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.
Late that morning, Josh and several of his Pokémon gazed from Birch's south gate, toward the southern foothills of Route 6, strong west winds bearing salty air from the shoreline. He was well-supplied for a long journey both underground and in the mountain wilds - he would not be seeing town for a long time. He had brought a little over a week's worth of food with him, making his pack quite full and a bit heavier than he was used to...or rather, his Jolteon, Blinky, was used to. "Come on out, everyone!"
The young man put on his racing helmet, then released the remainder of his team, the four of them lining up next to their trainer and Jolteon. Aslan and Resheph were particularly excited, chatting up a storm with Pinky, Josh's newest Pokémon. To no surprise, Twilight kept her distance from the Sylveon, whose feelers were flapping vigorously in the strong wind. While it wasn't severe, there was enough wind that an activity like raking leaves would be impossible. All five of them wore riding tack custom-fitted for their species - even the two Eeveelutions.
"It's getting late in the year, and if we don't do this now, it's going to be too hazardous until the spring. Resheph, we're taking you to the Dragon's Den. If Arciel has anything like Blackthorn's Dragon Clan back in Johto, we have to register you with them. The fastest way there is going to be through the mountains to the south of here. It won't be easy, but we'll do it together!" A cacophony of Pokémon cries followed as he rallied his team.
Later that morning, the new trainer walked out of the south gate as he stopped and feel the wind blowing through the grass below. While today wasn't clear weather than he expected, he was relieved that it wasn't raining or anything, which made his first job as a contract worker a little bit easier. If he recalled, he was hired to deliver a small package to someone working in Pine Town. They did give him a small map to where they were working, but he was a bit worried that he might not able to reach them before the day ends. He did pack some camping gear in his bag along with the items Professor Holly provided, but he was a bit worried that it might not be enough. Regardless, as much as he wanted to try and find some Pokemon to catch for him to train in his free time, he needed to finish this job first.
After brief deep breathing, Armand took his first steps into Route 6. But as he walked a few more steps from the gate, he was startled by the sudden cries not far away from where he currently was right now. As he jumped back in shock, several rocks near him began to shake by themselves on the ground. But as he regained his composure, he noticed the rocks until they stopped shaking. When it did, he sighed in relief as he closed his eyes and rub the back of his head.
"That was a close one. But what was that? It doesn't sound like any strange noise from the wind."
Out of curiosity, Armand followed the cacophony cries that almost spooked him. Once he reached the source of the noise, he noticed a young man with several Pokemon lined up in front of him. To his surprise, not only he saw two large Eeveelutions in the group, but most of them except that Ghost/Steel-type were wearing tacks with their trainer wearing a helmet. He knew it would be rude for him to step in and he didn't want to be bothered with others, but he was curious about the large Pokemon he has with him.
Before he could decide, he unknowingly kicked several pebbles on the ground, which may attract the racer's attention.
Once Josh's team had calmed down somewhat - Resheph was still having quite the conversation with Pinky, Josh briefly set his pack down to dig out treats for each of his five Pokémon, followed by a pair of gloves for himself. The yellow-dressed young man needed them to keep his hands both warm from the cool temperatures and winds, as well as protected from Blinky's quilled fur. Aslan's latent heat made it comfortable for the time being, but that wouldn't last long once they got going - particularly at the speeds Blinky liked to run at. A brisk trot to her was nearly a full gallop for Pinky, but that would be something Josh would get to work on fixing soon enough.
Seconds after Josh had climbed aboard his Jolteon, he felt his mount flinch. "What is it?" he asked, Yagyu vibrating inside his sheath - unbeknownst to Josh, several pebbles bounced off Blinky's legs and clinked against his ghost-type's sheath at quite the clip. "What's going on with--" He noticed a young man behind him, judging the individual somewhat near his age, dressed in dark colors. "Oh, hello there - you headed south?" he asked, Aslan and Resheph immediately directing their attention toward the traveler. The Pyroar in particular seemed overly happy to meet someone new. Twilight stayed her ground, maintaining her expressionless, almost unnerving gaze.
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 20, 2020 8:15:32 GMT
As soon as the young man noticed his presence thanks to his Pokemon, Armand reacted with a gasp as his eyes widen and backed away from him in shock. He originally planned to find the source of the cries and leave immediately. However, once he was found, he just sighed in defeat and stepped forward to let the racer see him clearly. From the look of the trainer, he seemed to show no signs of hostility towards him, something that made him regain his usual calm composure again.
"You could say that," he said in a low tone which might be enough for the trainer to hear. "I'm heading to Pine Town to deliver a package to someone and I'm hoping I might able to reach it by tomorrow or so."
He was a bit nervous talking to a stranger. But thankfully, it wasn't enough to wake his powers by accident in front of him. Guess the training his grandfather gave him paid off. He hoped he would keep this up until he reached his destination. However, though, he realized what he was saying, knowing he has limited time before the supposed deadline.
"S-Sorry. I should probably go now. Forgive me for interrupting what you're doing."
He then tried to leave the trainer, hoping he would continue on trekking down this route a bit faster.
The traveler looked startled to see Josh's Pokémon. After all, they were enormous for their kind! On the other hand, if they were willing to be tacked up, they had to be very well-behaved - particularly Pokémon like Twilight and Aslan that were species known for being difficult to bond with. "Pine Town? I'll be passing through there myself," Josh answered. "Name's Josh. I was about to start training Pinky, this Sylveon," he gestured to his right, where the saddled Sylveon stood. What a sight it had to be for others who hadn't seen something so outlandish. Even he had a hard time believing it at first when he first evolved the giant Eevee.
"We're all going for a run to help Pinky get faster, as she's newer to my team," Josh explained, Blinky letting out a whimper - she just wanted to lead them south, right now! "By tomorrow?" Nearly half the day was gone already - if he went on foot, he probably wouldn't make it until nightfall. "It seems we're headed in the same directly. If you want, one of my Pokémon could get you there a lot faster." Twilight's gaze turned to Josh and morphed to an unsettling glare that would have spooked many other trainers. If she could speak to Josh, she would say, "This is how I have to drag you out of trouble. You don't have to help every stranger you come across - show some restraint once in a while!"
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 20, 2020 17:44:06 GMT
Just he could make one step away from moving on, Armand stopped once the young offered him a ride on one of his Pokemon. He was surprised at this. Not only he introduced himself, but he didn't hesitate he let a stranger like him ride one of his Pokemon, which some of them were a bit larger than their species.
"Are you sure? I don't mean to disturb your training with your Pokemon."
All he wanted was to get to Pine Town along to avoid any hitches or his powers acting up by accident. Even he saw his Absol glaring at their trainer may give him some ideas. While he wanted to know what they were thinking behind their gaze, he wasn't ready to use it just yet. Besides that, he knew it might be rude to peek through their thoughts without any permission, whether they were a person or Pokemon.
But as soon as he saw the sky above him, he realized he might have a point. If he did walk on foot, he might not able to reach his recipient on time. At this point, he was a bit conflicted about his next move and didn't have much time left.
While Josh didn't usually go out of his way to help people, he felt there was no reason not to help this dark-dressed young man. After all, the "training" he mentioned was simply a run to Pine Town, mostly to get Pinky's speed and stamina up. No sense in bringing her to a track and getting her hurt before she had the stamina to run a race, even if it was only a practice one.
"I'm certain," Josh answered. "You weren't disturbing us at all - we were headed on a run in the same direction anyway." He caught Twilight's glare shifting toward the delivery man. "Relax, girl - he means no harm," he chided the horned dark-type, white fur gleaming in the sunlight. "Sorry about that - Twilight is a bit...overprotective at times." He paused to collect his thoughts to prevent himself from blurting out anything else that could offend his Pokémon. Aslan took a few steps toward the male, cutting the conversation with Resheph and smiling, his tail flapping back and forth in the breeze.
Blinky outstretched her long but thin claws that looked like they would snap almost instantly if they were used to attack. "If you think you can make it on foot, I'm not stopping you...but one of my Pokémon could get you to Pine a lot faster." The west winds started to shift north, giving the Pokémon a tailwind that got the Jolteon even more excited to run.
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 20, 2020 18:47:48 GMT
Running? This made him a bit curious at this young man. The large Pokemon with racing tacks, his attire... He has to admit that this region gathered a bunch of interesting trainers around the world. Then again, he was a bit unique despite his ordinary background. And while he was okay with Josh's Pokemon, he was a bit uncomfortable with his Absol's glare towards him. Regardless if it was because it might detect his abilities or not, he has a feeling he might give them a wrong impression of himself. Uncomfortable meeting aside, with how much time he has left today, he just sighed in defeat before he turned to Josh. The wind was already picking up and he needed a safe way to get there without relying on his abilities.
"Alright. I guess I can't find a miracle just by walking down on foot."
He calmly approached Josh's Pokemon and hummed in thought on which one he should take as his temporary mount for today. However, he was a bit impressed at how much they love their trainer.
"I never expect you to train these guys very well. Are you here for the Grand Tournament, too?"
The longer the discussion went on, the more it seemed like the traveler was truly just an ordinary trainer needing to get to Pine Town quickly. Twilight at last trusted Josh's judgment and relaxed, resuming her normal, expressionless face. From his right to his left, he introduced his team. "Resheph, my Dragonair," who let out a coo as she was floating in place; "Pinky, my Sylveon and newest Pokémon," who flinched as her name was called; "Blinky, my Jolteon," who was growing increasingly more fidgety by the moment; "Aslan, my Pyroar," who allowed the newcomer to approach closely and even pet him if he so desired; "and Twilight, my Absol," who remained expressionless and overall serious-looking. "Yagyu is also at my side," he gestured to the sheathed Honedge at his right hip, "but he likes to be in one of two places: in my right hand, or in his sheath. Any of my other four Pokémon should be reliable enough to get you to Pine Town in a hurry and safely - don't be afraid of them!"
At the mention of the Grand Tournament, Josh froze for a couple of seconds before answering. "...Kind of. It's something I do on the side. My main job is...well, I'm a semi-professional Pokémon racer, and the season is wrapping up in a month or two. In the off-season, I do collect Gym Badges, yes." He stopped for a moment. "I got carried away without asking who you are - what's your name?"
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 20, 2020 19:49:27 GMT
As Josh introduced him to his Pokemon, Armand couldn't help but smile at how they quickly welcomed him without any hostility. He even petted his Pyroar when he approached him, something that gave him a bit of nostalgia with his grandfather's Pokemon. Even when he turned to Twilight, he noticed that she lost her hostility towards him as just stared at him without showing her emotions. However, when Josh introduced him to Yagyu, much to his surprise to see him equip his Honedge like a real sword. Though he might question it later. As for his choice, he was eyeing on Twilight and hummed in thought for a few seconds.
"Well, is it possible to borrow your Absol? If she's okay with it, of course."
Then when Josh asked for his name, Armand flinched at this. He barely knew him for several minutes, but it would be rude to leave him hanging. He did offer to let one of his Pokemon ride him to Pine Town, so he then took a deep breath and answered, "Armand Leclair. A pleasure to meet you, Josh."
"She should be," Josh immediately answered as the Absol froze for a moment before walking next to Armand, at last relaxing her muscles. Her forehead blade flapped in the breeze - a sign she was calm. "If you've never been on a Pokémon before, it's easy - just tug in the direction you want to turn, and use your legs for speed. Twilight here is smart enough that she'll obey verbal commands too!" She rolled her eyes - did her trainer have to make her superior intelligence that obvious?"Absol handle really well - while not as fast as some of my other Pokémon, they're great at taking sudden turns. Anything with claws like that would!" He laughed for a second or two. Twilight didn't think the flattery was at all funny but kept her emotions in.
"Great meeting you, Armand," the speed-focused trainer answered as he felt Blinky crouch in a pouncing stance. "Well, I think Blinky here is getting impatient," he observed aloud as the Jolteon fully extended her thin, long claws. "Hold on tight, Armand - we'll get you to Pine Town in no time at all!" Blinky lurched forward, digging deep into the earth with every stride - she was a Jolteon bred specifically for racing. Her claws were good for rapid acceleration and nothing else. She wouldn't survive for more than a few weeks in the wild. "I know you're excited to run, but let the others catch up, would you please?" She retracted her claws most of the way and coasted southward on her large momentum alone. Resheph and Aslan were keeping up, but both of them were aware Josh had asked Blinky to hold back. There was no way they would be able to keep up with a Jolteon that was actually trying to run fast, after all!
Pinky and Twilight ran alongside each other, though the Absol distanced herself from the Sylveon as much as feasible without blocking the entire road. The pink and white runner's feelers and ribbons flapped vigorously around her as she picked up more speed than was normal for a Sylveon. After getting up to a speed that was fast enough to keep Josh and his Jolteon in sight, she fully relinquished control to Armand, running straight ahead.
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 21, 2020 14:34:39 GMT
After Josh explained the basics of Pokemon riding, he nodded and turned to Twilight as he smiled at her. At least she was now okay around him as he carefully jumped onto her back and took the reins. As Josh predicted, he never rode a Pokemon before, let alone a Skiddo, Gogoat, or a Rhyhorn back in Kalos. But as soon as he was on Twilight's back, he mentally admitted that it felt a bit nervous, yet excited at seeing her run in person.
Once Josh and his Pokemon took off, Twilight followed suit as Armand hung on to the reins. As she ran through the route, Armand felt the wind blowing through his face and as he held the reins carefully, he slowly became immerse through the scenery that he passed through that he became speechless. From the rolling hills from afar to the rivers that he briefly spotted, he could see the beauty behind one of Arciel's routes. This made him realize that he made the right choice of moving and traveling in this region.
Eventually, he snapped out of his brief amazement when he noticed Josh's Sylveon was now beside him before Twilight took off and relinquished control to him. Seeing what she was trying to do, Armand nodded and said, "I understand. You just leave the rest to me."
With that, he silently commanded through the rein to go a bit faster, hoping to catch up to Josh and run alongside him.
Twilight remained relaxed; if anything, she seemed happy to oblige. She picked up the pace, the increased speed of her running stroke bouncing the rider a bit more rapidly, but nothing she felt he couldn't handle. Pinky struggled to keep up, eventually falling behind the dark-type. Though the Sylveon was slowly picking up the pace, she wasn't going to keep up with an Absol that had racing experience before.
Twilight continued picking up the pace even through a shallow turn, letting Armand decide when to ease off and have her just coast on her growing momentum. The increasing wind had to feel amazing to a point, too - that was the freedom of traveling aboard a Pokémon. It was great exercise for the Pokémon, and great fun for the trainer!
The two had caught up to Resheph and Aslan - two Pokémon that had to be breathtaking to see flying and running in person. The two yielded to Twilight and Armand, the dragon-type in particular flying above the grass to the left of the road. Though Josh was still somewhat far ahead, Armand could easily see him as he briefly glanced back. He gave a thumbs up as he let his mount gradually slow to match the pace of the Absol. "And this is why every trainer in Arciel should consider a Pokémon like this!" Josh remarked, though he wasn't sure how well he could be heard with the two going at quite the clip. Well, probably quite the clip from Armand's perspective, he figured.
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 22, 2020 2:03:46 GMT
As he continued riding through the windy weather of this route with Twilight, he was completely mesmerized by the wind and scenery around him. While he silently commanded her to control the speed to take a shallow turn while trying to avoid overtaking Josh and the rest of his Pokemon, he couldn't help but feel delighted at this calm, yet exhilarating experience. And as he noticed Josh gave him a thumbs-up, he responded with a silent smile and nod. While he barely couldn't hear him, he somehow knew what he was going to say as he began to regret not riding a Rhyhorn back home.
"Twilight, try to keep up with the speed. Not too fast... Not too slow..."
At least, he thought it was. Then again, he wasn't much of a Pokemon racing expert. Regardless, he commanded Twilight to run a bit faster to catch up to Josh and his Pokemon.
Blinky slid to the outside of the shallow turn leading to Pine Town as Twilight broke away from Aslan and Resheph. Pinky lengthened her strides, catching up to the fire-type after a little while. While she couldn't pour on the speed like Twilight and Blinky could, if she kept up with her training, she would be quite the distance runner. High stamina was important for longer courses, particularly the season championship, which often took place on the longest course on the circuit.
At Armand's command, Twilight picked up the pace again, feeling good that her new rider was learning so quickly. Running at the speed of a wild Pyroar in full pursuit of its prey, aided by a wind that was shifting to be straight out of the north, it didn't take long for Josh to be surprised by the white blur racing up to him and his Jolteon. "Fast, isn't she?" Josh remarked with a smile as sparks flew from Blinky's paws. He briefly turned his head to get a glance at the rest of his team - the Sylveon seemed to be keeping up fine. "With the wind at your back, it's not bad at all!" The coast to their right, as well as the mountain range to the left, flew past in a blur.
With the pace Armand was directing Twilight at, even Blinky had to put forth some effort to keep up, rather than merely coasting on his momentum. "The others seem to be fine," he mentioned aloud to his "student". "How are you holding up? We can find a place to stop if you need to catch your breath - looks like we're making great time."
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 22, 2020 16:47:14 GMT
One thing to note about him was that he was a quick learner in some hobbies and skills that was related to either Pokemon or general ones. From Pokemon battles to camping, he was willing to spend a few days to learn it. So when he continued riding on Josh's Absol, he couldn't help but feel the wind and immersed himself into this moment.
After a while, he managed to hear Josh from afar as he asked him if they should try to take a break. As much he wanted to enjoy this a bit longer and get to his destination a bit early, he was a bit exhausted the longer he rode on Twilight and he could guess it might the same with her.
"I think so. We might have enough time until the deadline."
Besides, he didn't want to overwork a stranger's Pokemon because of him. A break should be enough to regain their strength for a while.
Once he heard Armand agree that a quick pit stop was in order, Josh pulled back on Blinky. While Twilight was adept at putting on the brakes thanks to her long and sharp claws, the Jolteon was not at all adept at the same. Her claws were designed for rapid acceleration, much like a savannah cat's. They would snap almost instantly if used to slow down. She and Josh coasted on their momentum, making a big circle off the east side of the road before managing to kill her speed entirely. Josh could feel her heart racing when she sat down to let him dismount - she wasn't used to running such long distances. Aslan pounced toward Josh when he caught up and gave his trainer a big kiss, his face now covered in slobber. "Hey, you can't just do that anymore! You're not a Litleo anymore!" Josh half-laughed, half-scolded the fire-type. Thankfully the wind dried out the drool quickly, but he would still need a shower once he found lodging at Pine Town.
There was a small grove of trees a hundred feet or so off the side of the road, short, green grasses growing around them. "Perfect." Josh sounded a loud groan while he stretched, then made his way off-road. Resheph undulated around Armand for a bit before flying to his right, Pinky trotting alongside Josh. "Where are you from, if I may ask?" he resumed making small talk with the fellow trainer. "I came here from Johto, specifically the Goldenrod area. It's the largest city there. Tried taking the Gym Challenge there, too--couldn't get more than five Badges. The Gyms around here are a lot tougher. I only have one badge!" His eyes wandered around the plains, the coast, and the sea nearby - what a wide variety of ecosystems Arciel harbored compared to Johto! "When we get to the home stretch, I might have to show you how fast Blinky really is. Even I can barely control her!"
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 23, 2020 3:29:55 GMT
Once he suggested this, Armand tightly gripped onto his rein as he let Twilight pulled a brake with her claws. However, he quickly squinted his eyes when he saw Josh having a rough brake with his Jolteon, which he thought that they might crash onto a tree or boulder. To his relief, though, he saw him unmounted his Electric Eeveelution before his Pyroar happily pounced to kiss him. Just seeing them like this made him smile at their strong bond with each other.
He then carefully got off from Twilight and approached the Pokemon racer, which he asked him and explained where he came from. To his surprise, he challenged 5 of the Johto Gyms and obtained their Gym Badges. He knew why he stopped, but he has to admit, that was a bit impressive for a semi-professional racer himself.
"I see. As for me, I came from Lumiose City of the Kalos region. To be honest, I haven't challenged any gyms there because I spent most of my time in school there. I just recently became a Pokemon trainer after I graduated from high school and originally planned to challenge the Kalos Gym Challenge. But ever since the Grand Tournament announcement, I decided to try and challenge Arciel's instead. In fact, I only got my first Pokemon from the lab two days ago."
When Josh mentioned Blinky's speed, Armand grew curious at his claim. He could tell how well-trained his Jolteon was for the races, but he wondered how fast he was.
"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to see him in action later. But I'm just wondering regarding your Honedge. Was he always treated itself as your sidearm for you to wield? I heard that his species tend to absorb the energy of anyone who tried to wield it like a real sword with its tassel."
Resheph left Armand's side, cuddling around Josh. He was about to say something, then realized it wouldn't stop the at-times brazen Dragonair from repeating the unwanted behavior anyway. Her affection was uncomfortable for Josh at times, but it was part of raising a Pokémon; after all, they had personalities, too! He listened to Armand's origin story. "I've never been to Kalos myself - everything is so expensive over there," he remarked. "The only reason I came to Arciel from Johto was because the Pokémon Racing Federation back in Johto paid me to advertise here. And now, we have some leagues in Arciel, even if they're only loosely organized. When we get closer to town, I'd love to show you what it looks like out there. Can't do it here - I'm too low on data for the month."
Armand expressed concerns about the way his Honedge preferred to fight. "He used to be like that, but now he only feeds on me enough to sustain himself," Josh clarified as Resheph slithered into the air above her trainer, Pinky taking the Dragon-type's place. He reached back to pet the fairy-type's head briefly before resuming his answer. "He's acted like this ever since the Ultra Wormhole opened in June. Thankfully, no major incidents have been reported. I heard there may have been one or two close encounters with people. You see...the real reason I'm taking the Gym Challenge is because..."
The tongue-tied man trailed off. "...Never mind. Back to the racing thing - I got so involved in it because I feels it requires that extra level of bonding even beyond being a professional Pokémon trainer and combatant. As a Pokémon trainer, you're mostly a coach, I feel. As a racer, you get to have a more first-hand experience with your mount. The races run from April to sometime in October or November, as weather permits. Between November and April is usually when I focus on the Gyms."
Post by Armand Leclair on Sept 23, 2020 7:12:57 GMT
He couldn't say that everything in his home region was expensive. Sure, there were high-end boutiques in some cities other than Lumiose, but he felt like it's not too expensive to his taste. As for Josh's career, he never expected that even the Racing Federation he mentioned has leagues similar to the Pokemon League. Still, he was curious at what kind of the organization despite his current occupation.
He then frowned when Josh mentioned the Ultra Wormhole incident. While he and his family were unaffected and safe from the incident, he felt sorry for the many people who were affected by it. So he might have guessed that his Honedge's habit might have something to do with it. What was more curious was that he stopped himself before revealed the reason behind his involvement with the Gym Challenge. As much as he wanted to probe him on it, he rather not pry on his privacy for his sake and focused more on his racing life and his perspective between it and the Pokemon trainer.
"Huh. I didn't know that until you said it. I always thought that a trainer has more involvement in a battle due to how they have to strategize and predict their opponent's next move for their Pokemon to avoid. But after a ride with your Absol, I think I get what you're trying to say. The speed that I felt and how I try to take control of her movements... Just doing all of those feels necessary when it comes to riding a Pokemon than to call out commands in battle."
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