Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Luka hadn't thought he'd be so nervous, when the time came to go to the lab. It had been all he could think about on the trip here, and the very first thing he had done upon arriving was apply for his trainer license, and yet he was dragging his feet on the final, crucial part. Of course, his aunt had had none of that, and made the appointment the minute his card had come in the mail. That morning she had practically shoved him out of the door, and told him not to come back unless he had his pokemon and was there to get ready for his journey. Honestly, he needed the firm hand, otherwise his nerves would have gotten the best of him and he might blow off the appointment, or try to reschedule it. So here he was the lab in site, the door growing closer and closer with every step. He tried to get all of his doubts, about whether he would make a good trainer, whether he should have even done this, out of his mind as he knocked on the door, before testing the knob and finding it unlocked.
"Excuse me?" He called, looking around, "Is Professor Holly in? I'm Luka Miller, I have an appointment to pick up my first pokemon." He called, closing the door behind him and looking around the space. It looked less... high tech than he thought. It seemed like it was mostly all books. He wondered what pokemon he would be choosing from. Part of the reason training in Arciel had interested him so much was their break from the traditional fire, water, or grass type options. He was an odd duck, as people loved to remind him, might as well break the typical mold there too.
||300 Words - Staff - Standard Option||
Last Edit: Nov 28, 2019 4:43:34 GMT by Luka Miller
The call had the sounds of feet echoing down squeaky floors, and a few seconds later, Professor Holly came stepping out from around a corner. “Very punctual, Luka,” she stated. “I see you’ve chosen the standard route. I have your three options here a swell as some supplies to get you started.” Three Pokeballs were held up briefly before being tossed. Their contents came forth in a flash of light. Stepping sideways, she pulled a box from a shelf and set them down a table nearby right after.
It seemed he didn't have very long to wait before the professor made herself known, emerging from around the corner with pokeballs in hand. He knew that one of them contained his future partner, and he shifted a bit in anticipation as she confirmed his assumption and tossed them into the air, unveiling their occupants.
The first was a rather large houndour, who looked him up and down but didn't seem to respond much beyond that, simly laying down to watch the proceedings. She wasn't disinterested, she just seemed to not want to jump for Luka's attention, unlike the other two. The Snover immediately walked up to him and crossed it's bushy arms, as though asking the new trainer to make his judgement. However he only maintained that dignified expression for a moment before his fellow ice type tackled him to the side, jumping up and down in front of the prospective trainer. Snover quickly got up and started to vocalize his annoyance with the little pest, and Bergmite started bickering right back.
Luka looked at the two bickering ice types for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. He had never seen a bergmite before, so he really didn't know what to expect in the long run. That said, he wasn't sure if he was cut out for such an... energetic pokemon. Snover he knew of, they were natives to Sinnoh, after all. Though that was, in itself, a knock against him. Luka wanted something new from his journey, though he felt a bit guilty making that determination.
His eyes moved towards the houndour, who met his gaze with an inquisitive one of her own, as though asking him his thoughts. She seemed rather mellow, and while there were houndour in Sinnoh they were only recently introduced from Johto. Besides that, shallow as it was, she definitely fit his look, didn't she? He looked back to the squabbling pokemon in front of him and cleared his throat. The two immediately stood at attention for him. "I'm sorry guys, I just don't think either of you are for me. I hope you both find great trainers." With that, he walked away from the shocked pokemon, before kneeling in front of the houndour. "Would you like to come on a journey with me? I promise I'll do my best as long as you do the same." He said, offering a hand.
The houndour, looked him up and down again, and then as a form of answer she placed her head in his offered hand, her choice made. Luka stood up and turned to professor Holly. "I'd like houndour, please." He said, confident in his choice.
||445 Words - Staff - Aesthetic Wins! Choosing Houndour||
A small smile came to Holly’s features. This was a good match. “Very well,” she answered. She cast a small glare at the previously bickering Pokemon as she returned them before looking forward again. Shifting the two Pokeballs into her free and, Holly then extended Houndour’s to Luka. After that, she removed a few items from the box: a couple of Pokeballs and a few potions. “These will help you along your journey. Do you have any questions, or are you ready to head off?”
Luka took the houndour's pokeball with a quiet thank you, clipping it to his belt. He didn't see much reason to put her back in the ball just yet, after all, and besides that, he could only imagine she was happy to stretch her legs. The houndour didn't show much response, though she did get up and turn to face Holly, standing beside her new trainer. Luka thanked Holly again as he accepted the potions and pokeballs, intending to put the latter to use very soon. He wanted to start filling out his team as soon as possible, not to mention training up his pokemon for their first gym challenge, whenever it happened. He wasn't in any real hurry, and haste made waste anyway.
When she offered to answer questions it was a bit of a relief. "Well, I've never really lived with a pokemon before. My parents... aren't fond of them, so I don't know much about day-to-day care aside from what I've read in books." He said. He had read a lot of those books ever since he started working towards becoming trainer, but he knew that theory could only tell you so much. "So is there anything I shoud know that I couldn't get out of those books? Especially if it's houndour-specific?" He said, a bit embarrassed to be asking. However, the very last thing he wanted to do was be a substandard trainer and as far as he could tell half that job was taking care of your pokemon. Which reminded him, he needed to start thinking of a name.
Hmm. Holly looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. “Houndour are traditionally pack Pokemon, and they communicate via different barks. However, you will find this one communicates a bit differently.” The first statement could be found in almost any Pokedex entry and book one could get their hands on. The latter was a bit more personal. She wouldn’t explain just how this Houndour differed, but judging from what she’d already seen, he seemed to get it intrinsically. “Aside from that, the best teacher is experience,” Holly stated. That was why Pokemon journeys were so fundamental, after all.
So the houndour was an odd one in the bunch, then? Luka looked down at her when professor Holly indicated as much, and he noticed she seemed to be avoiding looking at him. He wondered, had she ever been mistreated for her supposed strangeness? Perhaps by other houndour? He smiled a bit. Well then, she suited him more than he had ever imagined. He knelt down and put a hand on her head, and she seemed to relax a bit, seeming to understand what was meant by it. "I think we'll work out a way to get our feelings across." He said confidently, standing back up.
As he expected, he was overthinking it. She was right, there wasn't any way for her to teach him everything he needed to know, whatever questions he asked. "Then I guess I should dive right in." He said with a smile. Though before they set off, he needed to settle on the name. "Alright then, let's go learn together... Ebony? Does that work for you?" He asked, both about the name and the prospect of learning by doing. Ebony gently butted her head against his leg, before taking a few steps toward the exit. That was an answer if there ever was one. "I guess we'll be heading out then. Thank you very much, professor Holly." He said, before he and his partner headed off to begin their journey together.