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.
It was a surprisingly slow start to the day. There hadn’t been a single emergency, just regular check ins and checkups all morning, and Sid was more than a little thankful for this fact. They could use a bit of a slow day now and again, especially after being slammed back to back with emergencies a few days in a row prior. It was nice to just sit behind the counter and make sure that trainers got what they needed for their Pokemon. And it gave them time to test out the latest build of the game Haku had released.
It was a nice little action adventure RPG, and they'd tested in several times before for him. Now he had managed to work out all of the prior bugs and even managed to expand it- or so he said, anyways. Hmmm… it’s still a little laggy here… Sid noted. Or maybe this machine is just too slow for it…. They paused the game on the center’s computer to glance up as someone came inwards. As they recognized who it was, Sid minimized the tab and immediately stood up, smiled, and waved. “Hey there!” they called. “Did you get the promotion?!”
After his promotion test, Koa had taken a shower at the Ranger HQ and changed to a fresh set of clothes. Now it was time to get his Pokemon a nice and refreshing grooming session. Thankfully the Pokemon Center wasn't too far away from Birch's HQ, so he took a quick jog over, his Pokemon all resting in their Pokeballs until it was time for them to get cleaned up.
As he stepped inside, he was a little surprised at the excited call out by Sid. He smiled and waved at his friend before he stepped up to the counter with a confident look. "Yes I did! Let me tell you, they threw everything they could at me too. It wasn't just a test of what I could do, but what my Pokemon could do. If my Pokemon were in danger, how would I get them out of it? If I was in danger, I had to rely on my Pokemon. Synergy and teamwork are key in a Ranger's line of work and they seemed pretty impressed with what I was able to do. So...yeah I'm extremely happy, but also exhausted...anyway, I brought the three Pokemon who participated with me here for a grooming session. Let's uh...not let them out in here though. Don't want to track mud all over the lobby." He said with a laugh.
Koa seemed to be positively beaming with his success, like he had finally made a huge breakthrough in his journey as a trainer and Ranger. Sure he still felt he had a long way to go, but this was a pretty big step forward. He felt more and more like an official Ranger. This came with expectations, of course, and he wouldn't forget that. He would have to go out and take on more jobs to handle Pokemon related incidents and stop criminals when he saw them, but there was a certain excitement to that.
Listening to Koa’s words, Sid couldn’t help but grin. He’d worked hard and gotten the promotion. Hearing of what the test entailed, they nodded softly. Teamwork and synergy were imported for many groups from trainers to rangers. It only made sense that these sorts of promotions came with a test of such skill. “That sounds like quite a feat…” Sid answered softly as they listened to how Koa and his team had done. The mention of exhaustion, however, earned a soft laugh. “I can imagine.” That kind of thing would leave anyone exhausted. "Don't forget to rest up later." Sid kind of doubted they needed to say that, exactly, but it never hurt to make a point.
Brightening as Koa mentioned what he was in for, Sid gave a nod and made a small gesture to one of the side doors. “Let me just… Mary! Can you take care of the front for a bit? Yeah thanks!” they called only to be heard by another nurse who called back.
Soon enough she was headed up front, and Sid was walking with Koa through the door to a Pokemon washroom. It was large and had a few tubs for some Pokemon who wanted that specifically as well as hoses and various shower type things. A large shelf of supplies rested along the wall closest to the door. “What Pokemon did you decide to take with you?” Sid smiled a little. They knew they’d see in just a second, probably, but still.
Koa was still beaming a little bit from the pride, but he knew it was important to keep that sort of thing in check. This was just one step of many, but it was okay to do a little bit of celebrating and pat himself on the back for his efforts. He rubbed the back of his head when he was told to get some rest later "Yeah, I know! I'll be sure to, definitely. I'm just...really really happy right now. I was so nervous when it started, but now I feel like there's so much more I'm capable of."
He looked over as they called for another nurse to take over the front desk. Once that was all arranged, they moved on to the washroom that was filled to the brim with grooming tools for Pokemon of all shapes and sizes. "Ah, this brings back memories when I volunteered. When they were cooperative, it was always fun to see a Pokemon react to a nice grooming session. The ones that weren't, though...those were adventures." He said with a laugh.
"As for who I brought with me...I brought Toki, Makoto, and Ali'i since they were the three I caught." He said as he let them out one at a time. Toki the Mienfoo looked around, slightly covered in mud, but he looked as if he cleaned himself off a bit before they left the HQ. Makoto just stood there, messy fur covering her eyes. She didn't seem too distressed despite the mud. Ali'i was the cleanest of the three considering they were able to bounce around to avoid getting too dirty. "The last test was crawling under a net through mud, so...yeah, that explains this situation. They were real troopers about it though! Now everyone, it's time for a bath. You all behave, okay?" He said to them. They all seemed pretty well behaved and wouldn't fuss about needing a bath. In fact, they seemed to welcome it. "Good! Now, I'll help out as much as I can if you need any with this, Sid!"
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 23, 2020 13:14:39 GMT
A small giggle-chuckle escaped from Sid as Koa mentioned fond memories of taking care of Pokemon. “I have some similar ones,” they answered softly. “Though sometimes with the unruly ones, it was more like I was the one getting the bath.” A particular Alakazam with Telekinesis back in Saffron came to mind rather quickly.
Toki, Makoto, and Ali’I was it? Sid remembered Toki and Makoto, but they weren’t actually sure they knew who the last was. That was fine, though, as “remeeting” would remind them of what they forgot. Red eyes settled on the Mienfoo first, and a soft smile pulled onto Sid’s features. He was looking a little perkier than they last saw him? (Actually, Sid realized, it was a little hard to tell with Mienfoo just from the subtle shapes of their face, but whatever.) Next was Makoto, and Sid brought up a hand to keep from chuckling. Oh, adorable. As their attention finally fell to Ali’I, Sid’s memory clicked into place again. Ah, even in mud, what cute Pokemon.
As the last challenge was explained, Sid blinked and looked back over the Pokemon again. “That had to have been exciting,” they answered. This would probably be exciting if they didn’t have some help. Fishing out a Pokeball, they expanded it and released an average sized (and therefore tiny) Floette. “This is Shiroyuki Hime, or Hime for short,” they introduced. The small fairy looked around and then back at Sid questioningly. “She’ll help out yeah?” Sid asked looking sideways at her. The Floette hesitated before looking at the other Pokemon and …. Building up as much courage as she could gave a small nod. “Thank you, Hime..”
Listening to Koa’s words, Sid grinned. “Thanks, it helps to have a trainer’s hand in the mix.” A lot of Pokemon could be shy or standoffish when they were alone… and really who could blame them? Havng their partner and usual caretaker around made the most sense. Sid’s gaze flicked from one Pokemon to the next.
Luckily there were only three of them which meant they could afford to start up multiple baths and probably let each have their space. Walking over to the first and twisting the handle, they tested the water a couple of times before waving over Toki. “Is this alright?” they’d ask before readjusting the temperature as needed. Letting that tub fill up, they’d then shift to lift Toki up into it and set him down there gently. “Feel free to adjust it, just don’t play with it too much…” They had a feeling as an ‘adult’ Pokemon, Mienfoo wouldn’t be prone to tapping or spinning the faucet like a certain star shaped baby, but they would be cautious none the less.
Doing the same with Makoto next, Sid also dumped a bit of bubbling soap right into the water to allow it to suds up a little more. Hopefully that would break up some of the more tacked on mud in her fur and get it back to that soft fluffiness that it was known for. The last, was the Spoink, and Sid had to pause and wonder if filling a bath would be awkward for the bouncing Pokemon. It was perhaps too easy to slip, actually… Putting down an extra couple of grip mats into the tub for balance’s sake, they made sure to fill the tub only so high and keep the water moving by allowing the faucet to run and the drain to run at the same time. Hopefully that would keep everything roughly good on that front.
Hime watched all this and looked from her flower to the Pokemon and back again. Floating over to a shelf with a bottle of fake flowers on it, she carefully set her own special one into the set before grabbing a brush in its place. It was small… basically a tooth brush to others, but it was absolutely massive to her. Floating back around, she stopped in front of the Spoink. It may have had the least dirt, but the pearl could use a brushing! (And it was a little less intimidating than the other two Pokemon, but yeah!) Floating around, she tried to brush the Spoink! (This was right, right, Sid???) She looked back at them, but they were distracted now.
Koa laughed happily as Sid also recounted memories of taking care of unruly Pokemon "Yes, I know that feeling all too well. Still, those times were fun in their own way." He remembered having to chase after a startled Wimpod throughout the center at one point. Poor thing was scared half to death by its own shadow. It was interesting how such a timid Pokemon became such a powerhouse where its timidity translated to tactical retreats.
He watched as Sid took a look at all of the Pokemon Koa brought out. "It shouldn't be too difficult to clean them! Ali'i might need a little help since he can't help but bounce everywhere, but Toki and Makoto are very well behaved. They'll probably appreciate a nice bath more than anything!" He reassured.
When Sid called out their Floette, Koa beamed in delight "Aww...cute!" He said, though took note of her somewhat timid demeanor and refrained from getting too close. "Thank you for the help, Hime." He said with a patient smile. Now, with all of that settled, it was time to get to work.
It started with simply getting the bathwater ready. Toki walked over when called before he put his hand in the water. He gave a tiny nod and a surprised squeak as he was picked up. He wasn't opposed to it, it was just surprising. He comfortably sat down in the water and sighed happily as he took his usual meditation pose in the water. He cupped some of the water and poured it over the fluff around his arms to start.
Makoto eagerly stepped into her bath and relaxed as the bubbles helped scrub the mud off of her. She shook her head to fluff out her fur a bit, but was otherwise cooperative throughout the whole process. These two were easily the most 'mature' members of his team.
Ali'i bounced forward once their specially prepared bath was set up. It would splash a lot, but that was just inevitable. As the Floette approached, Ali'i did realize that the pearl on his head was a little dirty. That just would not do. He did his best to slow his bouncing for Hime so she could do a couple of quick brushes between bounces.
Koa watched all of this unfold and smiled brightly. He took a few pictures with his phone to cherish this "Adorable." He said. "You're doing great everyone! We'll have to go somewhere nice for lunch tomorrow as a reward." He said to his Pokemon. They all seemed very much on board with that plan!
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 24, 2020 19:34:10 GMT
A soft blush crossed Hime’s features as Koa called her cute, and almost immediately after, she twisted around to hide said features. Still, as she was thanked, she looked over her shoulder shyly and smiled. Sid fought the urge to giggle. Hime was new, but she was very cute, indeed.
They were happy to see her taking some initiative in helping out. Hopefully that would warm her up to people over time and reduce her otherwise shy tendencies a little. Sid already loved the Floette so much; they just hoped she could live her best life whatever that may be.
And maybe that best life included soft splashes, because for whatever reason, she seemed to be enjoying those even as she did her best to clean the pearl! A small high pitched squeaky laugh escaped from the Floette as she was splashed a couple of times but went to work scruba dub dubbing! She’d pause briefly on seeing Koa’s phone camera and slowly float over to it curiously. That was the thing Sid always used wasn’t it? Looking at Koa, she tilted her head slowly at it.
Sid chuckled to themselves and refocused on Makoto for now. Taking a soft horse hair brush, they scrubbed some soap into it and then started to work gently but firmly washing out her coat. If she was at all ticklish, though, this kind of brush would definitely find those tickle spots. “My you had quite the adventure,” Sid chuckled softly to her. “Do you need your nails trimmed after, or are they alright right now?” Some Pokemon put up with that sort of clipping if only because it helped refine their nails down to the points they liked. Others did not appreciate the gesture, so Sid always found it more viable to ask. "I could paint them if you like?"
Koa watched as Ali'i's bath was going well. The Spoink seemed very pleased with Hime's efforts and gave her a happy, sincere expression in gratitude. Then Hime floated up towards Koa to stare at his camera. He smiled at her and tapped his phone a couple of times to pull up the picture of her cleaning the pearl. "It's you, see?" He showed her more pictures he just took, happy to sate her curiosity.
Makoto actually lost her composure somewhat at the brushing, squirming a bit and stifling little laughter as the bath continued. Koa couldn't help but laugh himself after seeing this "I've never seen her lose it like that before! Aw, Makoto, it's alright!" He reassured. Makoto blushed but just leaned into the brushing a bit. She was always the calm and collected of the group, almost supernaturally so. To see her laughing and smiling was an absolute treat for Koa. To him, it was her greatest strength and weakness. She always seemed to struggle to emote or convey what she wanted. Was it out of embarrassment? If so, he wanted her to understand it was okay to have fun and display emotions and affection.
Once she was all washed up, she was asked if she wanted her nails trimmed. She looked at her paws and nodded a bit, accepting the offer, though would refuse the paint. That seemed a bit much for her, at least right now. Still, Makoto enjoyed the gentleness Sid and Koa provided in her life. She was always naturally quiet and a bit stoic, but thanks to being with Koa's team and interacting with his friends, she started to open up a bit.
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 25, 2020 12:00:53 GMT
Hime’s eyes grew large and circular on seeing the picture of herself on the camera. Looking down at it and then up at Koa and then down again, she slowly reached down to poke it. Oh. Hm. It was not a mirror. She tilted her head, but as she was shown more pictures, it clicked. A soft trill escaped from her! That was so cool!
A devilish smile flashed across Sid’s features as they watched Makoto squirm a bit. Their lips pressed together hard as they tried to stifle an immediate laugh back. She was so cute! And so squirmy. It was nice to hear those reassurances from Koa even if they weren’t directed at Sid. The bond between Pokemon and trainer was always endearing to listen to.
Perhaps it would even give Hime a good idea of what they were aiming for eventually: her to come out of her shell bit by bit and be able to decide for herself what she wanted. Sid glanced sideways and caught the curious, uncertain look in her eye before flashing a smile again. The Floette blushed and glanced down sideways… but smiled at Sid’s gentleness none the less. Floating back over to the Spoink again, Hime once more filled herself with determination and started brushing down the rest of Ali’i! That toothbrush was at maximum power now! And probably very tickling!
A small giggle escaped from Sid as Makoto accepted the trim but not the paint. “Alright,” they answered shifting up to find some nail clippers. They weren’t too hard to find— but it actually took them a hot second to decide which sized clippers were appropriate. They were pretty sure she didn’t have the Luxray sized claw, but that still left a few to check on. Hm, yes, there these should work. Coming back, they gently clasped her paw and clipped her nails. “There now, nice and aligned again,” Sid smiled a bit. “Very elegent now!” they proclaimed. “You might enjoy sitting in the bath a little longer…” they said after a moment grabbing a few little bags of epsen salts and various berry oils. “It’ll be good for your fur and skin under that.”
Their attention then turned to the meditative looking Mienfoo. His fur didn’t look near as muddy, so maybe a straight comb with some soap would be enough. Grabbing that from the counter, Sid put some suds on it and then walked over to Toki. “How are you doing?” they grinned at him. “Ready to shine like the heavens?”
Koa smiled and laughed at Hime's sheer adoration for the concept of photography. "Pictures are amazing, aren't they? They hold very precious memories for a long time." He said to her. He found an old photo of him and Azura, back when she started to open up to Koa a bit more. "Aw...this one takes me back..." He said fondly. He waved at her as she floated back to Ali'i.
Ali'i appreciated the nice bath, but was caught off guard by the sudden energy Hime displayed. Now the scrubbing would probably be a little harder considering he started to jump a little faster, but otherwise tried to remain in a good spot.
Makoto gently held her paws out to Sid as they brought over the clippers. Her claws were definitely nothing huge, but were starting to look a little long. She remained calm and still throughout the nail clipping and after Sid was done, she felt her paws a bit and nodded, pleased with their length. She sighed contently and drifted back into the tub once the salts and oils were added in. This was the life, especially after a hard day's work. Koa walked over and began to take pictures of Makoto just being in heaven right now.
Toki opened his eyes and started up at Sid as they walked over with comb and soap in hand. He tilted his head curiously, but he stood up for Sid to start brushing. He definitely didn't seem that muddy, but there were still some spots that needed to be brushed clean, so this would be good for him.
"You're treating them so well, thank you Sid." Koa said to them. "At this rate I'm going to have to buy some products for them once I find a more permanent home here. I think that'll make them very happy to have this kind of treatment in the comfort of a home to call our own. Question is where I want to live. I hear good things about Cherry Town and Cedar Town, so I'll have to visit those places to get a feel for them. I'd prefer to live somewhere here in West Arciel at least, close to the beaches. Reminds me of home." Koa said.
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 27, 2020 23:24:19 GMT
Glancing sideways at Koa, Sid smiled softly back at him. “Glad to pamper such hard working Pokemon,” they answered looking back to Toki briefly. The question of where to live, though, earned a soft hum back. They had only ever heard of Cherry Town, often referred to as the ‘other’ Fuji Town in terms of fertile ground and farming lifestyle. They had been to Cedar briefly when they had gotten lost, but they hadn’t really spent enough time there to learn much of it.
Realizing how little they still knew of the Arciel region, Sid slowly glanced upwards in thought. “My cousin sort of chose Fuji for us,” they answered. “Arciel was offering out free land plots under certain conditions…” They tried in vain to remember what those conditions were aside from ‘farm the land and become a proactive member of society’, but maybe that was all it really was, actually.
As Hime trilled, Sid looked over to her and then sideways to what she was staring at. Graces their Blissey had stepped in and was looking at Sid curiously now. “Ah! Grace, did you need something?” Sid shifted to standing only for the Blissey to shake her entire body back. She had just wanted to make sure she knew where they had disappeared to! “Ah, sorry, yeah….”
Sid’s eyes fell to the pair of eggs Graces was carrying, and slowly a thought dawned on them. Their eyes flashed back to Koa, and the memory of his warm expression when Mothra was mushing up his face had them slowly grinning a bit. “Hey, Koa, can you guess what egg Graces is carrying?” they asked.
He chuckled a bit, glad to hear someone consider his Pokemon hard working. "Yeah, that they are...they always give it a hundred percent. It's admirable and very inspiring." He said as all of the Pokemon relaxed and just enjoyed the bath since most of the cleaning was done. "They help raise me to better heights. We all support each other no matter what."
"Free land? I think I heard something about that. Farmland, right? I've considered that, though I'll still have to choose where I want it to be." He mused. "Probably the one closer to the ocean, honestly." He said with a nod. "Still, it's incredible that they just offered that kind of land for free. Even if you had to work there, it's a great deal and an excellent way to make a living from what I've heard."
Koa looked over as the Blissey wandered in "Hello!" He waved to the adorable Pokemon. He tilted his head slightly as he spotted the two eggs. At Sid's question, Koa thought about it "Hm...? Wait..." He spotted the brilliant snowy sheen of one of the eggs. "Wait a minute...! Are these Mothra's...?" He asked, a little incredulous. He smiled softly "So he had some babies, huh...? Wow." He said in adoration.
The Pokemon peeked over to take a look at what was going on, since at this point it was just relaxation time in the bath. They also seemed rather curious about the eggs. Koa reached out and gently placed a hand on one. "I'm glad Mothra's doing well. I'm sure his kids have a great future too!" He said with a beaming smile.
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 30, 2020 17:31:52 GMT
Sid gave a small nod at Koa’s words. They were still not sure how Gaki had found out about Arciel’s program or how it had even gotten started, but they were none the less happy with the results. The chance to work the land with their own hands was rewarding in a way they couldn’t readily describe. Actually… it had a similar feeling to holding a Pokemon for the first time. It was really nice.
A catty expression pulled onto Sid’s features as they watched Koa assess the eggs. “They are,” they answered with a smallish laugh. “With a Dewpider of all things…” Not that they were one to judge a Bug’s taste in Bug things. As they watched Koa’s motions, however, Sid felt their heart warm. Their eyes flicked to Koa’s Pokemon, to Hime, and then back to Graces again who was smiling happily back at Koa.
“Would you like one, Koa? I know how much Mothra liked you and how much you seemed to like Mothra.” They smiled a little softer. “I think it would make for a good fit.” Graces’ eyes grew as did her smile, and a soft squeak of encouragement escaped from her! Yes, this human looked nice, and if Sid was encouraging him then surely he was a wonderful and beautiful soul!
Koa wasn't one to judge the relationships between Pokemon, but he was taken aback by the sudden offer. "W-wait, you're serious? I..." He smiled back at Sid and tried to formulate the right words to say about this "I mean...wow, I would love to keep one if you're absolutely sure. This is such a nice thought, Sid...thank you so much."
He carefully accepted the large egg and gently cradled it to his body as he sat down nearby. The other Pokemon looked at each other and celebrated a new addition to their team excitedly, though were sure not to splash around too much. Soon it was time to get out of the bath, so they all waited near the edge of their tubs so they could get some help to dry off.
"Caring for Pokemon has always been something I enjoyed. In a way, my duties as a ranger help me do just that. I travel and rescue stolen Pokemon, prevent dangerous fights between wild Pokemon, guide Pokemon away from places they shouldn't be. Did I tell you about that time I rescued three Aron from a metalworking factory? Everyone was more surprised I was able to carry them so comfortably." He said with a laugh.
"But I really do care about Pokemon and what they mean to us and the world at large. Even the ones that seem terrifying or dangerous have some place in this world. Pokemon and people both deserve to be protected. If I can help people understand them a little better in the process, then I'll feel satisfied with my work." He said as he pet the egg gently. "Sorry, I ramble sometimes. I don't even know if half the things I say even make sense sometimes. I can understand if some people say I'm too idealistic for this line of work. But I like to think there's a place for that."
Post by Sidney Ridley on May 31, 2020 18:13:09 GMT
The look of surprise on Koa’s face warmed Sid in a way they couldn’t quite describe. He was… such a pure person, wasn’t he? “I’ve seen what care you’re capable of,” they answered. “I know you’ll raise it with love.” Hime who had been vaguely brushing Ali’i up to a point had paused to listen in on the conversation and then fluttered over to Sid.
As Koa accepted it and took it into his arms, Sid couldn’t help but beam. Graces let out a cry of happiness back! A soft, excitable cy even escaped from Hime! Causing Sid to glance sideways and smile at her. Reaching sideways, they gently pat her head causing her to lean into it. She made a subtle noise and gesture back to the tubs causing Sid to look back and immediately nod. Floating then over to the egg, Hime stared down at it and smiled.
Listening to Koa still, Sid grabbed a few towels off the racks. They helped Makoto out of the water first and gently began towel drying her fur off. As Koa mentioned all that he did, Sid felt their features warm a little. Makoto would probably be able to see it at least being that close therein. He’s got such a wonderful job… They were happy to have assessed him as well as they had.
Looking back up as Koa mentioned the Aron, Sid blinked. “I don’t think so?” Wait— “You carried them? Aren’t they hundreds of pounds??” Sid wasn’t squeaking but was close to it. Was Koa just really that physically strong??? “That’s incredible…” Sid admitted with a small laugh after.
Turning back to Makoto, they checked to make sure she was mostly dry before setting the towel on the tub, grabbing another one, and going for Toki next. Gently, they dried him off as well, all the while feeling their heart swell and their smile warm at Koa’s words. That was… yeah. That was exactly how they felt about Pokemon. That was why they were a Nurse— maybe not so much for protection as healing. They may have…. Dried Toki off a little more roughly than intended as they listened.
He’s…. got such a nice heart… such a …. shonen protagonist vibe…. Sid leaned back and looked towards Koa briefly again. Yeah, I’d die for him… they decided. They looked back at Toki again before starting to speak. “Your idealism is something to be cherished,” they answered back looking once again at Toki rather than Koa. “It keeps the world working towards a goal on the horizon… being the best you can be and contributing the most you can….”
Sid’s chest tightened up briefly, and they were aware of the hard thud echoing in this ears. “<I love your shonen protagonist vibe it’s really good to see people living their best lives>” The slurred Kantonian speech would probably be hard to parse and translate, but Sid couldn’t help it as it poured form their mouth. It was, for better or worse, much easier to say these things in their native tongue. And perhaps they just vaguely hoped Koa wouldn’t be sure of what they’d just said. Ahahahahha.
To have someone who believed in his capabilities was very reassuring to Koa. Sometimes he found it a struggle to believe in what he does, mostly due to his own insecurities and concerns about his past behavior. The validation was nice, but he had to develop that love for himself and what he does. He had to believe in himself. "Thank you, Sid..." He said softly.
Makoto sighed contently as she was being dried off. Today was nice, and she would be in a good mood for a while after this. She looked up at Sidney and seemed to appreciate the respect they had for her trainer. While she wasn't the best at displaying her emotions, deep down she had nothing but admiration for Koa. She worried that her usual stoic and passive attitude would annoy him, but he appreciated and cared for her all the same.
Koa laughed a bit at their reaction "Well not all at once! I found them one at a time and lured them into cages with berry soaked scrap metal. Come to think of it I should have found cages made of a material other than metal...they started to nibble through it." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Still, I had some troubles near the end, but I got some help by someone in town to move them back out towards their proper homes. It was fun, though." He still seemed slightly ignorant about the fact it was still impressive to lift even one of them for an extended period considering they were roughly 150 pounds.
Once Makoto was completely dried off, it was Toki's turn. He squirmed a bit once he was dry enough but Sid just kept going. By the end of it his fur fluffed out almost comically. He looked at Makoto with a confused expression, who just responded with a little giggle.
Sid's continued support really meant a lot. They believed in him even when he wavered a bit. "Yeah, you're right...I just want to be an inspiration, but before I do that I have to start believing in myself a bit more. I guess the trick is to not try too hard to inspire others, but just let it happen as a natural thing as I do what I believe in."
He tilted his head slightly at Sid suddenly speaking a sentence in Kantonian "I'll just...assume you're saying something nice to me again." He said with a laugh. "So I'll just say thanks again!"
Pffft. A soft laugh escaped from Sid as Koa described the Aron eating their metal containers. Oh no! Aron did naturally consume metal, didn’t they? “You know I’d never seen an Aron in person until coming to Arciel,” they chuckled softly. “They’re very cute though.” They answered softly. Lairon weren’t as cute, and Aggron certainly weren’t. But Aron were rather adorable. Maybe I should get one, actually…
KSALJDLASDLAJSDLKASJD, Toki was so fluffy. Sid reached a hand up to cover their mouth as they tried to keep from giggling at the now very fluffed Mienfoo. So cute, so fluffy. “Sorry,” they whispered. They were… very glad that Koa didn’t actually know the exact words they had used thereafter. The tips of their ears were ever so slightly red, though, perhaps hinting to there being more to what they had said. “Yeah, it’s… hard to translate that, sorry hahahah,” they answered with a small laugh.
Moving over to Ali’i, the last, they carefully lifted him out of the tub and then dried the bouncing spring Pokemon without interrupting his bounce too, too much. “There you go,” they smiled a little standing back after. “You all feeling better?” they smiled happily. Hime smiled softly happily floating to exchange the brush for her precious flower again before gliding back over to Sid. "How about some snacks? We have a few different types," they smiled back towards Koa again.
"Oh yes, they were precious." Koa agreed. "They didn't mean any harm at all! They just didn't know any better, so I'm glad I was able to get them home safely. All the moving parts in the factory could have hurt them if no one noticed them." He said.
Toki looked around with their still fluffed out fur, seeming completely oblivious to his current state. Koa just laughed and took a few pictures for later. Toki wondered why everyone was acting so weird. Oh well, it seemed to make the people around him happy, so that was a good thing in his mind. Eventually though, he would see himself in a nearby mirror. He quickly became flustered and started to pat down his fur, which thankfully cooperated.
Koa tilted his head slightly at Sid, but if it was something they wanted to talk about at some point, he would listen. Sid has been such a great supportive figure in the short time they've known each other, and Koa deeply appreciated that.
Ali'i appreciated Sid's care with him. He bounced around happily and returned to Koa's side. At the mention of snacks, Koa nodded "Oh sure! I'd like that, and I'm sure everyone else would too, right?" He looked at his Pokemon, who all let their excitement for snacks known with their own little cheers and celebrations. Koa laughed at the adorable display "Well it looks like we're all up for some snacks!"
Before that could happen, the egg in Koa's arms started to tremble and crack. "Whoa, hey!" Koa exclaimed as the egg started to hatch. Through the cracks, puffs of snow billowed out, making the air slightly chilly for a moment, but it soon faded as the egg crumbled apart to reveal the curious beady eyes of a very large Snom. It was roughly the size of a lap dog and just sort of clung to Koa's arms, eyes sparkling as it took in the environment. Koa was beside himself as he gently hugged the large caterpillar. "Hey there...welcome to the world." He whispered softly. He looked at Sid "Looks like we'll need some crushed ice, too."
Sid beamed at Koa’s words. “Great, let’s head over to the cafeteria. Graces why don’t we—“ Sid stopped short as their eyes caught sight of a familiar white light. Graces squeaked a little clapping both hands together excitedly. An egg was hatching! Maybe not the one she still carried but the one that was now with the cute trainer!
Hime, meanwhile, cooed softly fluttering a bit closer to watch. She had seen a hatching at least once now, but it had yet to stop putting her in mild awe. She loved this part! At least until she got some snow to the face, squeaked, and went darting behind Sid again. The latter raised up a hand and gently pat her. “Easy Hime…easy…”
As the Snom appeared, however, Sid couldn’t help but smile. Wow. That was fast… but also very good in this case. Maybe that meant the other egg would hatch very soon then as well. Their eyes trailed sideways to the egg that Garces kept before flickering forward again.
Oh no. He was so cute hugging the big spiky frosty child. Cute. Precious. Adorable. Sid weren’t sure if they were more endeared by the Snom or by Koa (or maybe a combination of the two right then). A hand raised to cover the lower part of their mouth, a small shield until their features cooled again. “We have an ice machine,” they assured after the fact. “Though the ice may need to be crushed smaller than that…”
Hime gave a small coo of confusion. Sid glanced sideways at her. “A large portion of a Snom’s diet is ice,” they explained. “They extract minerals from the water… though Poke-food would definitely ensure they were healthy too,” they explained. Hime gave a small nod in understanding and an even smaller salute. She would do her best to learn all of this! Sid smiled softly. “The cafeteria is this way…” they said a little quieter now making a gesture out of the room.
Koa carefully held the Snom as she clung to his arms. He stood up slowly "I'll have to think of a name for them...I'm thinking Seina." He said as his other Pokemon crowded him curiously, all eager to meet their new friend. "Hey guys, easy now." He said. He didn't want Seina to get scared. However, she remained very calm and relaxed, wiggling about to stare at the others curiously. "Aw, well it seems Seina's totally fine around others already." He said. Seina started to crawl up and perch on Koa's shoulder, content with her location.
"Maybe we can chill the Poke-food with crushed ice? I'm sure Makoto or Toki would be glad to smash some ice cubes for that." Koa suggested. Toki and Makoto both nodded affirmatively. At Sid's gesture, Koa followed them over to the cafeteria as he reached up to gently pat Seina. "You should bring out Mothra. I'm sure he'd love to see his child." He suggested during their walk.
Soon enough, the group would be at the cafeteria. He'd wait for Sid to guide the group to a good spot to hang out for their meal. "What would you recommend, Sid?" He asked, wondering what there was to eat here. He looked around at the other trainers hanging out with their Pokemon and enjoying a nice meal. It was pretty nostalgic. All on their own journeys, with their own goals, with their own teams. It was a wonderful sight and wished them all the best on their adventures. He reached down to gently pet Makoto, Toki, and Ali'i "You all look awesome, by the way. I bet that bath felt nice! I'll have to get some supplies for baths when we find a more permanent home here." He said. They all bounced happily, excited at the idea.
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