirred a little, becoming momentarily aware of the large Charizard. What a strange dream! Everyone knew that dragons had long since become extinct...

Neo made no attempt to resist the seemingly phantom Charizard.</sub>

[Professor Gravon]

Glimmer carefully yet perfectly picked the boy up delicately. With a few simple strides down the corridor, the charizard reached the Staff Kitchen.

Katherina, the ninetales just finished putting together a plate of four biscuits. Hot water was being prepared for the trainers hot chocolate.
Relicana, Kass' suicine, lay browsing the Kantex Paper on the floor. Glimmer stood at the doorway after placing the trainer into a chair near the table with the plate of biscuits.

[PBK]

_{The scent of biscuits seemed to do the trick. Neo regained conciousness and looked from the food to the Pokemon, then back to the food again. The teen assumed it must be for him, and even if it wasn't, he needed it to survive and could explain, find some way to pay for it later. He grabbed one of the biscuits and ate it hungrily, then grabbed the others as well. He made no effort to be polite. It looked as if he hadn't eaten for days. As soon as he had sufficiently stuffed all four biscuits down his throat, he realized that the Charizard hadn't yet left. The boy sighed and hit his head against the table, letting it rest on the cold, smooth surface. It was nice, but survival required expelling hallucinations....but it all seemed so real. Neo groaned. He really shouldn't have eaten so fast.}

[Professor Gravon]

Katherina finally placed the hot chocolate before the trainer. She felt his forehead...

<Poor darl!> She muttered. <What can I do for you, sir? What happened to you, darl?> She asked, concerned of the trainers well-being.

[PBK]

"Huh?" Neo asked, looking up again. He felt the Ninetales' paw against his forehead and gave her a quizzical look. This pokemon acted almost human like. All of the pokemon he had ever met seemed indifferent, if not completely unaware of their human counterparts. "Where am I?" he asked again, seeming to have forgotten asking it the first time.

[Professor Gravon]

She smiled sweetly.
"You're in the Kantex Regional Laboratory, where the famous Professor Kass resides."

[PBK]

"Kantex," the boy said, then repeated once more, "Kantex." He nodded, as if tasting the words in his mouth. "Kantex. Is that a free land?" he finally asked, after much silence. He hadn't wanted to ask the question, so fearful of its answer that he almost refrained from asking it at all. But, it was something that had to be done eventually. The boy shifted his body uncomfortably, a sickening feeling rising from the pit of his stomach.

[Professor Gravon]

Katherina was taken aback by such a weird question.
<Uh- Of course it is! Pokemon and people coexist equally on Kantex, as far as it's inhabitants see it... Why do you ask?>

[PBK]

Neo relaxed at the Ninetales comment, a look of sheer relief on his face, in fact, so much that he began to tear up. The teen rested his face on the table, not wanting even a pokemon to see him cry. When he had regained his composure, the teen looked up. He had been hoping to speak with a person who worked here, but this pokemon seemed to know what she was doing. "In that case, I come here seeking," the boy paused, trying to remember the words that had so often been mumbled around the labor camp, "political asylum."

[Professor Gravon]

Katherina looked confused at his words.
<I don't know what 'political assylum' is, but if you're talking about safe refuge, this is the best place in Kantex, now! We now have tighter security then ever before, and we are five star accomodation.>
She courtseyed slightly, somehow.

<If you're not happy or don't feel secure you could try the Kantex Central's five-star Pokemon Plaza. That is even better then here! Just don't tell Kass that I recommended the Plaza to you.>

[PBK]

"Refuge?" Neo asked, "Yeah, refuge. Yeah. Looking for a safe refuge. Land away from-" he stopped, not sure if what he was saying was making sense. The teen sighed and scratched his head. "Where is this, Plaza, did you say?" Perhaps there would be someone there who could explain everything to him. "And who is Kass?"

[Professor Gravon]

<Professor Kass is the great Professor who has the greatest knowledge and wisdom in all of Kantex. She's smarter then any Alakazam!> She knows practically everything about Kantex, it's history, it's people and pokemon, it's weather, the plantlife and life-cycles, geology... you name it!> Said a very proud Katherine.
<And we are her pokemon!> Said the charizard raising their head in a very proud manner.

<You are in her kitchen! If you want to seek refuge refuge at the Pokemon Plaza, we'll have to equip you as a trainer. I can get one of Kass' pokemon to get you there!>

[PBK]

Wow. This Professor Kass person sounded pretty great. Her kitchen were nice, and so were her pokemon. How lucky he was to land in such a place. "She sounds like quite the woman," Neo noted, "Sure raised you guys well, I can see." The teen had relaxed quite a lot in the last few minutes. He thought about the offer which had been proposed to him. It sounded like a good idea; after all, Neo didn't have any plans. "Yeah, I guess I would like to go to the Plaza. And having a pokemon to accompany me might be nice." In case I run into any trouble, though he didn't add this last thought.

[Professor Gravon]

<Rest here this afternoon and we'll be off tomorrow morning...> Said Katherina.
<You look pretty ill and exhausted, dear.> She said, feeling his forehead again.

[PBK]

"Okay," Neo said, taking his seat again. Exhausted was an accurate assessment, and ill, possibly in more ways than one, depending on how one defined an illness. Where he had come from, he had been considered ill, even when he was healthy. Officials had been afraid that his 'disease' might be contagious, and that is what had caused him all this trouble in the first place.

The boy soon fell asleep, though he hadn't meant to. He just couldn't help it.

[Professor Gravon]

The shiny charizard picked him up and carried the poor boy to a spare room.

About 8 o'clock, the ninetails jumped on the base of his bed and fell asleep near him. It made the cold night much more bearable.

The sun rose early the next morning... The shiny charizard left a warm breakfast near his bed. Bacon, eggs and toast.

[PBK]

Soon after the breakfast arrived, Neo stirred. The smell soon woke him up completely, though at first he thought it was dream. But when he took a bite, he didn't wake up again, so, dream was ruled out. One always seems to wake up at the best part during dreams, or sometimes during the worst, he later recalled.

Neo felt more alive than he had in days, as if this whole thing truly was a dream. He touched the sleeping Ninetales, just to double-check, as if the food hadn't completely convinced him. Now fully convinced, the teen got up out of bed. He quickly stretched, then wandered out of the guest room, looking for direction.

[Professor Gravon]

She stirred.
<Oh you're up!> She said giving a great yawn.
She hopped off the bed and stretched her arms. <You're going to love the ride! Kass talked to me about your transport... You're flying on Garin! He's fast, so hold on. He's a shiny latios, so make sure you flatter him.>

She waited for Neo to get ready and motioned Neo to follow her.

[PBK]

A shiny Latios? Neo thought. He had never seen or heard of such a thing. But, the pokemon here had been nothing but kind to him so far, so he could only assume that whatever the thing was, it was in his best interest to go along.

He stretched once more, then followed the Ninetales. There was nothing to get ready- the only thing he had with him were the clothes on his back, and that really wasn't much.