I am going to assume the role of this thread's "as$hole". Don't gawk... Every thread needs one!

Chocobos usually aren't very necessary. Only in FFII and VII did I feel the need to ride one or die, and maybe a couple of times in III and IX. It's usually better to gain experience before you are airship-capable... And it's also rare for them to actually save you time, II and III being exceptions, with II only being on a sole occasion.

As far as "cute" goes? Ehhhhh... I was never a fan of avian creatures. They poop on everything.