Amused at Hibiki's dreamy way of carrying herself through the lab, Mamoru watched as the professor explained her choices. The options were pretty interesting at the moment, as they consisted of a couple Pokemon from other regions. Mamoru suspected that the Research Center was fortunate enough to have received a shipment of Pokemon for studying, and was able to give a few rare ones away to those deserving. Not just any trainer would get to pick from such a trio of starters, but Mamoru knew the professor had a soft spot for Hibiki. "She reminds me of an ambitious trainer from a long time ago, a very close friend of mine." the old man once said to the young boy from Palette, those very words just going to show how eager the girl was to become a renowned trainer.

Mamoru laughed as Hibiki seemed to compliment the Pokemon even though she couldn't even see them. The girl seemed to have a hard choice despite having already explained to him what she'd decided, but she finally picked the fire-type Pokemon on the right. "Ahh, I had a feeling you'd go for Charmander." the professor said with a grin, letting the girl take her first Pokemon from the table. "Now, the next thing for you to receive..." the man said as he reached into his deep lab coat pocket, pulling out a flat, red device in the shape of a rectangle. It had a screen on the front, as well as several buttons used to navigate the machine. "... You're very own Pokedex. I'm sure you're familiar with the basics, and Mamoru will help you if you need any advice." the Professor said with a proud grin, handing the girl her handheld encyclopedia. "It acts as an identification system, so I've already put down your personal data. Try to fill it up with as much information as you can by catching all sorts of Pokemon, alright?" he said with a smile before gesturing to the girl's Pokeball. "Now then. How about adding your first entry and meeting your new friend?" the man said eagerly, making Mamoru smile as well. "Go on." the boy said, nudging Hibiki and prompting her to send out the Charmander for the first time.

--------------------

At that moment, Palette Town's small train station was filled with noise as a long passenger train pulled in. Palette was small, and had remained relatively untouched by technology for a long time, therefor only being home to a single station. Stepping out of each car were several people, most of them simply returning from a day in a larger city a few miles away. One trainer who made his way out of the train, however, was here for something a little different. He wanted to check out the town's newest competitor, his own childhood friend. The girl annoyed him at times, but Hiroshi Nakamura felt it was important to see how the girl would decide to start her journey. With a reminiscent sigh, the young man made his way toward the exit of the station, his destination being the small Research Center toward the center of town.

(( If you want Nanako to bump into Hiroshi, you could have it happen however you see fit. ))