2.1: Do I Need Any Materia?
As a matter of fact, yes you will. You will need to buy a Chocobo Lure from our ranch (HINT! If you do not want to shell out the Gil for the CL materia, there is one laying on the ground around the fence out side the stables of the Ranch).

But that is all you will need for materia. You will also need greens to calm the Chocobos down long enough to kill off the monsters that they show up with.