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.
After having been advised by one of the aides at the Pokemon Center to try his luck at the various other cities in the region, Touma had set out north, following the posted signs in the direction of Route 1 and, consequently, Cedar Town. As he walked Hawlucha remained dutifully perched on his shoulder until they came across small patches of flowers in the grass by the pathway, whereupon she would hop down and begin to gather them neatly into her small talons. Touma would wait patiently until she was satisfied, and during these brief lulls bounced names around to find something that suited her fancy.
At the name he proposed Hawlucha made a face and huffed out a soft "luchaaa" and he couldn't help but to laugh at her distaste. She went back to picking flowers and arranging them neatly while he slipped his hands into his pockets, mulling over other things to call her. Upon feeling the familiar surface of a pokeball he suddenly remembered that he'd actually won a pokemon in a gacha machine prior to leaving the city, and he pulled it out now to release the creature inside. The Amaura within appeared in a flash of light, head rearing back in a stretch as it uttered its own name and caught the attention of Touma's Hawlucha. Amaura looked from it to Touma and then back again, a little wary, but Hawlucha waved a free hand at it before going back to her flowers.
The Amaura met eyes with Touma again and they stared at one another for a small moment in silence, which was broken when he cracked a smile and held out a hand. The rock/ice pokemon paused and then shuffled forward, placing its snout into his palm before turning and shuffling at his side. It was larger than he thought, but there was more than enough room for all three of them on the dirt path.
The Hawlucha returned, the beginnings of a flower crown appearing between her hands. She forwent scaling up Touma's clothing again and instead focused all her attention on her craft. Taking that as a signal that she was ready to continue, Touma began to walk again, now with one pokemon on either side. "We're trying to come up with a name," He explained to the Amaura, "one that she actually likes. If you'd like we can find one to call you, too."
The pale blue pokemon considered it and after a long pause it nodded. Touma rubbed a hand over his chin and peered up at the sky before venturing out, "Amaura."
There was simultaneously an amused snort and an indignant trill on either side of him. Touma found himself laughing. Guess he'd have to keep trying.
Hawlucha
Lvl 5
Limber Ally Switch, Tackle,
Hone Claws, Karate Chop 5/5 Energy
Amaura
Lvl 8
Refrigerate Growl, Powder Snow,
Thunder Wave 5/5 Energy
Last Edit: Dec 25, 2019 13:55:28 GMT by Touma Shinjo
They hadn't walked very far until they saw an odd pink bird which Touma didn't quite recognize at first, swaying across the path in a relaxed gait that was more of a dance than anything. Both Hawlucha and Amaura stopped when he did, watching the strange pokemon move slowly across their path before looking up at him to see what he would do. Given the bird wasn't really attacking at first sight and just seemed content to do its own thing, Touma was perfectly okay with allowing the creature to continue on its way in its odd little dance.
It was only after it had passed with a soft trill of its name that familiarity sparked in his eyes and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "I thought it looked familiar. I didn't know Oricorio had that form." Hawlucha made a noise that sounded close to a laugh, and Amaura made an odd chirping noise, nudging a pebble out of the way with a foreleg. All three turned to watch Oricorio continue on its way, Touma rubbing at his chin as he thought.
"Dancing.... Dancer... Prancer?" He looked to Hawlucha for an opinion on that proposed name. She shook her head and tied off the ends of the flower crown she'd made quick work of, then shuffled forward to gesture for Amaura to lower his head. The blue pokemon looked embarrassed and made a noise that sounded like a protest, but Hawlucha trilled persistently and eventually Amaura conceded, head drooping down so the bird pokemon could place the crown atop it. Amaura began to shuffle forward almost immediatelly like he were trying to escape the situation, and Touma bent to allow Hawlucha to climb up so they could follow along after.
It wasn't very long after that that the trio came across a Wooloo chewing sluggishly on a glossy magazine page of some sort interspersed with blades of grass; perhaps it had gotten caught up in its grazing. The first thing that crossed Touma's mind was that the sheep pokemon was impossibly fluffy, the other being that it was very round, and therefore very cute, and he found himself admiring it even from afar. He might have been hovering a little too long, because the Wooloo stopped mid-chew and its eyes rotated ever so slightly as it surveyed the blond in front of it. Amaura and Hawlucha had also stopped and were poised, ready to move at Touma's instruction.
He let a hand slip to the back of his jeans. Yeah, he did have some pokeballs, but it wasn't a whole lot. He wasn't sure how long it would take for him to get to the next town and silently lamented the fact that he hadn't thought to stock up before he left. He supposed he could always talk to it since he'd gotten its attention so effortlessly, but regardless he'd have to move closer in order to do much of anything, which he did in slow, minute movements. Both Amaura and Hawlucha came along with him, and the mood of the situation translated well enough that they also followed with small increments so as not to disturb the Wooloo in front of them.
Now that he got closer he could see that the magazine page was of what looked like a video game character, but he couldn't tell much else except for the fact that it was female and wasn't wearing a whole lot. It shifted in Wooloo's mouth as it chewed once, waiting.
"Hey there," He crooned softly, using the voice he usually did when he talked to his siblings after they'd had a particularly hard day. "I see you're chewing on something tasty." A resounding bleat was his only response. Gosh, it was so fluffy.
"I don't have any food on me now, but if you'd like when we get to the next town I'll be able to get you some nice tasty treats. Would you like that?" Another bleat. Was that a yes? It was hard to tell. It sounded interested, at least. The distance between them was closing and the Wooloo seemed to notice just how close this strange person and his pokemon were coming, but it didn't make any moves to curl in and roll away like he'd seen so many do before. Perhaps the promise of food had enticed it.
It was then Amaura huffed and tossed his head, and the flower crown atop it went sailing out. Hawlucha squawked mournfully as the Wooloo immediately went to town munching on the tasty flowers, the magazine page forgotten. Touma took the moment of distraction to toss out a pokeball into the sheep pokemon's thicc wool, breath held in anticipation.
As soon as the pokeball clicked shut in finality he let out the breath he'd been holding and an exuberant, beaming smile crossed his face. That was actually really exhilerating, and he found himself almost lamenting the fact he hadn't done that sooner with the Oricario that had appeared in their path. He stepped forward to retrieve the ball and Hawlucha took his moment of stooping to hop off and gather the remnants of the flower crown she'd made.
When Touma turned around he saw her standing over something in the grass, her head turning this way and that. Amaura had begun to graze peacefully beside them and Touma took the opportunity to half-jog over to where Hawlucha stood, curious.
Ah - it was the magazine page that Wooloo had been chewing on earlier. Now that he was closer he could actually see it and recognition lit up his features. It was a character from a fighting game he remembered his siblings obsessing over recently, and not necessarily for the best reasons. He recalled how his mom had reacted when she witnessed firsthand how the developers had lovingly crafted the women's, er, assets, and the fallout that followed. But, he thought as he bent to pick up the crumpled page, this wasn't so bad.
"What was her name again?" He racked his brain, thinking. It was Lisa or something, wasn't it? He looked to Hawlucha. "Lisa?"
She shook her head, but looked eager all the same. The character in question was a professional wrestler, one that went by the stage name...
"... La Mariposa?" He ventured, tentatively. Hawlucha's eyes immediately lit up and she raised both arms with a victorious crow. Apparently that was the one. Touma looked from the character on the magazine to Hawlucha and noted that they looked similar enough. It was a fitting name. That decided, he folded the magazine cover up and slipped it into his pocket as - no, La Mariposa - scaled his clothing again, her attitude noticeably upbeat since she'd received her nickname. It was a mouthful but he was sure he'd get used to saying it in time; plus, she seemed to be exceedingly pleased with it.
After considering the pokeball containing Wooloo Touma decided to let it stay inside and rest. He promised him tasty treats, after all, and the next town was still a little ways away. Having finished snacking, Amaura let out a soft trill and the trio continued on their path.
At some point in their journey the path sloped towards a river that was draining out into a nearby larger body of water. There was a small pink fish flitting about in the currents that disappeared before he could get a good look at it, probably off to deeper waters or to find some food. Both La Mariposa and Amaura stopped to take a drink and Touma knelt down to the do the same with cupped hands. A nearby splash had him pausing and looking up mid-drink just in time to get blasted with a spurt of water that made him sputter and cough in surprise. La Mariposa was immediately in front of him with her wings brandished high in what was a rather poor attempt at an intimidating pose, though she faltered slightly when she saw the very large, very round Wailmer that had been responsible.
After swiping his wet hair out of his eyes Touma glanced at the pokemon before him and blanched a little at the teethy almost-smile that it was beaming at them with. It was bigger than he was and looked like it could definitely hurt if he weren't careful. Amaura had also made it to his master's side and surveyed the Wailmer with half-narrowed eyes. The Wailmer made a sound that was half its name, half wail and splashed a largely ineffective wave at La Mariposa.
Now, Touma had never actually been in a pokemon battle before, but he liked to think he'd seen a bit on tv and also when he travelled to get the general gist of things. So as soon as the saw the splash attack sent their way he tried to recall all the moves La Mariposa knew and react appropriately.
"Let's try a Karate Chop!" He called out, and she moved swiftly to comply. The water that Wailmer had splashed at them soaked the grass before La Mariposa, who quickly ran to scale Touma's clothes so she could springboard off of him in a flying leap towards the Wailmer. As she fell she curled up into a spinning ball, wing springing out at the last moment to hit the water pokemon with a Karate Chop right in the middle of its forehead.
The Wailmer let out a half-bellow, half-pained noise that made La Mariposa look a little guilty, but then flapped its little fins again and sent up waves of water as it thrashed into another splash attack. La Mariposa made to hop back and try to hit it again, but the Wailmer just then slammed its entire body forward with Astonish and knocked the flying type under the water.
Well, that wasn't very good. Mildly panicking, Touma scrambled forward and received another splash in the face for his trouble. The Wailmer was more or less just hitting everything it could, and Amaura had to hop out of the way to avoid another wave of water surging over the grass. La Mariposa emerged, coughing, her feathers slicked to her body, but she was altogether all right and Touma breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the Wailmer had also spotted this and now zoomed in to attack again. Amaura let out a warning cry to catch their attention and Touma reacted with a "Tackle!" command. Bracing her little feet on the bank, La Mariposa used the momentum to launch herself at the already rushing Wailmer, their bodies colliding with a wet smack and sending both careening in opposite directions. Touma managed to catch her as she flew at him, looking back just in time to see the Wailmer floating sluggishly in the water. It was freezing out, and even now he could feel La Mariposa shivering against his form with the added discomfort of wetness.
"You worked so hard," He spoke softly to the bird cuddled up against his front. "Go ahead and take a rest." La Mariposa trilled out with a quiver edging her voice, and then nestled into his warmth to sleep. It was then that Touma turned to Amaura beside him and gave him a sheepish smile. "Mind hitting it with a Thunder Wave?"
With a rallying cry, arcing bursts of lightning zigzagged across Wailmer's body and over the surface of the water, leaving both crackling with surging remnants. With one hand keeping La Mariposa close, Touma reached back and took out another pokeball, which he tossed at the Wailord's prone form.
La Mariposa
Lvl 5
Limber Ally Switch, Tackle,
Hone Claws, Karate Chop 5/5 Energy
Amaura
Lvl 8
Refrigerate Growl, Powder Snow,
Thunder Wave 5/5 Energy
Wooloo
Lvl 3
Fluffy Tackle, Growl
5/5 Energy
Last Edit: Dec 26, 2019 14:51:43 GMT by Touma Shinjo
Well, that didn't go as planned. Not only did the Wailmer burst out of the ball with another long-winded wail - that actually sounded a little smug, though maybe that was just his imagination - the ball actually snapped and sank underwater. He watched as it beat a hasty retreat and sighed, turning to Amaura with a sheepish look. On the plus side, La Mariposa had stopped shivering against him and the warmth of her small body was starting to bleed through to his.
Turning, he began to scan the direction of the next town over, wondering if they were close enough he could see buildings or landmarks. Apparently Cedar Town was more or less a waterfront, built on stilts before the ocean. They still had a ways to go, and with a sigh he pulled out La Mariposa's pokeball since she'd dried up a bit and gently returned her inside. She could probably nap until then, and Amaura was there to keep him company, at least.
"Are you okay to keep walking, or would you like a rest?" He inquired, and Amaura replied enthusiastically. Touma wondered what he was responding to, but the tundra pokemon began to walk, and he supposed that was that.
As they were walking along the beach, Amaura managed to kick something up out of the sound and called out to alert Touma to what he'd found. Crouching down, he was surprised to find two very new-looking, probably unused Awakenings half-buried in the sand. Either it was the work of a mischievous pokemon, or else someone had dropped it and forgotten it? Either way, whoever had left these were probably long gone, he surmised after doing a quick scan up the dunes, therefore he didn't feel too bad about fishing them out and slipping them into the canvas rucksack he had slung over his shoulder. "Good find, I'm sure this will come in useful at some point."
Amaura actually looked modestly pleased with himself once Touma was done, and as they continued the rest of their stroll down the beach he made sure to kick up sand even more with each leg, hoping to find something nice.
A fair bit of time had passed after Amaura had found the awakenings and Touma had gone back to debating a name for him. La Mariposa's had been by complete coincidence, and unforunately - or fortunately - there wasn't much in the way of debris or garbage on the path they were walking. So there weren't really any magazine pages or anything with pictures on them, but Amaura didn't seem too bothered by the fact he hadn't been given a nickname as well.
Still, that didn't stop Touma from trying, and as they continued on their way he bounced a variety of different nicknames around for his pokemon to consider. Amaura listened to each and shook his head over and over; none really seemed to catch his fancy as well as La Mariposa. Having never really had an Amaura before, Touma wasn't entirely familiar with them or their background, and the only thing he really knew about his was that 1) he was rather content to keep to himself and 2) he was on the larger end of the pokemon species. Not as large as that Wailmer, but large enough.
Touma's attention was drawn by Amaura's signalling cry, and he turned to see one of his large front paw - hoof - feet things nudging a berry out of the ground. Moving over to investigate, he knelt down and found not one, but two rawst berries in fairly good condition, and he picked them up to slip them into his pocket along with the Awakenings they'd found earlier.
"Good find! People are really just dropping everything out here, aren't they?" The Amaura nodded in agreement, again looking mildly pleased that he'd managed to turn up a few berries just from walking, of all things, and shuffled past Touma in his eagerness to find more. The blond followed along with an amused smile on his face - if anything, this was helping to pass the time during their walk.
When the rather large Rattata scampered across their path Touma and Amaura gave pause and stared at the small creature moving across the sand. It didn't take long for the pokemon to notice it was being stared at and in response it assumed an attacking stance, the fur on its body bristling defensively. It looked like it would attack at any given moment, and although Touma didn't want to actually fight it, the look that he exchanged with Amaura said that he'd probably end up having to if they wanted to get past it.
Type advantage told him it'd probably be best if he had La Mariposa take Amaura's place, but he still wanted to give her a rest. From what he remembered of Amaura's moves he didn't have any that were exceptionally effective against the Rattata before them, but it probably didn't much matter.
Just as an alternative popped into his head the Rattata began to rush at them, building up momentum as it tackled into the meatier part of Amaura's body for the only reason that it was basically like hitting the broad side of a barn. The fossil pokemon let out a half-cry, half-grunt from the impact, feet digging into the ground to help keep it from sliding back any further, and turned to look at Touma who was ready with a prompting "Thunder wave!"
The Rattata didn't have much time to back up before electricity crackled all along its form, sparking at its nerve endings and leaving it paralyzed momentarily. But that moment was all they needed and Touma and Amaura took the opportunity to flee.
Once they'd beat a hasty retreat away from the momentarily paralyzed Rattata, the pair took a brief rest by a smaller pocket of trees some ways away from the beach. The berries above were brightly colored and just out of reach, and as Touma caught his breath he found his eyes drawn to the canopy of fruit up above. Amaura seemed to have the same thought, for in a moment he was shifting, bracing both of his forelegs on the tree trunk and giving it a shake.
Unfortunately, what rained down wasn't a berry or any other kind of fruit; rather, it was something white, and round that made a dull thunk as it hit both trainer and pokemon on the head. Amaura's expression turned sour and he grunted his own name before turning and moving off to chew on some grass nearby, leaving Touma to scoop up both of the white apricorns that had fallen and slip them into his bag. He let Amaura eat for just a bit and then in no time they were starting off down the well-worn trail in the direction of the next town over.
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