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.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on Apr 27, 2020 6:06:30 GMT
Plum City, Capital of Arciel. Known so some as the region of trees. Don't you think Nikolai didn't notice, because he very much did. Still, with every city and town being named after a tree, he was sort of expecting Plum to be a little less... urban? So maybe he was a little disappointed, seeing that it was in fact a huge city, with towering skyscrapers and people everywhere. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. It was loud, and there wasn't much room.
But, it was much too late to move. The mover company Pokemon were already taking his boxes of stuff upstairs into the apartment that would be where he was staying for while. At least it was a two bedroom place, so it would still be spacious enough for his desires. Which was only really a decent bedroom, livingroom and kitchen, and then enough space so he could let the kids out. Once they were hatched that was!
So they still had time before Nikolai had too many, or needed more space. But if he remembered right, Cherry Town was just down Route 4 which had some farm plots for sale. As much as he wasn't that intrigued by the idea of farming, it could still provide the space needed for his little ones room to run around. And if he did suck it up and start Farming, it would help ease the burden of needing money to feed all the mouths he would surely be caring for some day.
Until then, he had Plum City.
"It doesn't look too bad though does it?" The man spoke out loud, though obviously to no one but himself as he looked about and see the people walk by. A lot of them seemed too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Perhaps easy targets if it wasn't in the middle of everything.
"Well, what do you think little ones? Decent enough?" This time his voice was directed to the eggs at his sides. Two messenger style bags hung from both of his shoulders, both hung open so that the breeder had full view of the eggs. Two in one, one in the other. He already had an idea of what would hatch from two of them, but there was still the one that he had no idea of.
Once again his mind pondered over what could hatch from the mystery egg until something else caught his blue eyed gaze. Oh, now wasn't that a striking young man? Long purple hair, darker skin. Definitely someone who stood out, definitely could be considered beautiful. So Nikolai couldn't help it if he was caught staring.
Active Party Mystery Egg, 1/5 Larvesta Egg, 1/10 Heatmor Egg, 1/3 Gabe Alim
After running up and down all of east Arciel, it was nice to be back in the west. A small trip down Route 4, and he’d be home again soon. Heh…home… Gabe felt his lips twitch as he considered that. He’d lived in Bass for so long, suffered in Bass for so long. It was funny how just moving actually changed so much for him. But still…. Yellow eyes raised to the bank roof far in the distance. Haven’t forgotten about you…
From where he stood, Gabe could see it, a rather large building but a small bank. The offices on top of it were worth far more than it in many ways. But all of it probably deserved to burn. 'Mama, someone’s looking at us…' Gabe fidgeted slightly back into reality. His eyes dropped to the Ralts in the crux of his arms and then swerved around to match the gaze of who was looking at him.
It wasn’t anyone he recognized. A stranger was standing there gazing at him. The bag he was carrying was large and full of something…. But the look in his eyes was not menacing. Gabe’s lips pressed together and then quirked upright. ‘It’s fine, Lulu’ was the mentally projected answer. Gabe turned and started walking towards him slowly. “My you have quite a sack there; if I had to guess, Pokemon eggs?” he smiled.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on May 2, 2020 23:11:17 GMT
Oh, he had been spotted. Not unexpected, he had figured that his attention would be spotted. And they had a Pokemon in their arms? A Ralts! A little one too. Not as little as Nikolai had heard of or seen, but still small and adorable nonetheless. Almost worth his attention, but they seemed to already be in good care.
So as tempted as he was, that one should stay where it was. Nikolai also didn't have the means to at that moment. And no motivation to if he were honest. That little gem was already being cut into a beautiful shape. That, and now their trainer's attention was on him. That meant 'behaving'.
Damn were they pretty.
"You have quite a good eye." Nikolai complimented, his lips quirking upwards into the slightest of smiles. "Eggs indeed, three of them. Though they aren't quite as adorable as your little one." Nikolai's lips turned upwards just a little bit more as he gave a soft smile, directed to the Ralts first then toward Gabe.
"I'm Nikolai, would you perhaps be from around here? Wouldn't hurt to know at least one face in the area. Especially one as pretty as yours." Vibrant blue eyes couldn't help but look over the person in front of him. That really was some lovely hair too, definitely someone who looked like they could be up for some trouble.
Active Party Mystery Egg, 2/5 Larvesta Egg, 2/10 Heatmor Egg, 2/3
Ah, he had been right then. Perhaps he was a breeder or something of the like scouting out potential clients— like a certain someone, I guess… Gabe fought the urge to sigh. This was not the time or place to be thinking about her. So instead, Gabe smiled a little more. “I see,” he chuckled glancing down at Lulu in his arms. The Ralts turned a deep red and immediately hid her face into his chest. “She is a little shy, though…”
Nikolai, hm? He’d have to remember tha— How flirty…. Gabe gave a slow glance up and down Nikolai before settling his eyes again. “You’re not so bad yourself; call me Gabe,” was smooth answer back. Lulu turned redder if at all possible, but her features remained hidden as she pressed her face up against Gabe. The latter snorted softly and pat the baby gently. “I live in town, but I’ve been traveling a lot lately,” he answered glancing sideways to the apartment building and then forward at Nikolai again “I take it you’ve moved in recently?” He smiled already knowing the truth.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on May 7, 2020 16:03:21 GMT
There was the briefest, barely there twist like Gabe's lips were going to open or turn downwards more. But instead turned into more of a smile. Interesting, Nikolai tilted his head a bit, curious as to what expression the other may have made before the smile. It was still so fascinating to him how people could show so much expression, but yet here he was, very conscious of the amount of effort it took him to show anything. Unless little Pokemon were involved that was, then it became easier.
"Awe. Such a little darling indeed. Though also shows how much trust she has in her trainer." That little smile didn't fade as easily as he thought it would even as he politely looked away from the shy little Ralts. She deserved the little pat
Though that definitely had been a good once over hadn't it? Not that Nikolai was very unkempt or anything, he just knew he could look a bit better. But, if he really wasn't that bad like Gabe said, then it wasn't the worst first impression he had made. Gabe, definitely a name and face to put in his memory bank.
"Stiil looking good for someone whose been travelling so much." There was a little dip of his shoulder in a barely there shrug. "Yes, unfortunately. Just arrived yesterday and crashed at a hotel, now I'm waiting for the go ahead to get upstairs, organize the boxes that likely got put somewhere else and get unpacking. Didn't want to risk being up there, getting in the way and anything happening to the eggie crew." He patted the tops of the eggs gently.
"Though I will admit, I've already thought about traveling myself. Cherry town is just down the way right?" Nikolai asked before tacking on more. "Any other sights around that are worth seeing?"
Active Party Mystery Egg, 3/5 Larvesta Egg, 3/10 Heatmor Egg, 3/3
Gabe’s hand shifted as he gently pet Lulu. “I have a bit of a lead there,” he laugh-admitted softly. “I hatched her from an egg myself.” From what he had read about Pokemon eggs, Gabe was aware they were more of a ‘larval stage’ for Pokemon. Some even maintained memories from the egg state according to what he had read. It drove him to be very careful about where he took and how he hatched this little one. The Ralts line were known as intense empaths even from a small stage.
At the compliment, Gabe immediately smiled again. “Why thank you,” he mused back Ah, so he had just moved in, perhaps even to the region. A new breeder in town was never a bad thing. At the question, however, he found himself looking up and back towards the channel way.
“Right yes, across the water is Bass City and the rest of the mainland.” He looked back again and looked thoughtful at the question. “Birch City is further down the routes but also pretty good,” he decided on. “There are quite a few cities on the western seaboard. Anything you’re looking for specifically?”
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on May 11, 2020 19:33:00 GMT
Oh definitely, hatching a Pokemon definitely gave one a head start. Though just how an egg morphed into a Pokemon but was still conscious as an egg was a very intriguing process. "Indeed, the process of hatching Pokemon eggs is a very intriguing process. Hard to believe sometimes that the eggs are basically just vessels of concious energy that form into a Pokemon upon hatching. Or, something along those lines. Perhaps they do still have a form while in the egg, and they just evolve into a larger form." There was a soft sigh. "But it does give a potential to form some very strong bonds. Sadly these ones have been cooped up due to travelling." And that Nikolai was slightly regretful of. The eggs deserved better.
And yes, Gabe definitely looked good for someone traveling so much. Hair didn't look too bad, wasn't super dusty or grimy with dirt, mud or ash. He looked clean, which wasn't something that could be said for a lot of people.
Alright, Birch city was that way, wasn't that where a lot of new trainers started? They could make good potential customers if he could offer them the kind of Pokemon they were looking for. Sadly that was a ways off. He needed a lot more Pokemon for that, at least more of a variety. But he definitely wanted a more Pokemon friendly area.
"I'm thinking of looking into the smaller, perhaps more underappreciated towns. I come from a small city so I'm not the most used to all this, hustle and bustling activity. And I'd like to have some actual space to raise some Pokemon. It's quite obvious an apartment won't allow that, and I already have to fork over a decent amount for a damage deposit." Nikolai chuckled softly, watching the Machamp and Machoke came back outside to gather the last few things. His eyes narrowed as he watched them carefully.
Then there was something that caused him concern. Which of course came off as the slightest trickle of anger. He knew he had an incubator in his things, but now it was being handled carelessly! "Excuse me, but that needs to be handled with care." He spoke up, strutting forward to grab the incubator before it could be dropped. He shook his head slightly as he walked back to Gabe, muttering about how much of a loss that could have been.
Active Party Mystery Egg, 4/5 Larvesta Egg, 4/10 Heatmor Egg, 3/3
Gabe’s eyes flickered to the eggs again as Nikolai spoke. He wasn’t actually sure of one of those patterns, but the other two looked very familiar, actually. The corner of his lips quirked, but he decided to keep those thoughts to himself. It was probably better as a surprise anyways.
Hm, smaller, underappreciated towns. He had been through quite a few of those recently enough. “Ah, then Cherry Town would fit that criterion well, as well as Cedar between Birch and Bass.” His eyes too flicked sideways to the movers Pokemon. At least one of them actually had It’s Raining Men stuck in his head and actually was swaying just a bit with it. Gabe felt his brow quirk just a little.
Nikolai noticed the motion and retrieved what he was carrying. “Ah, that could have been an expensive drop…” Gabe noted as he registered what the actual item was: an incubator. Those were more than a little expensive, but over time they offered some good results, probably.
“Do you want to cover one of those?” he made a gesture to the bag and then back to the Incubator. “I can hold one or the other.” Shifting Lulu up onto his shoulder, Gabe held out his hands and waited. The Ralts clinged sideways into his hair.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on May 19, 2020 22:02:42 GMT
Soon, soon these eggs would be out of their fabric confines with room to actually breathe and move. Soon, Nikolai was pretty sure that there was only one more trip after this one. The only reason it was taking so long was that he had an ungodly amount of blankets, bed sheets and towels. And those of course had taken up many boxes that had taken a few trips to bring up. There were only a few boxes left now.
"Cherry and Cedar." Nikolai hummed thoughtfully. He knew Cherry was nearby as Gabe had confirmed that. And Cedar was on the mainland between Bass and Birch. "Well, I was already planning on stopping by Cherry to see what the farms were like. I'll definitely give it a thorough look then. And if it doesn't quite fit then I'll check out Cedar. Or check out Cedar anyway. Might be fun, who knows." Nikolai chuckled softly.
"She's my cherry pie." Came the errant thought and deep mental chuckle.
Oh yes, that would have been a very expensive drop. Or repair, but Nikolai wasn't sure one could be easily repaired. And most certainly didn't want to have to prove that it was purchased because, well, it wasn't. It had actually been stolen from his parents, who had gotten the thing and then proceeded to not even use it. Who would think that eggs went on top rather than inside? Idiots. These thoughts were perhaps a little louder than most.
And Gabe was even offering to help juggle eggs to get one inside. "Oh? You sure? Thank you." The raven smiled crookedly. Now, which one would be the most worth while, to both put in the incubator and to hand over to Gabe? Certainly the incubator would be the biggest loss, but it would also be the hardest to run with. But the eggs would be a bit less of a loss (potentially) if something were to happen.
Instead, Nikolai decided that Gabe would not so likely run off, and risk the Ralts on his shoulder from falling off. So the incubator was put into the waiting hands as Nikolai shifted the lightest of bags. "Little family trick." He said, tapping lightly on the first egg, the one he had no idea what would come of it. It gave a responding wiggle. Alright, the streakiest one next, and it too gave quite a wiggle. But the mainly white one? It only gave a weak little shudder and he nodded.
"This one could use it the most." He confirmed, carefully taking the egg that had been unbalancing him for awhile and set it into the incubator. Making sure the sliding door was shut securely. "Thank you again." Nikolai said as he held his arms out for the incubator. "Could I perhaps offer you some tea or lunch? There's a cafe just down the street I was going to once everything was upstairs."
Active Party Mystery Egg, 5/5 Larvesta Egg, 6/10 Heatmor Egg, 3/3
Gabe’s lips pressed together as he fought the urge to chuckle along with Nikolai’s mental one. He’d gotten reasonably good at differentiating between mental and vocalized thoughts, but there was still sometimes a compulsion to answer both. More thoughts came but were easier to ignore than the first few.
“Sure,” Gabe assured with a subtle smile. Might as well protect the rarest and most valuable egg where one could, yeah? Yeah. Still, he was aware of the other mental debate going on and fought the urge to smirk. My, what a cautious person. Lulu didn’t hear so much as feel all of these unvocalized feelings in the air, and she shifted a little uneasy with a lack of understanding.
Taking the incubator and holding it in front of himself, Gabe watched as the eggs were assessed. The way in which the first two moved was familiar to him now. They were getting close to hatching. The last, however, seemed to be waiting still. Ah… So he was judging by readiness rather than rarity or valuability. Well, that made sense, actually.
As the egg was set inside, Gabe shifted it carefully to make sure it was set correctly before handing it back to Nikolai again. “There, welcome,” he hummed— pausing briefly as their hands touched. The offer earned a subtle smirk. "It’s a date, then,” he answered with a wink back. Lulu knew what that was and immediately blushed, raising her hands to cover her mouth. Gabe reached back and pet her gently.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on May 28, 2020 21:09:36 GMT
While some would think, protecting the rarest, most valuable egg of the bat was a good idea, they weren't wrong. And in the end, that was still technically what Nikolai was doing. The Larvesta egg definitely had the potential to be the most rare of the eggs, but only because the rarer eggs tended to take longer to hatch. As if the Pokemon inside wanted to be sure it was hatching to a suitable trainer first. Or they just took longer to develop.
And now the poor Ralts was looking quite uncomfortable now. Right, psychic types were very empathetic. Was she picking up on him too much? He at least attempted to quiet down his mind. It only seemed fair to the young Ralts.
Now, what did he want to do about this situation he was in? Normally if anyone called anything a date, Nikolai could correct them, preferring the word get together or some such. Something much more platonic and less inspiring the idea of romance. Something which Nikolai was not one to do. Though, with how Gabe seemed to be implying it, it felt less like a typical date and more a shared meal. Maybe that was something he could handle. And since they had just met, unless Gabe had the silly notion of 'love at first sight' then surely this would mean nothing. And what was that oh so innocent reaction from Lulu?
"A date it is then." Nikolai smirked, eyeing the moving Pokemon as they thudded down the stairs. "I'll just drop off a bag so it's less of a hazard. Then we can head over." The raven shifted the straps on his shoulder before he was heading upstairs.
A few minutes passed before he was coming back down, down both bags though still had the incubator tucked under his arm. "Shall we?" He asked, nodding down the street. He waited for confirmation before he was heading down the street. "So, is there any place in Arciel that you haven't seen? Traveling around such a large region must have taken a lot of time."
Active Party Mystery Egg, 5/5 Larvesta Egg, 8/10 Heatmor Egg, 3/3
Oooh? Gabe smiled a little more. “Sounds good,” he answered. “I’ll wait here.” he shifted stance to watch Nikolai disappear up to his apartment. Lulu, meanwhile, pressed at the corners of his mind asking a series of questions that he could only chuckle at hearing. She was so shy and so curious. But Gabe didn’t date traditionally by any stretch of the imagination.
Once Nikolai had come back down again, Gabe flashed a grin. “Let’s,” and with that started walking again. A soft hum escaped from him as the question was asked and he reflected on where all he had been in the last couple of months. Saying where he had been was rather innocuous given what he’d already said too, so. “I’ve been through most of the west and now the east; there’s still north and south Arciel, but as you said it takes time,” Gabe laughed a little and shrugged his shoulders briefly. “I’ve been up and down almost every route in the east, I think… Though there are some wild areas like the Voiceless Caverns that I’m a little leery of going to on my own…”
A small smirk pulled onto Gabe’s features thereafter. “Are you planning out a travel route?” he asked a bit playfully. Another thought came to him, however, and he switched to that. "There are local Pokemon swarms that make traveling frequently worthwhile, though." Among other reasons, of course.
Post by Nikolai Lavoie on Jun 1, 2020 22:06:10 GMT
The streets were definitely busier than they typically were in Aquacorde. And it was definitely a different experience to go from a closer knit community where everyone knew everyone to this. Each face was different and unfamiliar, no one looked up and smiled as he walked by, no one here knew his name. It was actually quite refreshing, being just one face in the crowd. Just what could he get away with this kind of power?
Nope, he knew he was bad enough as it was. He needed to behave right now. Plus, there weren't anything of particular worth standing out to him. That, and Nikolai felt that Gabe would catch him. Always better to have little to no witnesses.
His head nodded, adding that bit of knowledge to his mental map. As lacking as it already was. At least he had an idea of what the immediate area looked like already.
"That sounds understandable. The wild areas sound more, well, wild." Nikolai chuckled. "Unpredictable. Challenging. Definitely a place you'd want to have someone else with you in case something happened." Nikolai hummed, tightening his grip on the incubator as he had to turn to allow someone to pass briefly.
"Something like that. Doesn't hurt to have a plan even if it doesn't actually get used. And I'll need to find more Pokemon myself eventually. Buying from other breeders will cost a pretty penny and won't really add to my own credibility." Nikolai shrugged. So far he had no other plans than Cherry and Cedar, though he supposed it wouldn't hurt to look elsewhere. Especially the harder to reach areas some day. Hard to reach meant rare Pokemon that would be in demand.
"Yes, I've heard about these swarms. Definitely would offer me some way to start my own team." His own team? Nikolai paused, head tilting as he perhaps looked slightly perplexed. "Huh. I know trainer basics, but I don't know how to assemble what one may call a proper team. Not to mention what kind of Pokemon I'd even want." His eyebrow twitched as he contemplated this problem.
Oh, right, they also needed to get to the cafe. Not much further yet though.
Active Party Mystery Egg, 5/5 Larvesta Egg, 10/10 Heatmor Egg, 3/3
Gabe bit the inside of his mouth as they started walking through the crowds again. He was growing used to the “noise” of transient surface level throughs, but as they passed by a particularly large group of people, he found himself focused on Nikolai’s thoughts instead. Hah. Was he perhaps a criminal in disguise, or had he just misread that? No witnesses huh? Maybe he had heard right then.
Ah, so he was formulating a plan. “Makes sense,” Gabe answered only to chuckle a bit at the words regarding breeders. “High quality Pokemon, high expenses,” he agreed. Even if he had done most of his Pokemon hunting himself. Ah so he had heard of the swarms. Wwell, good enough for Gabe then, heh. At the mention of a team, though, Gabe couldn’t help but chuckle. “I… don’t think I’ve really constructed a team so much as collected the Pokemon I personally like,” he admitted with a small shrug.
As they got up to the café door, Gabe grabbed and pulled it open, holding it for Nik before following inside. It was a cool little area. There were a few people at the tables and couches, but it was far from capacity. The soft jazz that was playing over the speakers was a nice touch. “Hmmm I think this one you just….” Gabe walked up towards the front and stared up at the menu questioningly. Lulu wished vaguely that she could actually read. ‘Is there something you want, Lu?’She wasn’t even sure. Hm.
Nikolai's head turned to Gabe, head tilting so and there was just the slightest bit of a furrowed eyebrow. Pokemon one personally liked. There was definite confusion in the blue eyes that looked at Gabe. Lips pursed together as Nikolai looked away, the raven most definitely perplexed by the thought.
"I've never thought of it that way. I don't think I've ever given it any actual thought as to what Pokemon I would like. It's always been what's rare, or what may be attractive due to it's size. Hmm." The raven hummed thoughtfully. What did appeal to him anyway? Especially in regards to Pokemon. Was there a type he liked? Any species? Well, the Larvesta egg had definitely gotten his attention.
The jingle of the door snapped him from his reverie, Gabe probably noticing how distracted he was and the pause before Nikolai was walking inside with a murmured thank you. Now that was really bugging him, what did he look for in a Pokemon? First, what did he want to order? He had a routine for trying knew places like this. He followed Gabe to the counter, but he didn't seem to know what he wanted yet. So Nikolai spoke up first.
"Large iced coffee please, black. No cream, I'll take sweetener on the side please." He was then looking over the display case to see what sort of baked goods they had. "And one of those Oran berry trail mix cookies as well please." Nikolai added after a moment. "You can tell that they make them in store, and oran berries are especially nutritious. Though, that Pecha berry shortcake cookie might be something your Ralts would like. I see pecha berry and white chocolate chunks. That is, if she likes sweet things. And they appear to have an assortment of fruit juices too." Nikolai pointed out, trying to be considerate and helpful.