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.
His journey to Arciel had been surprisingly uneventful, all things considering; sure, there was the teary goodbye he'd shared with his family and his siblings, but they had gotten used to the idea of him being away for long periods at a time. The children were all grown up and considering adventures of their own, after all. To them, him journeying to an entirely different area was par for the course, and after promising to keep in touch with letters and perhaps a visit or two around the holidays, he had set out with a rather large group of tourists on a course for the region.
To say he was excited was a bit of an understatement. Emotion fluttered in his chest like a bird, wild and exuberant, and his nerves had been a mess since he'd set foot in Arciel. It wasn't just the prospect of being somewhere new, though that did contribute a little, but rather that he was going to be getting his first-ever pokemon, courtesy of the many incentives offered to travelers to the region. Around him the crowds milled about with contagious energy, some marveling over the deals and discounts of the city while other younger, backpacked trainers began to make their way down the path in search of the city's outskirts so they could begin their pokemon journey.
He had a similar destination in mind, of course, and after wandering for some time he managed to find a marker indicating the direction of the Birch City Lab. Considering it was still daylight he liked to think he wasn't late, especially since there hadn't really been an agreed-upon time aside from "come to the Lab on this day". As he made his way to the small building he spotted various figures in white coats dotting the landscape here and there, all tending to a pokemon in some form or other. The ones that were close enough to acknowledge he greeted with a nod and his least intimidating smile before he made it to the entryway and let himself inside. Hopefully they were expecting him, though he realized as he stepped in that it would probably be foolish of him to think the professor was sitting around all day waiting for him, and that he more than likely was a little late. Nevertheless, he called out into the room, trying and failing at letting uncertainty creep into his tone.
"Hello?"
Last Edit: Dec 21, 2019 13:18:55 GMT by Touma Shinjo
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Holly was in the midst of transcribing some notes from a scribbled notepad, likely legible only to herself, to a far more readable typed format when the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Oh? As a voice called out, she double checked the schedule and found the current slot empty. Someone very early for the next, or a walk-in? "Yes? I'm here," she said as she set the notepad aside and stood. "And you are?" She looked over the young man for a moment before feeling she recognized him. "Oh, Touma, by any chance?" She leaned back over the computer and pulled up his file. Yes, that picture matched, all right. A corner of her mouth pulled back as she stood again.
"You spoke with my newest intern when you made your appointment," she explained, "and managed to get put down for a day without an actual time." Heh. "Believe me that we've talked to her about that and it shouldn't happen again." Not that it would ever affect him personally again regardless; this was the sort of thing people only did once generally. But still.
"I'm sure you're eager to meet your partner, though." She made her way to the PokeBall case and carefully selected three balls, then turned around and headed toward Touma. "Any of these catch your fancy?" she asked, though she knew one of the Pokemon had quite the advantage in being chosen over the others. Still, people were full of surprises.
While it was a relief to know he wasn't exactly late, he couldn't help but feel a little bad that the intern had gotten in trouble for it. He probably should have clarified a time along with the date, but excitement had gotten the best of him. "Ah-- really? I hope she didn't get into too much trouble..." A sheepish expression stole over his face and he bowed his head in an apologetic gesture, but straightened as the professor went on without further discussion over the intern's flub-up. Touma edged a little closer to Holly as she stood, but maintained a good distance in case she needed the space. He wasn't entirely sure how this was supposed to work, after all.
Honestly, he'd expected someone a lot older, a lot less ... good-looking, to put it nicely, and so when she presented him with the pokeballs and he perhaps kept his eyes on her a little longer than necessary, hopefully she wouldn't notice or say anything.
The palpable excitement he'd felt since he'd set foot in Arciel returned in full force, and he spent some time appraising the three pokemon set in front of him. The flying types were impressive and reminded him of the promise he'd made to visit home, nevermind if they were large enough to actually carry him across regions. He wasn't entirely sure about the third, since he was only familiar with the evolved form in encounters here and there, but the big, floppy ears were endearing enough to make him give pause as he hovered over each. They all seemed rather calm despite the situation - this was a big change, after all - and he found himself admiring that in all three openly. He almost wished he could take all of them, but then that would be robbing another trainer of the joy of having a partner, and he was pretty sure each of the pokemon here would find their forever homes soon enough.
Eventually, he knelt in front of the first pokemon he'd met eyes with - the Hawlucha. She gave a gentle trill in response to the hand he rubbed over her head, and he knew that she was the one. He still offered a smile and inclined his head towards her, then looked up to Professor Holly.
"She's colored a little differently than the ones I've seen back home. Is this specific to the region or something?"
Holly waited and watched as Touma assessed his potential partners. At the question, she shook her head. “Shiny Pokemon are rare but seemingly universal,” was the answer. “However, there are color variations that are specific to Arciel.” Holly glanced down to the Hawlucha again. “Do you have any other questions?” Specifically perhaps those that might assist in a decision in this case. Holly didn’t end up saying that, though.
The response had him thinking back to the occasional encounters he'd had back in Sinnoh. Now that he thought about it, there had been a few off color pokemon different from the norm, but back then he'd thought it was simply a matter of dye or something like the result of rolling around in a patch of berries.
At her added question, he shook his head; his decision was pretty much set in stone. After a moment though, he ventured, a little hesitantly, "Can she eat 'people food'? Like... burgers, hot dogs, chili..." The Hawlucha gave him an odd look.
A small smile came and went from Holly’s lips. “Good.” It had seemed he had made his choice. The question that came after had her glancing at the Hawlucha briefly. “Pokemon food, store bought, tends to offer the best nutrient mix. Pokemon technically can, but it’s not healthy in large amounts.” Of course, it also depended on what the Hawlucha would want to or willingly eat which came down to nature. That was a discussion between human and Pokemon, though.
Walking over, to a cabinet, Holly opened it and pulled out a box of items. “I have these prepared as your starting items….” She stated. “Use them wisely.”
Touma nodded at her words, silently committing them to memory. His gaze met the Hawlucha's at his side and he noticed she was nodding along with the professor, verifying her advice. His attention was drawn back to Holly when she strode over to the cabinet and took out a box, some of the items within being ones Touma recognized and others he couldn't put a name to, but seemed familiar enough. It was still surreal knowing that these things were now his, and Hawlucha was his partner, the entire reality of the situation sinking in slowly despite his excitement.
"Thank you," He said gratefully. He turned to Hawlucha, ready to leave, but paused and turned back. "Is there anything else I should know? Or-- do you have any questions for me?" At his side Hawlucha had began to scale his clothing with her small talons, and he gladly stooped a little to make the climb easier for her.
Holly shook her head as she handed over the Pokeball. “Experience is the best teacher,” she answered. “I look forward to seeing how you progress in your chosen field.” As she did with all new individuals coming to the lab for the first time. There was always something special about seeing someone off with their first Pokemon after all. “If you don’t have any further questions for me, you should head out and start your journey.”
Hawlucha, by this point, had managed to climb up to Touma’s left shoulder and half perched, half stood there comfortably, as though she had been there all her life. Despite basically being a luchadore, she took great care to mind her talons around his skin and the fabric of his clothes so she would not tear through either flesh or cloth.
“You’re right, thank you.” Touma agreed, letting his fingers rub Hawlucha just under her chin. He’d have to brainstorm on a name for her once they were out, or have her pick one somehow since he was fairly certain she couldn’t say anything aside from her name. After making sure the pokeball was secured, he gave the professor a polite incline of his head and thanked her profusely. And then he was turning - carefully, though soon found out there wasn’t much need to since Hawlucha had a pretty good grip on him - and made his way out of the lab, being sure to shut the door behind himself.