More Noob Questions....

[Niwashi]

2. 20. Though your actual level may vary when you unlock it, as it's part of the main quest line.

Well, it's not technically part of the main quest line, though you need to reach a certain point in the main quest line to do it. The main quest line has you join a Grand Company, and once you do you'll be offered another quest about getting a Chocobo. The Chocobo quest is actually identified as a side quest, though, since it requires accumulating 2,000 Grand Company seals, which can take a while, and they didn't want to halt the story progression there for that long. I guess that makes it sort of an offshoot of the main quest line.

One thing that isn't made very clear in-game is that getting a chocobo is what unlocks the ability to use mounts in general. If you have other mounts (like the Coeurl mount for buying the Collector's Edition, or the Ahriman mount for subscribing for three months), you can't use those until you complete the Chocobo quest.