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.
Soren wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd gotten to Arciel, but his prospects weren't exactly looking the best. He did do a few odd jobs here and there, of course, just small things that didn't require much of an education and relied mostly on his brute strength and other factors. The pay had been good, but not anything to write home about, and after more than a few days (weeks, maybe?) spent lingering in Birch City, he decided to set out and venture deeper into the region. The northern paths wouldn't take much time to get through, but east - that looked promising. So after getting what little valuables he had, stuffing them into his ratty knapsack along with fresh eggs he'd gotten during his stay in Birch - not to eat, unfortunately, but who knew what a man might do when he got desperate enough - he set out on the path leading away from the city, and towards what he hoped were better monetary prospects.
The sun was bright overhead, but it wasn't early enough it was overbearing, and the occasional breeze passing through kept him relatively cool. After an unfortunate incident involving one of the pokemon center's fans, Soren had committed to the idea of keeping Zappa tucked away so it didn't get up to any more mischief, and let Dizzy and Testament roam about as they wished. It was an oddly fitting choice given their namesakes, but Dizzy mainly kept her perch on Soren's shoulder, nesting in his hair whenever they passed by people heading into the city while Testament wandered along at a languid pace. Because of his small stature he had to take about three steps for every one of Soren's long strides, but the pokemon didn't seem too put out, and instead kept a determined face up as though trying to keep up appearances. If not for Soren, then definitely for Dizzy's sake, who he kept sneaking little glances to every so often as though making sure she were either doing okay or else was to see if she was looking at him. She wasn't.
As they ventured along, Soren read over the pokemon he had with him currently. Since he'd never really left Kanto or even socialized much with people outside of his brother and the fighting dojo trainers, he didn't know much about all the new species and variants of pokemon that he was being exposed to on an almost daily basis. His little world of a hundred-fifty known species - hundred fifty one, according to some people - had expanded to well over eight hundred. Needless to say, he had a lot of catching up to do.
Zappa - Lv1 Rotom (5/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv1 Rookidee (5/5 Energy) Testament - Lv3 Barry (5/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank Egg - 1/3 Posts Misdreavus Egg - 1/3 Posts
Okay, so maybe trying to learn all the new species was a bit of a mistake. Soren hadn't been at it for very long before he started feeling sleepy - a byproduct of reading too many words in a row, no doubt - and he hadn't even started on Johto. He was still reviewing the Kanto ones, brushing up on everything he'd learned when he was younger and even gleaning a few new tidbits and facts about familiar species that had only recently been discovered.
But despite how interesting they were, eventually he hit his limit for brain processing power, and he tucked his phone away with a yawn, just barely avoiding jostling Dizzy on his shoulder, who'd tilted forward as he read to peer at all the pokedex entries, too. She gave a softer chirp in greeting, pecking lightly at his cheek and then shying away when he turned his head to look at her, immediately disappearing back into his hair like she belonged there. On the ground, Testament caught this little display and huffed out, the sound so quiet it was inaudible, and resumed digging up the plastic objects he'd stumbled over in the dirt.
The ever-vigilant Soren had gotten a few feet ahead when he heard a shouted "BUNEARY" and half-turned just in time to see the tiny Testament tottering along behind them, two containers of... some kind of pokemon healing item clutched in his hand. Soren recognized the colors when the pokemon got closer as Ice Heals, and though he was pretty sure he wouldn't be using them anytime soon, given how hot it was starting to get, he knelt down to take them gratefully -
- only to blink as Testament hopped onto his arm, completely ignoring Soren in favor of offering the items to Dizzy instead. The flying-type, with literally no idea of what to do with them, only peered out from under Soren's mass of dark hair and stared at Testament. They both stared at each other, with Soren staring at both of them in turn, and eventually Soren just... gently snagged the Ice Heals, unsure what else to do in this suddenly awkward situation.
He tucked them away as the rabbit hopped down, gently nudging the two eggs in his satchel - both of which were starting to make noise, warming to his touch - and as soon as he turned back to see where Testament had gone the pokemon was already halfway down the path, looking incredibly small and defeated for some reason or other.
Zappa - Lv1 Rotom (5/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv1 Rookidee (5/5 Energy) Testament - Lv3 Barry (5/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank Egg - 2/3 Posts Misdreavus Egg - 2/3 Posts
He didn't know how long he'd been walking before he came across an interesting sight. Off to the side, underneath the shade of a larger tree with branches stretching high overhead, were three small children running around doing whatever it was that children do. Whilst one lay napping on a large rock, there was another that was currently doing laps around the tree, like a jogger doing some kind of special training or other. The third and largest of the tykes stood shorter than Soren, supervising everything and occasionally shouting out something that sounded like "go, go!".
Not wanting to interrupt this impromptu training session, Soren, made to just walk on by, despite the fact that Dizzy was peeking her big bird eyes out at the group the closer they got - but just when he reached a closer distance, the acting drill sergeant tyke looked up and pointed a finger at him, shouting something at him that also sounded like "go, go!". Soren held up both hands, a smile slipping easily onto his face; he didn't want to interrupt whatever fantasy game they were playing, but before he could offer up an additional reassurance Dizzy had already flapped herself free of his hair and was soaring out to meet them, determined to protect her master from the group of Tyrogue and their training session.
It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise when Testament immediately toddled out after her, but it was enough to sway Soren's perception of the situation enough to take out his phone and swipe through the pokedex app on it to help him better identify the group in front of him. Tyrogue, it said the name was, and apparently it evolved into either...
Oh. That was actually really amazing, and Soren found himself eying the newly identified Tygos with new interest (yes he's already forgotten the name). It felt like he was fated to catch them, given his prior history at the Dojo and his affinity for fighting types. So he quickly brushed up on the movelists of both Testament and Dizzy, and prepared himself for battle.
The first Tyrogue that darted out to meet Dizzy immediately launched itself into a Tackle attack, despite that Dizzy was airborne; Soren called out a Peck, feeling a little guilty at exploiting the obvious type advantage between the pair (especially since he recalled how adamantly his master back in the Dojo had denounced Flying types, what with how often other trainers ended up bringing them around) and watched as Dizzy moved to smash her beak into the opposing pokemon. Sturdy, as expected, the Tyrogue was quick to hop back to his feet and took on a fighting pose, one that Soren had seen countless times in his own training and wondered what the connection between the two were. He had little time to debate this, though, because Dizzy was soaring back in with another Peck at Soren's command, and though it was weak it worked well enough to down the pokemon enough for Soren to throw a Poke Ball at it in an attempt to catch it.
The next battle was between Testament and the other Tyrogue, and it was this battle that Soren was most nervous about. Against a normal-type, this Tyrogue had the advantage, and he would have to think fast to keep the battle in his favor. A Defense Curl preceding a Pound attack got the battle off to a good start, but when the Tyrogue immediately started bulking up with a Focus Energy in retaliation that was when Soren got a little enervous. After a quick check over the list of moves available to Testament, he settled with a Frustration - they hadn't spent enough time together for any friendships to be forged, so he was relying on that low trust to boost the power of the move - and the resulting hit was enough to knock the Tyrogue sprawling. As the Pokemon got up to begin a mad dash at the barry, fully ready to leap into battle, Soren took the opportunity to hurl another Pokeball at it to intercept the potential blow. Testament looked about, confused, fully ready to continue the battle, but found no opponent.
Attempting capture of the two minions with two Pokeballs! Zappa - Lv1 Rotom (5/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv1 -> Lv3 Rookidee (4/5 Energy) Testament - Lv3 -> Lv5 Barry (4/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank Egg - 3/3 Posts Misdreavus Egg - 3/3 Posts
Soren barely had any time to celebrate his sole catch, the other Tyrogue fleeing into the brush, before he felt the eggs at his side begin to shift as the pokemon within emerged into this brand new world. And neither of them he recognized, but they were terribly sleepy and happy enough to have arrived, so he dismissed them to pokeballs swiftly before turning his attention to the sole Tyrogue remaining. With both Dizzy and Testament yet still raring to go, the odds of a two-in-one encounter was high, and the Tyrogue leader seemed to realize this, since his stance immediately turned defensive rather than fearful. Soren watched as the pokemon gave a few testing jabs, quicker than most normal humans, and followed it up with a perfectly executed kick that demonstrated the flexibility and poise of his movements. Seeing the Tyrogue move in such a manner reminded Soren of his own time spent in the Fighting Dojo, and for the first time in a long time he felt homesick.
But this was neither the time nor place for that. Both Dizzy and Testament were looking at him, waiting for his command so that they could begin the battle that seemed to be looming on the horizon. And Soren, despite not having much experience in battles, suddenly felt the responsibility of his team hit him like a heavy blow and he let out a long, deep breath. The Tyrogue wasn't going to run. And he wasn't going to run either, so there really was only one thing to do.
The stance that Soren took mimicked the Tyrogue's own, which caused the pokemon to look at him in confusion before realization struck his features. Recalling to mind the motions that the Tyrogue had gone through, Soren performed his own movements; a snap punch, his forearms straining with unuse, and a kick that he stilled in mid-air before bringing the leg back, executing his own flexibility and control over his muscles. There was a significant trembling to his motions, but the Tyrogue seemed to get the message loud and clear, and as he leapt back, gearing up to do an attack with less fear and more boldness than before (clearly enjoying the prospect of fighting against this trainer, if not literally, then figuratively) as Soren punched a fist into his hand and grinned over at the fighting type.
"Dizzy, Testament!" He called out, and the pair gave cries of acknowledgement. The Tyrogue was hopping from foot to foot, and then suddenly launched himself forward into a rushing attack that Dizzy immediately swooped down to intercept. Testament ran along the ground behind her, a ready hand if need be as Soren called out the first attack. "Hit it with a Peck!" Dizzy angled herself, flapping high into the air and leaving Testament and Tyrogue to slam into each other. While Testament braced himself for the blow - it never came, as the Tyrogue Feinted and disappeared right before impact, before reappearing right at Dizzy's hindquarters and slamming into her with a well-executed kick. The staggering blow sent the small bird spinning into a nearby tree with a squawk of indignation laced with mild pain, and Testament, momentarily distracted, was open prey for the Tyrogue to follow up with a rapid series of Bullet Punches to his vulnerable torso. When they separated, the damage was seen in the way that the Buneary was hunched over, trying to catch his breath in the face of such an angry attack, and Tyrogue was bouncing from foot to foot, ready to hit with another blow.
Dizzy eventually made her presence known as she dived into the unsuspecting Tyrogue, having worked up the last of her strength in order to smash her beak into its backside. With his attention caught on Testament, the Tyrogue didn't see it coming, and the blow caused him to stagger over into the grass and dirt before he expertly kicked himself back to a standing position. The motion ended up pushing him closer to Testament, who after another call from Soren used his powerful legs and feet muscles to launch himself in a body-wide blow to the Tyrogue's larger frame, channelling all of his Frustration into the move as Dizzy soared high and swooped down for another blow.
The battle continued on like this for some time; where Dizzy missed, Testament would tag in, and gradually the pair began to wittle down the Tyrogue's health with a mixture of their speed, persistence and capable teamwork. Perhaps a little bit of Soren's input as well, though he had to periodically check his pokedex to make sure he knew what moves were what and also what both pokemon were capable. With Dizzy's type-resistance to most of Tyrogue's attacks she had the clear advantage although the level disparity didn't help, but that's what Testament was for, he thought. And two-on-one was certainly better odds than one-on-one, and after a while they were all exhausted, mentally and physically, each of them a safe distance away as they tried to catch their breath. Even Dizzy was beginning to droop a bit, despite that she kept herself in the air, and both Tyrogue and Testament were slouched over, wheezing with exertion.
Tyrogue looked first around at the empty area, its gaze lingering in the direction that one of his companions had fled; and then it looked back to Soren, and something in its gaze seemed to speak to him. What, he didn't know, but there was a sort of... understanding there, and he imagined the respect on his face reflected the respect on the bested Tyrogue. Still, he gave an apologetic smile; it would have been nice to do a one on one session, or even spar with the pokemon himself - but it was too late for that, now. He recalled both Dizzy and Testament to their pokeballs, and the Tyrogue seemed to take the hint that the battle was concluded. With no other reason to maintain a facade, it slumped into the dirt as exhaustion overcame his senses, and settled for a nice resty. Soren watched for a few moments and clasped his hands together before performing a simple, short bow, and made his way past the pokemon to continue on his journey. For the first time since he'd got here, he felt terribly homesick.
Zappa - Lv1 Rotom (5/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv3 -> Lv5 Rookidee (3/5 Energy) Testament - Lv5 -> Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Misdreavus (5/5 Energy)
With both of his pokemon in their balls, Soren didn't have to much worry about walking too fast or too slow, and instead kept at his own leisurely pace. It was a decent enough temperature outside, and he found he rather enjoyed the chance to stretch his legs, alternating his pace between a slow gait and more rigorous speedwalking when the terrain was friendly and flat enough. He thought about a lot of things as he walked; like how his brother was doing, and whether or not he should have sent a letter back letting him know he was basically leaving the country. Also, velcro shoes and whether they were a good investment.
As the path became a tad more rockier, with crumbling gravel and stone on either side and smaller, less-traversed paths that seemed to lead up to the mountains, Soren became aware of an odd clopping noise behind him. Thinking it was an adventurer riding along on a pokemon, he shifted to the side a bit to make room for the rider and instead pulled out his phone so he could refamiliarize himself with his team. The ones that he had just hatched were definitely not ones he was familiar with, and were in fact from different regions altogether. He remembered reading somewhere that there were about eight hundred identified species now, but he had also thought at the time that it was all hearsay and rumor-mongering. It turned out the world was a lot bigger than Kanto, and he felt sorely out of his element.
The clopping got a little louder as the rider approached, and as they came into his peripheral Soren glanced up idly - and paused. That was a Tauros, he recognized it well enough, with a large, round child leading it along. As he stared, the round child greeted him with a "Makuhita!" and Soren, trying to be polite, responded back with a "Makuhita to you, too."
The pair took one of the more precarious paths leading up to the mountains, and the clopping eventually faded off into the distance.
Zappa - Lv1 Rotom (5/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv5 Rookidee (3/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Misdreavus (5/5 Energy)
Like before, the barrage of information soon put Soren into a sleepy state, enough that he was forced to put his phone away and lift a hand up to smother a yawn. He was so drowsy, and judging by the time on his phone he had a little while longer before he got the the next area. Instead, in an attempt to make himself a little bit more coherent, he focused his attention on the scenery all around him; on the hills and paths, the sky overhead, the occasional tree sparsely dotting the landscape here and there. He liked to think the moving shapes in the distance were pokemon going about their business, but he didn't pay much mind to them any longer than he had to, and it didn't take long for him to enter into a relatively peaceful state of mind.
Which was abruptly jarred when he heard an indignant huff of breath, the sound heralding the arrival of a young woman dressed in some odd.. kimono outfit? Was this punk Kanto fashion or something? While Soren looked a little confused and maybe even a little curious, the woman was looking him up and down with a look that suggested he'd either insulted her mother or stepped in some animal droppings and dragged it down the trail with him. He checked his shoe just to make sure and, seeing nothing, turned his attention back to the girl, who was just outright staring at his... clothing?
"What are you wearing?" She demanded, and Soren took a moment to look down at himself. The pair of loose sweatpants he wore was slightly faded in some areas, but you could never go wrong with black, right? He'd paired it off with some ratty trainers that didn't have holes in it, and an overwashed blue hoodie whose logo was barely legible, but that he thought might have once read "Saffron City" at some point. He was about seventy percent sure it had, anyway. With his hands stuffed into his pockets and his hair tied off in his trademark loose ponytail, he liked to think he just looked like an average citizen going for a walk.
"Uhm... clothes?"
"Those aren't clothes!" The fashionista actually sniffed a little at him, fixing him with a look so severe he was probably a step away from being scolded. "Those are travesties!" She pointed a well-manicured nail at him, and Soren slid a leg back, the motion jutting his hip a bit to the side as he gave her a sheepish look. He wasn't looking to impress anybody, really, just trying to get to the next town, so he wasn't too put-out by the woman's observation. Rubbing at the back of hie neck, Soren opened his mouth to say as much, but was quickly interrupted by the woman brandishing a pokeball at him. Really, people got into pokemon fights over the weirdest things.
"Uh..."
"I challenge you to a battle!" The girl declared, arching a well-maintained eyebrow at him while a confident smile played across her perfectly glossed lips. Soren thought of the last fight he'd been in, of how tired Dizzy and Testament no doubt were and of how he didn't think he'd quite had a grasp on moves and the mechanics of battles just yet. He knew he had other pokemon, but he didn't... really know how to use them. As he pondered over what to do, the woman gave his clothing another quick glanceover, and her eyes seemed to settle on his face overlong. He didn't notice this, of course, but after giving her challenge some thought he eventually relented.
"All right."
The girl took his consent happily, her glossy lips curving in satisfaction, and as Soren debated over who to send out first she sent out her own first pick. A flash of light and a low buzzing heralded the arrival of an odd three.... faced? Three-faced pokemon that began to float lazily up into space. It immediately stopped when the girl chastised it with a "Combee, get back here!" and Soren thought even harder about who to pick. A bee was a bug, right? So the obvious choice would be...
"You're up, Dizzy!" The little bird flapped her wings and immediately lifted herself into the air, still looking rather tired from their earlier encounter. Soren gave her an apologetic look, especially for making her work so hard in such a short amount of time. But this was a battle; she knew that as well as he, and she didn't harp on the matter or show any signs of reluctance, especially in the face of the little Combee still hovering and zooming this way and that. Soren's gut went with a bug type, since... well, bee, and he hoped it would pay off. He didn't want to overwork Dizzy any more than he had to.
"Combee! Bug Bite that bird!" The woman called out, and the little bee immediately zoomed in a line towards Dizzy, its three little mouths smiling eerily the whole while. Soren took a moment to rack his brain, going over the moves in his brain quickly to try and determine a good course of action. Peck was the obvious choice, but was there any other move that might help? The Combee was getting closer and closer, and the little smiles on its three little faces seemed even more terrifying up close. Dizzy looked to him for guidance, waiting, and Soren eventually settled.
"Peck it, Dizzy!" She flapped her little bird wings and moved to obey, and the two collided with a muffled smack that rang throughout the area. Dizzy had angled her head in such a way that she did end up smashing her beack into one of the Combee's many faces, while the Combee had their tiny little mouths open and was nibbling at Dizzy in a way that... didn't seem too harmful, but was certainly obnoxious. Tired as she was, Dizzy was unable to flap herself away, and settled with Pecking the little bees in succession on each of their little segmented faces, turning the smiling expressions into little >w< faces of pain. With Dizzy'a natural type-advantage, it was easy enough to defeat the Combee, and after kicking off a few more Pecks and an added Tailwind to boost her overall speed that she was hitting them at, the little bee flopped over and the battle was won.
Soren was quick to recall the little bird, and while the Fashionista had lost the first round she was quick to bounce back, a perfectly practiced and winning smile on her face. She already had a new pokeball in her manicured fingers, and she tossed it up into the air, the capture device emitting a beam of light and.... Oh. Soren knew that, he had just hatched one of those. A Missus or something or other. He went over the team that he still had, knowing that normal types didn't affect ghost types, and mulled over who to pick next. As he was deliberating, he eventually decided on just sending out Zappa, who'd not seen any action since it had been hatched. The creature immediately zipped this way and that, grinning mischievously, eyes searching around for something to possess to torment its trainer more. But fortunately, the Missus attacked first at her trainer's insistent, sending out a distorted beam of multi-colored hues and smacking Zappa to attention.
"Confuse Ray, Zappa!" Soren called out, quickly consulting his pokedex. The first dizzying beam of light shot out, missing the Missus by a large margin and letting it get the jump on Zappa for a close-range Psywave attack. Again, Zappa tried to hit it with another Confuse Ray attack, and while it narrowly missed, again, Soren was quick to command it into a Thundershock. With their close proximity the Missus was unable to dodge, and was hit square with the move, which knocked it off-kilter for only a moment with the intensity of the blast. Zappa spun around in enthusiastic circles, working its way into a Double Team that caused the Missus' next Psywave to miss, leaving it open for Zappa to hit her with a Thunder Shock, again.
The Fashionista was quick to recall her pokemon with a huff of breath. They were far out from the city, after all, and without any potions to doctor up her pokemon she ran the risk of being left defenseless in the event that she did run into a wild creature that couldn't be persuaded to back down. The battle thus concluded, she looked Soren up and down with a bit of a pout, and tapped at her cheek with a nail. At length, she eventually came out with, "... you have the right face, at least. But your sense of fashion could use some work." Her gaze met his and she gave a huff of breath, much like a child who was unused to being denied what she wanted. "If you'd have let me win, I would have made you my little doll."
He remembered hearing a few rumors about the Saffron City Gym leader that were vaguely similar. As a child, they had terrified him, so much so that just that phrase "made you my little doll" sent a chill down his spine. But the girl obviously meant another thing, and he could only give her a half-hearted smile, glad that the battle hadn't gone so poorly. He'd lucked out, but he doubted the future battles would be so lucky.
In the end, the fashionista did give him a few things, namely money and some random objects that she explained would work wonders for his beauty routine. Not like he needed it anyway, she'd added coyly, leaving Soren thoroughly confused. He didn't use any kind of products on himself to start out with, so what was the point? But he was polite enough not to turn down a freebie or two or three, and after an amicable talk about where he was going and how she might see him there (presumably to give him more fashion and beauty tips - oh god, was she one of those independent beauty consultants??) they parted ways, and Soren continued along as the Fashionista realized some time later that she hadn't given him her name.
Fashionista defeated - oran berry x3, pokehoney x3, greenery x3, 200 pen also Soren has a date?? Zappa - Lv1 -> Lv2 Rotom (4/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv5 -> Lv6 Rookidee (2/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Missus (5/5 Energy)
How long had he been walking? It was a mystery. Soren liked to think that he was about halfway there, but after checking his app on the phone he saw that he hadn't even reached the halfway point yet. Well... a walk was a walk was a walk, he supposed, and he just kept on his way, looking this way and that.
Off in the distance he imagined he could see pokemon dotting the landscapes, some moving in herds and others moving on their own to explore the terrain and maybe scrounge for some food. A few wandered close enough for him to see, ones he didn't quite recognize and ones he did; such as an Eevee that was poking around in the brush closest to him. It looked up when he got near, but when it saw that he wasn't going to do anything, it immediately went back to its meal and Soren continued along his way.
Idly, he thought about letting any of his pokemon free to roam about, but ultimately decided against it. The last time Dizzy had been out of her ball she'd looked worn out and exhausted, and he imagined both her and Testament would like to take a break from walking. He had others, of course, but he wasn't too familiar with them still and thought it best to just let them rest as well until the time came that he actually needed them.
As he headed away from the Eevee and the munching, he heard a parting "'vee" from the pokemon.
Zappa - Lv2 Rotom (4/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv6 Rookidee (2/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Missus (5/5 Energy)
The walk was actually starting to be rather fun, the rocky terrain crunching under his worn sneakers giving way to a smoother, more paved walkway the further he continued. There were still very few stragglers out and about at this time of day, so Soren didn't have to move off to the side or anything in order to make room for them. The ones that he did pass by were usually amicable enough, either tired, forlorn looking trainers on their way to the city he'd just left, or independent shopkeepers travelling with their wares on the back of a stocky mount. Some he recognized, some he didn't, but they never really lingered long enough for him to ask them, and he was all right with that.
As he continued on his way he deliberated over what he would do when he got to the next city. Arciel had touted their region as a place where one could start over and begin anew. He remembered the questions he'd been asked and the answers he'd given; specifically, the one about what his long-term goals were. A farm didn't seem too out of reach, according to the bit of research he'd done, and he was actually excited to earn a little slice of land that he could call his own. Maybe grow some produce, have a few pokemon helping around for chores and the like, a place to keep the eggs he'd no doubt acquire. It was the sort of peaceful life he hadn't realized he wanted so much until it became a very feasible thing, and the only thing left to do was to figure out how to go about it.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar crunch of shoes on gravel and saw a lone figure coming down the walk. He moved obediently to the side, his scuffed shoes kicking up a bit of rocks and sand along the way, and as they drew closer together he saw it wasn't a merchant or passing trainer or anything like that; rather, a doddering old woman crept slowly down the path in front of him, making her way down the rocky trail with slow, measured steps. Her garb was the traditional sort he was well-acquainted with from his Kanto days, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia at the sight of it.
When they got close enough to speak to each other without shouting, Soren clasped his hands and performed a short, simple bow. The old woman, after a moment, beamed delightedly at him and clapped a hand over his bicep, muttering in a language he hadn't heard since he'd come to Arciel: Kantonian. It looked like he was right about her, and the fact that he'd run into someone who was native to his hometown gave him a shot of energy he hadn't known he was missing until just now.
They actually stood and spoke for a little while, so as to avoid backtracking on either of their journeys. She spoke of the city she'd come from - Lavender Town, wouldn't you know - and how she used to be a priestess of some renown, known in her hometown, at least, for her famed beauty. Soren didn't catch the way she seemed to pat at his bicep for longer than necessary, thinking this friendly obaachan was just being that - friendly. Their conversation continued on pleasantly for a few moments, the old woman kindly but not so subtly prying into where he'd come from, and when he answered truthfully she seemed to delight in that fact.
"I have a granddaughter there, perhaps you've met her," She'd said, looking at him kindly. "She's quite fetching... she looks a lot like me when I was younger." She listed a name which brought to mind a girl, yes, one he'd dated for a short while during his more ... rambunctious years, and he found himself sincerely hoping it was just a common name. Surely they couldn't be the same, right...?
Their conversation continued for a little while longer, long enough for the sun to get just a little lower in the sky, and they eventually parted ways and continued on their respective journeys. Soren tried hard not to think about the girl the old woman had mentioned, but the longer he walked the more he had a sinking suspicion that it had been the one that he'd known. Well... the old woman was right about her beauty, if her granddaughter was anything to go by. It was only unfortunate things had ended so poorly, but perhaps it was for the best. He didn't think he'd have left Kanto if he knew he'd be leaving a girlfriend behind.
Zappa - Lv2 Rotom (4/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv6 Rookidee (2/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Missus (5/5 Energy)
There were little peeks of grass through the rocks here and there the further along he continued, and Soren liked to think this meant that he was getting close. Hopefully. Probably.
The trees continued to be sparse, dotting the landscape here and there in small clumps, providing ample shade to the pokemon that napped under it. He could see a few Kanto breeds he recognized, and then some others he didn't, but they were all far too busy to pay him much attention.
He hadn't been walking very far along the trail when he saw reclining just under the shade of another tree, a large, square piece of lumber set in its lap. It regarded him carefully as he approached, and while Soren normally would have passed it by it looked... actually, pretty strong. Not in terms of power levels or anything, but more along the lines of "this might be a new heckin fighting type". His earlier dilemma about whether or not he'd dated the old lady's daughter forgotten, he paused in his walk and regarded the pokemon with one hand in his pocket, the other pulling out his phone to tap at the Pokedex app he had installed, with the hopes of identifying the creature.
Fortunately for him, the pokemon didn't attack or run away when it saw him snap a picture of it, and in seconds it was identified as a Timburr. It was apparently used in construction a lot, which would have been rather helpful when he'd first taken on that construction job back in Birch City. The fortunate thing was, he was on his way to another city where there would probably be more construction jobs, and having a Timburr to help him would be a good thing.
Soren took a careful step closer to the Timburr, doing his best not to let his posture appear too intimidating. The pokemon kept a careful eye on him and moved a paw over to the square lumber beside it. Soren took his hand out of his pocket and held up both hands now to show he wasn't going to go for his team or anything right off the bat, and debated on how best to approach the situation. That it was a fighting type would hopefully work to his advantage, but the situation could easily change at the drop of a hat.
"Hey there, I'm on my way to Ash City right now. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?" The mention of a city seemed to make the pokemon perk up, but it didn't show any other outward signs of acquiescence. Soren took that as a good sign and continued on. "And I'm sure with all the people flocking here, they're going to need more housing areas. And there's more cashflow coming in, to help with building new additions to places. Which means..." He trailed off. The Timburr seemed to catch where he was going, but he let that hang in the air for a bit before continuing. "... more construction projects. More lifting, and probably more.... er. Logs."
The Timburr appeared to consider this. Getting throught he Weeping Forest would probably be a lot easier with a party instead of solo, and Soren was counting on that train of thought to persuade the Timburr to his side. It was a give-and-take sort of thing, it seemed, especially since the pokedex info seemed to hint at them being very useful and very enamored with the idea of working on building sites.
The pokemon looked up at him, and while it didn't nod there was something in its expression that seemed to say as much that it was all right. If not, Soren would soon find out, especially since he's already getting a pokeball out to gently toss it at the sitting pokemon.
Attempting a pokeball catch also BEFRIENDING Zappa - Lv2 Rotom (4/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv6 Rookidee (2/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Missus (5/5 Energy)
The ball clicked after shaking a few times, and the note of finality made Soren breathe out a sigh of relief. He jogged forward a bit to retrieve the ball, noting how the lumber seemed to have disappeared in with the Timburr? It wasn't anywhere on the ground that he could see, so that was the only logical conclusion.
The pokeball was immediately zipped away to the PC, and Soren took a moment to appreciate the area a little bit longer before he decided to hit the road again. He was over halfway on his way to the next town, but depending on the journey he might have to take a breather or else head back to the city to restock on supplies once this was all done and over with.
Zappa - Lv2 Rotom (4/5 Energy) Dizzy - Lv6 Rookidee (2/5 Energy) Testament - Lv6 Barry (3/5 Energy) Mr. Satan - Lv3 Mr. Nose (5/5 Energy) Miltank - Lv1 Miltank (5/5 Energy) Misdreavus - Lv1 Missus (5/5 Energy)
06
04
00
Oran Berry x3, 
PokeHoney x3, 
Greenery x3
Lv8 
Cotton x1, 
Great Ball x3, 
Bamboo x3
