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.
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 1, 2020 3:21:18 GMT
word count: 297
Snow. Again. Now personally Elizabeth loved the snow, when one was at home and after playing in the snow until all your extremities were numb you could go inside, dry off, sit by a crackling fire under a fleece throw with a cup of hot cocoa. When one had to travel in it, it wasn't nearly as much fun. As usual Liz had donned her heavy parka, thick denim jeans, snow boots and gloves.
Her pokemon weren't quite as bothered by the cold, save Ayla, the tropius, who simply had a natural weakness to the cold. Be nice if she had Coal with her, the rapidash made for a much better mount in this weather. He was unfortunately still being processed through customs. The tropius however was ready to make the trip at Liz's side. Though the girl had brought Haldor, the steelix, along too, she intended to use the steel snake once they reached the more mountainous parts of the route. True Ayla could likely fly over that part but Liz wasn't fond of the idea of the tropius trying to fight with the wintery weather. The ground was at least warmer than being so high up.
Ena, the flareon, was helping out a bit, acting as a nice heating pad as she rode snuggled against Liz's lap. Raya, the lucario, and Levin, the gallade, were also out walking alongside the ranger. Chani, the scizor, was buzzing overhead keeping a lookout for anything of suspicion. The ranger wasn't too worried about running into anything or anyone in this weather. Who else was as determined to get across the route as they were and be willing to venture into this snow? True she herself was out here but as a ranger it wasn't exactly unusual, if undesirable.
Snow and ice were nothing unusual in Johto, even as far south as Goldenrod. It was the biggest reason why the racing season ran from mid-March to mid-November. If it were warmer, he would be training with Nitro, his Skiddo, but in this kind of weather? No way. Not unless you wanted the star racer you were trying to cultivate to be on the DL the entire season. No, instead he would be training with Twilight, whose white legs and feet blended almost perfectly into the snow. Thankfully much of it had already fallen - the sky was just overcast and a few flakes continued to come down. From a distance, the only way to tell the Dark-type was there was the tall young man in the saddle - bundled up in a late fall jacket that still kept him warm enough, black jeans and shoes that stood out against the white backdrop that was the snow-covered hills, and a matching set of yellow gloves and stocking cap.
Aslan's hot, fluffy mane melted some of the snow around the Absol and rider. The Litleo scanned his sights before bolting down the mountain path toward something. He didn't veer from the road, so it probably wasn't a wild. Maybe just another human. But who would be out here in weather like this? Maybe some fool like him who wouldn't let any kind of weather impede his travels. Saber and Blitz took off after the fire-type, the Electrike quickly overtaking his Shinx friend in a burst of sparks.
The camouflaged Absol watched the three at play, the soft wind enough to blow around his soft head and tail blades. Fire and electric types had seemingly bottomless wells of energy within--part of the reason they were in such huge demand from municipalities. A minute or so later, a juvenile yet still noble-sounding roar echoed from the north. Josh rolled his eyes. "We better see what he's found, Twilight," he said to the stoic-faced Absol, leaning forward and preparing for her run. Her claws gripped the slippery trail like there was no ice there at all, able to make sharp turns without losing her balance. Even with Josh atop her, her run looked graceful, her head and tail blades bobbing up and down with her.
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 1, 2020 4:37:54 GMT
word count: 376
Liz leaned back a bit, the heat given off by the flareon being a tad overwhelming when so close and focused on one spot. Ayla was moving a bit slower than she typically would in better weather though the ranger was unconcerned. As much as she'd like to get out of the snow she wanted Ayla to take the time she needed. Chani went to scout on ahead, the icy weather not bothering the steel bug at all. Raya rested a hand on Ayla's neck and kept her eye on their immediate surroundings. Levin brought up the rear, the gallade watching their backs.
"Where was it this trail leads Lady Elizabeth?" The psychic fighter inquired as he stepped lightly through the fallen snow. The ranger frowned and glanced back at the gallade.
"I'm not exactly sure. I know it leads into East Arciel and cuts through the mountains but I'm not sure what lays beyond those mountains. And Lev, I've told you before, you really don't need to call me lady." The ranger responded with a small shake of her head and shrug. She could probably pull a map up but she wasn't inclined to dig around in her pack for her mobile device and remove her gloves to be able to operate the touch screen. Besides half the fun was not knowing exactly where they were going.
Raya twitched an ear then turned to their right as did Levin. The lucario and gallade both picking up on an unfamiliar presence approaching. Liz indicated to Ayla to stop and turned in the same direction watching curiously. A litleo popped out of the snow and let out a rather strong roar for one his size. Liz blinked then chuckled a little as she let Ena hop down to greet this newcomer. The girl slid off the tropius as well and approached the young lion.
"Well hello there. Now where'd you come from?" The girl wondered aloud as she looked down the way the litleo had come. Ena bounded over to her fellow fire type and yipped happily always eager to make friends. Judging by his well groomed coat Liz surmised the cub wasn't wild, so she expected his trainer would be along after him at any moment.
Aslan took one step back, sweating nervously when he saw the fully-grown Pokémon behind the Flareon. Their combined warmth radiated around them, melting the snow in a small circle there. Good for now, bad long term if the weather stayed below freezing - ice underneath snow was one of the worst travel hazards. Aslan let out an affectionate purr and ran around to Ena's other side. tapping at the Flareon's paw with her own. His eyes shifted toward the fire-type's trainer - a muscled girl who could well be a martial artist. Behind her were some Pokémon that towered over her, including a Tropius.
Once Twilight and Josh had reached the trough of the Route, there was much more flat ground. Not for too long, though - the foothills loomed in the distance. As the two chased after his small Pokémon, several large silhouettes came into view, one in the shape of a very tall Pokémon the trainer could not identify from such a distance. "We need to catch up to Aslan or he could be in big trouble! Faster, Twilight!" With a stoic nod, the white Pokémon entered a swift gallop, kicking up snow behind her and running across the patchy ice like it was nothing. The Absol's blades hardened, ready to defend Josh and his team if need be.
From a few hundred feet out, Josh could identify the silhouette as a Tropius. There were also some smaller Pokémon in front; a Gallade, Lucario, and Scizor. Definitely trained--there was no way he would be finding Pokémon like those either in this weather or in this biome. Now three hundred feet away, Josh breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aslan alongside a Flareon and his Trainer. Twilight relaxed, his head and tail blades softening and swaying in the wind again. Saber and Blitz had caught up, the two of them sweating nervously upon seeing the menagerie of Pokémon that towered over them.
"You just can't run way ahead of me like this, boys!" Josh shouted toward the three as Twilight started skidding on the flat ground below to kill her speed. He sheepishly greeted the Trainer. "Hi! I'm sorry my Pokémon disturbed you. Aslan's a bit..." The tall trainer glanced up at Liz's Pokémon while apologizing, his eyes widening. "...r-r-r-rambunctious..." he stammered. Twilight remained stoic, her gaze fixed on the three small Fire and Electric types crowding around Ena and Liz. "If you can't b-b-behave, you're going back to your Poké B-B-Balls for this trip," he addressed the three Pokémon, all of whom immediately stopped what they were doing and faced Josh. "Unders-s-stand?" Other than a fidgety Electrike, the three obeyed and became still. "So sorry about that!" he addressed the passing Trainer again.
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 1, 2020 18:56:40 GMT
word count: 420
The girl knelt down to offer a hand to the little litleo when the cub was soon joined by an electrike and shinx. "And hello to you too." Liz tilted her head to one side as Ena flopped on her side and rolled in the melted snow batting a paw happily at the lion cub. The ranger had few small pokemon like these now a days but it was always a treat to meet pokemon of all shapes and sizes. Raya had moved to the girl's side, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. Levin though stayed by Ayla's side, giving the group a bit of room.
The group could hear the swift approach of the absol before they saw the snow white canine and their rider appear. Liz rocked back on her heels and looked up at the male astride the disaster pokemon. Absol always were such regal looking pokemon. She gave the stranger a grin and gestured to the three. "Oh hello there. So these are your three then?" She inquired with a small chuckle and shook her head.
"Oh no worries. Aslan did you say? Naw he's adorable. As are your elektrike and shinx." Liz gave Josh a broad grin as she stood and brushed some snow off her pants. She gently shooed Raya off who was eyeing the stranger and absol warily.
Chani had doubled back and was returning just as the others pulled up. The scizor wasn't quite as reserved when it came to strangers as the lucario. Almost immediately the red insect darted between Josh and Liz and raised her pincors threateningly. "Scizor!"
Liz rolled her eyes and reached up to smack the steel bug upside the head. Chani scowled and flitted into the air turning to face her. The ranger raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Seriously Chani, not everyone we run into'll be a threat. Relax."
Chani grumbled as she landed back on the ground behind Liz now but still gave Josh the evil eye. Raya smirked a little as Levin facepalmed behind them and Ayla shook her head. Ena however had hopped up and darted over to Twilight to cautiously sniff the absol and greet Josh with a cheery smile. The ranger gestured to Ena and looked at the rest. "See? Now that's how you properly greet strangers on the road okay guys?"
The girl laughed and approached the boy with an extended hand. "And I'm sorry about mine, they can be a little overprotective. I'm Elizabeth, or just Liz, by the way."
Aslan started sniffing Liz's hand when it was offered, his smile growing when it became apparent they weren't hostile. Saber ran two circles around her as well before returning to Josh's side as commanded, followed by the Shinx. Aslan was hesitant, continuing to sniff Liz. "Now, please," Josh said, scowling. Once the small fire-type started walking back toward him, he addressed the traveling trainer once more. "He's like that five year old kid that answers every question with the word 'why'. I'm sure he'll learn when he grows up. Anyway, I'm--"
Suddenly, Josh found an angry Scizor standing in between him and Liz, Twilight's stoic expression fading to a return of the anger. Her blade straightened out and gleamed in the light. He felt his mount flex backward, ready to leap at the plated insect at any moment. She stood back up when the traveler chided her Scizor's defensive stance, her face again showing no emotion.
"As I was saying, I'm Josh. Josh Devlin." He gestured toward his other three Pokémon at his side. "Saber, Blitz, Aslan," he introduced his Electrike, Shinx, and Litleo. "Are you going to or from Birch? If you're headed away from Birch, why not go together? This is my first time in Arciel and I'm not familiar with the territory." Twilight's gaze followed Liz but she otherwise remained silent. "Oh, this is Twilight," Josh continued, patting the white Pokémon gently on the head. "She tends to keep to herself, though."
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 2, 2020 0:16:28 GMT
word count: 520
Liz grinned down at the two electric types and the fire type. They were well trained to listen so readily to Josh and she nodded approvingly. The girl chuckled at his description of the litleo, yea that pretty much sounded like most felines, the curiosity was insatiable, always gotta stick their nose in something. Ena pranced over to the electric canine and two felines. Though she might be vulpine she was just as nosy as a cat and as wriggly as a pup. The flareon rarely shied away from anything and was always tickled to make new friends.
Liz could feel Chani still glowering at Josh and she rolled her eyes. "Okay if you're not going to relax out here why don't you do so in your pokeball." The girl shook her head as she recalled the scizor. Chani was always a bit on edge and not exactly a 'people pokemon'. The ranger sighed and dipped her head in greeting to Josh.
"Nice to meet you Josh, Saber, Blitz, Aslan." Her gaze flicked towards the absol, "Twilight. The grumpy bug was Chani, and the friendly one there's Ena. This is Raya here and that's Ayla and..."
Levin stepped forward and bent at the waist bowing low to Josh. "Levin, good sir at your service. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The gallade greeted with his telepathic voice. Liz sighed and crossed her arms. "Not showing off now are we?" She inquired with a raised brow.
The gallade blinked at her and a look of sudden concern flashed over his features. "I do apologize my lady, did I overstep?" The girl chuckled and gently waved him off. "No, of course not Lev, you're a perfect gentleman."
Their greetings however were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a small, scrappy looking Hitmonchan. The ranger paused and watched the boxer approach with caution. He seemed rather confused as though he could be lost. "Oh hey a hitmonchan, a bit smaller than most I've seen." She wondered aloud as she took a step toward him. Defensively the hitmonchan raised his fists in front of him, uncertain as to the human's intentions.
"Oh hey there Hitmonchan, it's okay. You alright buddy?" The brunette inquired with a gentle tone. The ranger had never actually trained a hitmonchan or any of their line. While back home as a trainer she'd been intent on filling her pokedex, here in Acriel as a ranger it didn't seem as necessary. Still it couldn't hurt to keep trying to fill the pokedex would it? And this little hitmonchan looked like he could use a home.
The boxer continued to regard the girl with uncertainty but allowed her to approach. It was possible the little fighter didn't feel fear from the humans, either out of bravery or naivety. Liz was beginning to sense it was the latter. She dipped her head and pulled a pokeball from her pocket. "Say it's kind of cold out here Hitmonchan but nice and warm in the pokeball. You could come with us if you liked." The ranger inquired as she offered the ball to the boxer.
Josh's tension dropped noticeably once Chani had been recalled into her Poké Ball. He feared that might happen to one of his Pokémon when they grow up. He took the other two Poké Balls off his belt, containing a Skiddo and Chinchou. and showed them to Elizabeth. "Nitro and Illumina, but it's a bit too cold for them." Both of them were snoozing the early afternoon away. Not surprising - the cold and wind was quite hostile to both of them. Well maybe not so much the cold as Chinchou were deep sea divers, but certainly the Skiddo.
After a few hundred feet further east, a noble voice echoed in Josh's head, his hair standing on end. "What was that?!" he cried, flinching. Seeing Liz cross her arms and chide the Gallade for "showing off", as she called it, it clicked in his mind. "Oh, that's right. Gallade are psychic, aren't they? I've never raised a Psychic-type before. Espeon is one I'd want to try raising, but one big enough for me to race would cost over half a million Pen back home. Way out of my price range."
As Liz's team was distracted by a dwarf Hitmonchan, Josh's three Pokémon caught sight of prey of their own: a Petilil's leaves were swaying in the wind. Well, the tops of them anyway - there was a layer of snow on top of its main body. What in the world were Petilil doing out here this time of year? It didn't matter - the wild would make good sparring practice anyway.
Aslan took point, the electric-types keeping back. This was his battle. He let out another one of his proud roars to goad the Petilil into combat, though the roar was more cute than intimidating. Romping through the snow, the Pokémon's red mane flared up, a pile of meltwater marking the path of his full-speed Tackle that overran the grass-type. As the young cat turned around for a second charge, the wild's roots pierced the surface, entangling them around Aslan's legs. Trapped with nowhere to run, he had little choice. Inhaling deeply, the fire-type spewed a barrage of Embers toward the wild's roots. The flames raced up its roots and onto the Pokémon's main body, forcing it to retreat back into hibernation or risk its leaves burning up completely.
By the time Aslan finished his quick battle, Liz was already far ahead of them. Josh recalled his three Pokémon and had Twilight pick up the pace, running to catch back up with his traveling partner.
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 3, 2020 4:11:53 GMT
word count: 274
The ranger sighed and shrugged as the hitmonchan fled. "Oh well can't be helped." The girl murmured before turning her attention back to Josh. "Oh sorry about that, got a bit distracted." She nodded back at the petilil behind them. "Nice work there."
The ranger nodded at the mention of espeon. She had one of her own but nothing big enough to ride. "I've always enjoyed having psychics around, especially when traveling alone. They make for great company and really make you think. There's so much more to pokemon than a lot of people realize. Sure people tend to understand they're sentient, like most animals, but few realize that so many of them have sapience as well."
Levin exchanged looks with Raya who smirked a little. Liz sighed then added. "But that's a rather touchy subject that's probably better left alone for now." She gestured eastward up the route leading away from Birch. "Right so you've not been down this way either then?" The girl nodded. "Seems reasonable to stick together if we're both going the same way. I'm not originally from Arciel either."
The ranger explained so they at least had that in common. Of course the next obvious question was, "So then where is home for you Josh?" She inquired as Ena darted back and forth between the humans attempting to weave through their legs. Liz seemed oblivious to this behavior apparently accustomed to it and instinctively maneuvering to avoid the rambunctious flareon. It wasn't all that surprising though when one had raised the fire type from a hatchling. The girl obviously had a very casual and familial relationship with her pokemon.
"Thanks," Josh quickly replied once the Absol had caught up and they were within speaking distance again. The snow had stopped, but now it was getting very cold. Aslan needed a rest; he planned on allowing the Fire-type as much of a rest as his body would tolerate. "I've heard other people say similar things about psychic Pokémon," he added, resting his chin on his free hand. That was one deep statement Liz had made. "I've heard most of them are smarter than even humans are." When his traveling partner said she wanted to change the subject, he snapped out of it, put his free hand back on his mount, and continued eastward.
The terrain was still flat with a slight upward grade for a while. If they needed to come back, it would be the perfect spot for a Pokémon drag race. In this cold, though, that was asking for trouble. Spring could not get here fast enough. "I actually...just got here a couple of days ago," Josh slowly admitted. "This is my first time in Arciel's wilderness, and I already like it. Traveled a lot of western Johto as a kid; Goldenrod is where I was born and raised. It's the biggest city in the region, at over 250,000. Big enough where there's a lot to do, but not overwhelming like Saffron is."
Twilight's blank stare changed to a scowl as the much smaller Flareon weaved among the white Pokémon's legs as well as her own trainer's. It only took a few seconds after her blades hardened for Josh to direct the Absol away from the playful Flareon with a mild tug. "Don't mind Twilight. She takes everything way too seriously," Josh explained, nearly cutting himself on his Absol's horn when trying to sense if she had calmed down. "About the only time she seems to have fun is when she's racing."
Josh hadn't considered the popularity of races in Arciel. "Oh right, I didn't mention. I'm a semi-professional Pokémon racer. It's a big thing in Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn. Probably has picked up elsewhere by now, too." He tugged right, the Absol quick to resume walking alongside Liz. He located his phone and showed some pictures of past races, including his only season win last year at the "Snake Road" course built around and inside of Ecruteak City.
"Thirty of us at a time dash around a course filled with turns, tricks, and traps in an effort to cross the finish line first. It's why overly large Pokémon are worth a small fortune back home. I enjoy it a lot more than taking on the Gym challenge - your Pokémon train you as much as you train them. In a League battle, you as a trainer take on a passive role. As a racer, you're in a much more active role. I just take on the League challenge in the off-season. Mid-March can't get here fast enough!" He became lost in thought, daydreaming about the day he would qualify for Indigo's prestigious, fearsome, and overly long championship track. A single lap there was just over 8 miles!
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 3, 2020 16:06:00 GMT
word count: 647
Ena whined at Twilight not sure why the absol didn't want to play! Liz stifled a chuckle and reached down to pick the smallish flareon up. "You bored girl hmm?" The ranger inquired as she settled in on Ayla's back. She pulled her parka a bit closer and stroked the flareon, glad of her warmth in this cold. The ranger listened to Josh's go on about his passion and chuckled.
"Yea I've heard a bit about pokemon racing but it never quite took off back home. Seems like you're pretty good at it. I've been in Arciel a little while now but this is the first time I've really gotten to explore much." She explained but didn't go into too much detail. The ranger grinned a little to herself.
"Ya know for a minute there I fancied myself a bit of a racer. When I was a kid, I would ride my father's rapidash full tilt across the back fields. It's really something else, flying along with the wind in your hair, fully dependant upon the pokemon beneath you. For a time you and they are like one being. I've really never felt closer to my pokemon than when we were riding together."
The brunette reached down and patted Ayla's neck. "But as great as racing is, my true passion is flying. When the whole world just falls away and you and your pokemon are alone high above it all with nothing and nobody in the way to stop you... to me that's what true freedom feels like." Liz looked a million miles away then coughed and chuckled.
"But anyway, Johto huh? My home was in a region you've probably never heard of. An out of the way place, rather secluded with their own problems." She sighed and shook her head. "Not that it matters anymore, Arciel is our home now so we might as well do our best to explore it and protect it." She concluded with a grin looking forward. "It's kind of exciting, not knowing where this road leads."
Just then a throh appeared in the middle of the route forcing them to stop. He motioned from Levin to himself then flexed and raised his fist. Liz raised a brow and glanced at the gallade. "Looks like someone wants a battle, you willing to oblige?" The trainer's soft mental voice inquired of the psychic fighter who dipped his head in the affirmative. From an outside observer this simply appeared as though Liz was looking contemplatively at the gallade.
"It would be my honor my lady. I shall do you proud." The psychic's mental voice was much stronger however than the girl's thus could be heard by any of those present, save perhaps any unwilling dark types. Levin stepped forward and bowed from the waist to the throh. Meanwhile Liz noticed Josh had been approached by a rather lovely young woman. The ranger couldn't help but wonder what she was doing out here.
As her attention returned to the gallade she caught sight of the throh lunging for Levin intending to throw the gallade. However the psychic fighter was quicker and avoided the attack only to immediately respond with a fierce slash of psycho cut. This launched the throh to the snowy ground leaving him with stars in his eyes. The ranger blinked and stared at Levin. "What already?" She inquired a little incredulously still with her mental voice, though it was a bit more pronounced, well enough that anyone open to it could overhear.
The gallade simply inclined his head. "As you would suspect, Psycho Cut performed quite admirably." The psychic fighter responded while patching himself up with a bit of life dew. Liz sighed but smirked.
"You guys tend to make this traveling thing a little too easy." She chided then looked back to see what had become of Josh and the beauty.
Josh's interest in Liz's history grew as she recounted a story of racing a brilliant Rapidash across miles of fields. "I know that feeling all too well. That feeling, and that you and your Pokémon truly work as an active team rather than coach and player, are what drew me to races." Her story shifted to a tale about flight. "Back in my homeland, during my Gym challenge there, I tried raising a Dragonair for that purpose. She was a wild one, but when we finally started resonating and becoming one with each other, flying on her was amazing. I'd love to find another one here and experience that again. That's a long ways away, though, and there are very few race-worthy Flying-types out and about in this season. Any hopes of flight will have to wait until after the seasons change, I think. You know how fun it would be flying on, say, a Skarmory? They're so fast!"
Josh was about to ask the name of the region when a wealthy-looking lady suddenly approached him and challenged him to a Trainer battle. This would be the perfect opportunity to see what Arciel's local trainers were like. He pulled back on Twilight, the Absol coming to a stop with enough room for the travelers' Pokémon to do battle. Agreeing to a single duel, the two simultaneously released their Pokémon on a count of three: Blitz for Josh's side, and a Skitty for the female. Typical.
Wait, a Skitty?! Josh was a quick study in school, and had aced biology every single year. Combined with his trainer studies, he knew a lot about Pokémon, both in terms of racing and battle capabilities. Typically, a Skitty's tactics in battle involved making its foes docile, as long as they were of the opposite sex. And his Pokémon was. The two stared each other down, the rash Electric-type being the first to move. Sparks flew from his paws in a high-speed ramming attack. The Skitty looked one way then counter-charged in the other, faking the Shinx out and sending him reeling backward.
Shaking his head after his slide back, Blitz's paws discharged sparks a second time, this time his ramming trajectory true. It was as the Shinx sat down and stared at the Skitty with his mouth wide open, Josh came to the realization that his opponent had ordered the Skitty make no effort to evade the tackle! His Pokémon inebriated in romance, the Normal-type gracefully and adorably stepped next to Blitz and slapped him with her large tail. Seeing a big bruise on his Pokémon's cheek, Josh yielded, a look of frustration on his face. "I was completely helpless against her," he explained to Liz, recalling a badly injured Blitz as the two finished their battles.
Elizabeth Waters {WC: 470} {PC: 6} {Blitz: 13/123; EP 4} {Josh: 42/42}
Last Edit: Jan 3, 2020 17:30:22 GMT by Josh Devlin
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 4, 2020 17:21:15 GMT
word count: 297
The girl gave Josh a reassuring smile. "You'll get them next time. Skitty are adorable but tricky little things." She chuckled reminded of her own felines. The ranger frowned when she felt something wet drip onto her cheek. Liz glanced upward and sighed as she realized it was starting to rain.
"Well this doesn't bode well. Do you want to move into the trees until this passes?" She inquired of her traveling companion. Ayla didn't mind the rain a bit and even looked a little happier about it. Of course Ena whined and pressed closer to Liz trying to escape the water. The ranger pulled her hood back up and leaned over the flareon a little to help shield her from the drizzle.
She noted a spot that looked like it would provide adequate cover. However it seemed some other pokemon who also didn't care for the rain had taken shelter there too. The ranger raised a brow and pulled up the pokedex to check for the lupine's data. "Oh a Lycanrock, how cool. Another alolan native species." The girl murmured. She still hadn't seen or captured many of the alolan pokemon and was always eager to see more.
The lycanrock however seemed adamant about not leaving his shelter. Liz slid off Ayla's back and tucked Ena more into her jacket to help the flareon escape the rain. Ena was on the smallish side but she wasn't that small so she left a rather large bulge in the parka plus her head stuck out the top. Still it was drier than outside. The ranger didn't really care it if made her look a bit ridiculous.
The lupine growled as they approached though Raya and Levin both stood guard beside their trainer eyeing the rock type warily. Liz didn't signal for them to attack however and extended a hand toward Lycanrock. "Hey buddy, we don't want to make you leave or fight, we'd just like to share your shelter. Would that be okay?" The ranger inquired stepping a little closer. The lupine looked wary likely not thrilled with the idea. Liz motioned to Ena hoping to garner some sympathy from the rock wolf.
"See, Ena here doesn't like the rain either. We won't be any bother to you and we'll just stay over here okay?" The girl stated shifting her stance and moving to the edge of the shelter but still giving Lycanrock his space. The lupine had stopped growling but was still watching her suspiciously. Ayla moved in a little closer behind the girl, though remained at the edge of the treeline enjoying the chilly rain.
Ena made the parka very hot but Liz allowed her to stay snuggled in and keeping them both pretty dry. Lycanrock continued to watch as Liz stroked the flareon. "Weather around here's been pretty crazy huh? You got the snow and ice and now some rain which'll probably freeze here soon. Noto the most pleasant conditions to travel in."
Liz was mostly talking to the lupine and glanced over to him with a friendly smile. Lycanrock didn't seem to be familiar with small talk but he twitched an ear toward her showing he was listening. The ranger watched Josh who'd encountered an Alcremie, another pokemon she looked up on the 'dex. These galarian types were interesting to be sure, but her interest lied more in the midday wolf. "Hungry Lycanrock? I've some pokemon food here if you'd like."
The ranger offered and poured a bit on the ground for the lupine if he wanted. Still wary the lycanrock inched closer and began eating. After a time the lupine seemed a bit more relaxed. Liz tilted her head to one side and looked at him again. "Like that? I've more pokemon food back home, if you wanted you could come with us. Get out of this rain for a bit and have more food whenever you wanted. If you like battling and getting stronger we can do that too. You seem pretty strong right now but one can always improve." The girl rolled a great ball towards the rock wolf and watched curious if he'd accept or not.
Elizabeth had led the way to a shelter, and not a moment too soon - it had started to rain. And freezing rain at that too. "I'm not opposed. Freezing rain is no fun," Josh answered. "Twilight here can run on ice with no trouble, but I'm unsure how your Pokémon can handle it." The Absol didn't even flinch at the mention of her name. "Come on, girl, it wouldn't hurt for you to smile once in a while!" The only response Josh got was a growl. He dismounted after Twilight had taken him just outside the shelter but keeping the white Pokémon outside her Ball to allow her to roam a little.
There was a strange, cream-bodied Pokémon oozing its way around the shelter as well. He pointed his Pokédex at it, identifying the specimen as an Alcremie. He had never heard of it - must have been a species recently discovered. As long as it didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother it. Not in this rain.
After settling in, Josh noticed Liz conversing with a canine Pokémon he had seen before in a race not too long before traveling to Arciel. Lycanroc were hard to breed to proper size, but when successful, they were powerful on the track. They could maintain high speed for a long time, but they did not take to contact of any kind well. If a rider hit any sort of course hazard more than once while racing one, it would probably eliminate the two from the competition.
The natural shelter was surprisingly spacious - he might even be able to let some of his team sleep outside their Poké Balls for a change. "Liz, I think we should wait this rain out. How good is your team at dealing with ice? Twilight here is great at running across ice, but can probably carry only me."
Post by Elizabeth Waters on Jan 13, 2020 23:43:14 GMT
word count: 348
Whelp, guess the lycanrock wasn't feeling it as the lupine suddenly darted away leaving the great ball behind. The ranger sighed, as she bent down to pick up the ball. "Well so much for Lycanrock, though I'm sure we'll find another."
She stretched as they waited a bit for the weather to pass and glanced at Josh. She smirked at the sour absol, her own wasn't quite as standoffish, but it wasn't a surprising trait for that particular species. The ranger looked at Ayla who wasn't at all happy about the freezing rain. "Yea think it's time for you to take a break now girl. We'll let Haldor handle things from here, seems like we're about ready to head into those rough hills and forest now."
Liz nodded to Josh as she recalled the tropius. "Oh yea, we always come prepared. As a ranger it's pretty important to be ready for anything." The girl explained as she pulled another ball from her hip and tossed it out onto the route.
From it spilled the rather large form of Haldor. The steelix stretched to his full height then gave a roar before lowering his head down to meet Liz's gaze. "All set Haldor? You don't care about all this ice do ya?" The steelix grumbled as the ranger rubbed a hand across his smooth steel.
The girl looked back to the young racer and motioned toward the rising treeline. "Looks like the end of the route leads into those trees. Any idea what forest that is?" She inquired, taking note that the rain had stopped, for now. The sky was still overcast and threatening to start up again at any moment.
Her team remaining teammates had already moved to climb aboard the steelix so they could head for the trees in a timely fashion, just in case the weather did in fact start up again. The ice and snow wasn't a big deal for the steel jackal or fiery fox, and even the psychic fighter didn't mind it much, but still traveling in it wasn't the most pleasurable experience.
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