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.
Just as Naoki had guessed, Gabe dealt with Fire-types the most. That would explain why he hadn't been frightened by the giant fire-bug-thing and more like "COME AT ME", though that could have been chalked up to something else...not that Naoki would ever think something like that about an acquaintance, that would be rude. They felt a small head nudging their ankle and without even looking bent to pick Kashi back up, holding her this time in their arms rather than setting her on their head. She let out a squeak.
Hah, I think it's really nice to have an aesthetic for your team. She is lovely, too. I hope she does well in your party! Naoki looked down at Kashi, then up at Onsei, trying to figure out a common theme between the two of them. Small wasn't right, not with Onsei's size. "Cute" fit Kashi and, yes, they thought Onsei was cute as well but he was a bit of an acquired taste. They were both on the "strange" side of Pokemon appearances, too. I'm too early in the actually "catching" part of Pokemon to really have my own....I'm not sure what I'd call my "type".. Grass is easier to have on my farm, since they can help with plant growth, but Onsei has been with me for almost a decade. I guess I just have eclectic taste? Onsei gave his trainer a small beeped "scoff" again.
That message was not, in fact, shared with Naoki. And yet they just felt an urge to stare up at their Elgyem judgmentally. Like some sort of sixth sense of their own, for when their starter was being a snarky little punk behind their back. Or above their head.
A Charmeleon! How exciting! Are they as strong as they say? Naoki's smile grew a little more, excitement bleeding into their features. From the name they assumed she was a girl. That was rare for a Charmander, right? Did you get her from Kanto, or was she born up here? I've seen a lot of the Chimchar line, growing up in Sinnoh, but not a lot of Charmander...they look so sweet, though, when they're little...but I guess you could say that about a lot of younger Pokemon, couldn't you? Fennekin are absolutely adorable--ah, not that you're not still very impressive, Ms Delphox!
Gabe grinned. He was sure this new Delphox would fit right in amongst his hot mess of Fire Pokemon. Either that or he would have a fiery explosion on his hand, and even that wasn’t too terrible. As Naoki seemed to think over what their Pokemon were, though, Gabe felt the corner of his mouth quirk. The Cute Type— W-wow a decade? Gabe found his eyes growing a tad as he registered that. Wait how old was Naoki?
Merli rolled her eyes at Onsei’s assurance that he was the favorite. 'Lucky you' was the answer. She knew well enough she wasn’t the favorite of Gabe’s party, but her Fire did bring some special acknowledgements. She almost felt bad for the other Pokemon he had sans Clopper who seemed to have wormed her way in as a much-needed non-hostile Grass companion. But speaking of Gabe’s favorite Fire Type.
‘She’s incredibly strong!’ Gabe answered, his eyes a light with something almost manic in nature. He loved talking about Lizbeth, and it was entirely too obvious then. ‘I got here in Birch City actually… She’s been at my side for almost five years now.’ Gabe had never actually been to Kanto, but he found their starters, all of them, were appealing. ‘I knew that I wanted a Charmander from the lab, though!’ Never mind that he had showed up out of the blue leaving the professor to scramble for a starter, heh.
Oh they’re from Sinnoh hm… That stray thought would be folded up in the back of Gabe’s mind for later. Back on how cute and perfect Lizbeth was! Oh—
Oh, Merli was staring at him with her arms folded and a soft ridiculing look in her eyes. Her gaze flicked to Naoki right after and she managed a foxy smile. ‘Thank you, Naoki,’ was all that they would receive in response.
Gabe smirked a little. 'Ah... back on Fire types... I was actually considering climbing the Grumble Volcano....' That was before Clopper got spooked and took off running, though.
Ahahahah, wow, he was suddenly so much more animated when he got to talking about his starter. That was so sweet. Naoki audibly chuckled, soft and a little lower, perhaps, than the "voice" in their thoughts. I got Onsei in Birch as well. I was looking especially for a naturally telepathic Pokemon, and had sent out a few emails to professors asking for them. I thought about going to Kalos for a Fenneken, but, well, the word got to us about an Elgyem in Arciel and I thought he was more than worth the trip. Naoki's gaze softened as they watched Onsei continue to drift over their heads. Onsei caught this look and looked away. His skin didn't really allow for a blush to show through, buuut...
What made you want a Charmander in the first place, if you don't mind my asking?
Naoki looked behind themselves towards the towering silhouette of the volcano. There was no snow falling right now, so no strange black flecks were falling from the sky from its direction, but it still loomed large and powerful like a sleeping giant. With your team I'm sure you'd be fine. If you Gogoat has calmed down, of course. Actually. Naoki held up a finger, then pointed it to their pack. I'm going into Ash to sell the berries from my farm. I have a few that may help you, if you'd like some? Aguav berries are excellent sources of energy, especially for larger Pokemon. They've very bitter though.
Without even needing to look to see where the pouches of their pack were, Naoki reached behind their head and undid one, pulling out a plump green and yellow berry. Its skin was clean and shiny and it was soft to the touch, but not too soft. I grow a lot of them in winter, since they don't need very much sunlight. If you'd like a couple, I'm more than happy to give you a few so your Pokemon will be safe on your journey. They smiled softly, and also held out the berry for Merli to look at if she desired. No charge.
Oh? Naoki had come all this way for Elgyem? Huh, Gabe guessed other regions did tend to have standard Pokemon they handed out instead of seemingly every possible Pokemon under the sun as the Birch City lab did, heh. He was lucky to already have been there in that sense, heh. The question, though, earned a soft, warm grin. He’d been about to answer when Merli interjected of her own accord.
‘He’s a fan of lizards. Don’t ask me why.’ A pause. ‘Lizards and Fire.’ Gabe grinned a little at her at that. The Delphox rolled her eyes softly and smiled.
‘It’s…. I always wanted to be a Fire trainer and…. Charmander were the cutest of all Fire Pokemon…’ Gabe chuckled a little at that as some color came to his features. He still remembered Lizbeth’s bright smile and very round eyes and…..Eheheheheh. She was so cute. Even now in her Charmeleon form, despite her own worries, he found her to be absolutely adorable.
Hmm?? Berries? Gabe looked from Naoki to the volcano and back again. Well, he supposed that would actually be a good thing to have depending. Pokemon could hold onto berries very easily, after all. The green and yellow berry that was produced had his eyebrow raising. They were… very strange looking, not your typical store-bought berries, probably….? And Gabe, Gabe could not refuse the chance for free stuff. His eyes flashed between Naoki and Merli waiting to see how the latter took it.
Merli looked a little more cautiously at the berry before slowly taking it into her hands and sniffing it carefully before taking a small bite. Hm. It was…. by far not her favorite taste (that went to dry flavors), but it was alright. ‘Thank you…. It’s not bad….’ she smiled a little.
Gabe continued to be so warm--if one could excuse such a pun--while talking about this Charmander that he adored so much. Well, Charmeleon, but the point still stood. Even with his Delphox poking fun at it his joy didn't fade at all. Naoki couldn't help but smile at it. That sort of love for one's Pokemon was so good, so sweet...it was contagious. And it made them forget for a moment that Gabe could hear their thoughts just long enough for them to slip up. He calls her cute, but he's also so cute when he smiles...
...oh, whoops, um, Naoki's pale skin darkened just a touch, and their smile turned sheepish. Was that out loud? Or, uh, I guess it wasn't "out loud" but you...heard that. Sorry. Just. Making a passing observation. I guess this is why a mental filter is needed.
Naoki coughed, rubbing at their cheek with their palm and hoping that didn't bother him too much. Onsei let out another long beeping sound. It was probably an amused sigh.
H-U-M-A-N-S. O-I.
The berry was plucked out of their hand and Naoki nodded, and with their hands free they began to properly remove their pack from their back and set it in front of themselves. Most of the pockets of the satchel were lined specifically for keeping the fruit and berries inside them fresh, with only the inner-most meant for holding things like travel clothes or money, and the smaller ones on the side meant for pokeballs and other quickly-needed items like potions. Not that Naoki really used them when they had berries. The pocket with the Aguav berries was sill opened so they just had to draw a few more out. They handed three to Gabe, held in a little wicker box.
Here are the Aguav berries. I have a couple more that may interest you as well, Naoki unzipped another pocket and drew a pair of different berries from inside--they were kept apart inside by a cardboard divider. One was simple and round, not unlike the Aguav but without its yellow stripes, and the other was, uh, interesting. Like somebody had turned a Carvanha into a small, round, green and yellow berry. This one is a Weapear berry, and this one is a Rabuta berry. Wild Pokemon really like them, and might even be convinced to stay in a fight or even join you without a battle if you offer them one.
If you're going to capture more Pokemon near the volcano, these sound perfect, right?
Color immediately touched Gabe’s cheeks as Naoki’s thoughts hit him. Oh hah…. A hand reached up to cover his mouth only for it to drop at the last second and a smile be forced there instead. ‘Heh…. Ah…. Well… thank you….’ he chuckled. ‘It’s nice to be called cute either way.’
Merli immediately rolled her eyes at both humans. And here he was harassing her about a small crush on the other Delphox. Unbelievable. If she was any less of a calm and good-natured soul, she would assuredly be calling him out on it. Actually, hmph. She’d lean forwad just a little to catch a sideways glance at him right then anyways. Gabe immediately forced a harder smile still, though, and she found herself rolling her eyes again instead. Whatever. At least this berry wasn’t bad, sort of an acquired taste, actually.
Gabe could not help but be a little curious of the berry bag Naoki was now going through. It wasn’t all that different from bags he had seen before, but he couldn’t help the vague interest in the seemingly endless amount of pockets that were there. He took the berries as they were handed to him— basket and all. The smell of them was stronger now, and he was aware of what they’d probably taste like over a fire, even. Ah, he was hungry already, heh.
As more berries were named and described, a curious look came to Gabe’s features. Huh, that was interesting… very interesting, actually. ‘That would be useful, yeah…’ Maybe it would have even kept a certain Sceptile from escaping his collection. Ah well, he wasn’t a Grass type trainer or anything. ‘What do you think, Merli?’ Merli let out a slow hum. Those berries smelled awfully sweet, and she really wasn’t about that, but maybe they would attract other Pokemon, perhaps. She shrugged after the fact, and Gabe snorted a little. ‘I can pay for a few, you know…’ Taking without outright stealing was weird to him right then.
Did I make things awkward? I made things--oh, he can still hear me, can't he. Um.
Sorry. I don't know how to think quieter.
You're welcome??
Naoki wondered how quiet they could think. How "quiet" was "quiet"?? They were already thinking in a non-verbal way to begin with, they didn't know how to think any quieter than that! This was actually kind of philosophical when they thought about it. Which they really wished they weren't. Onsei hovered so that they were right above Naoki and placed both of his weird little hands on either side of their head, which caused them to look up at him in faint bemusement. What was he doing? He wasn't a Dark-type who could block out thoughts, and until he evolved it wasn't like he could be a direct translator. Maybe he was just trying in vain to do that now. Or wanted to look like a hat.
Either way, it distracted Naoki from their circling thoughts, so maybe it worked.
S-T-O-P I-T, Y-O-U A-R-E G-I-V-I-N-G M-E A H-E-A-D-A-C-H-E.
Right. Sorry.
At Gabe's accepting, Naoki gestured for the small basket and added to it multiples of the strange little berries and a few of the larger ones as well. It was nearly full to the brim now, which made them feel pretty good all things considered. Gabe's offer to actually pay for the berries made them smile again, and they held their hand out palm-up. If you insist on paying then I'll accept, but I don't mind giving them away, especially to trainers I know will use them well! I would accept a trade, too, if money is tight. Are there any strange berries you've found? I don't need one for every berry given, of course, but even just a couple new berries means I can grow them on my farm--and maybe even grow a new cross-breed from it! Naoki's eyes sparkled over their smile. Which is cool!
Hm, any strange berries he had found? Well, there were some that he had obtained in other ways, actually. Gabe shifted the bag that he was inexplicably carrying and set it down. It was not nearly as neatly organized as Naoki’s, and there was some pen and other things scattered about, but what he reached for and pulled out was indeed a berry.
The berry very much looked like corn the fruit- er vegetable?— er grain?? Whatever the not!berry corn would be. However, it was much smaller than regular corn and was very very purple. ‘I have a few of these, but none of my Pokemon like them,’ Gabe smirked a little at that. Merli huffed softly and turned her nose up in minor disgust. ‘Have you seen anything like this?’ Gabe grinned. Also in the bag if Naoki happened to look down in it was another strange berry of sorts. It kind of had the shape of a gourd, but again it was far too small to be, with yellow and orange spotting.
The first berry Gabe pulled out looked...nothing like a berry, but more like a different plant that was a bit more recognizable. All the same Naoki knew it even if they hadn't seen one in person since Floraroma Town. They held out their hand to take the cornn berry and looked it over. It was a healthy purple color and its leafs were nice and green. This would be a pretty good addition to their farm! I do recognize it--it's a Cornn berry! With two "n's". I'm not surprised that none of your Pokemon like these. They have a rather dry flavor, but also weirdly sweet. Kind of an acquired taste in my opinion. Wild Pokemon like them though, so if you have more of them than this, keep that in mind.
The next berry looked even less like a berry than the first--in fact, it looked more like an apple that had been eaten all around and only the center was left. And yet, it was, indeed, a berry in its own right. This one they took and squinted at. This is a Figy berry, I think. What an odd shape. Veryspicy if I remember correctly. But I heard they're very good in curry and poffins. Hm, thinking of it makes me wish I was better at cooking. They met Gabe's gaze with the same bright smile as before. If you're sure you don't mind, I will happily trade these for my own berries.
Maybe I'll even grow more of them! If you'd want to buy or trade for those or other berries in the future, my farm is in Fuji Town, or I come to Ash City every other weekend to sell them. That's when they're freshest. It felt a bit silly advertising their farm like this; they usually left that part of things to the shopkeepers, but this was still rather nice.
As Naoki recognized and assessed the berry, Gabe found a small tinge of pride coming to him. So he had been right in that one assessment of them back in Cherry Town. Good good. That same pride came again when the second berry was addressed. That one he had been a little more sure of for various reasons, but confirmation from a full time farmer was still appreciated. A small nod was given at the mention of spiciness. He knew a certain someone was all over them for that reason.
‘Sounds good,’ Gabe answered as the trade deal was sealed. Maybe if some of his Pokemon liked the berries Naoki had, he’d grow them up as well. Maybe crossbred plants would show up even more quickly this way… As Naoki went on, though, Gabe blinked a couple of times before grinning. ‘I’ll have to remember that. I’m currently exploring East Arciel so maybe I’ll stop in Fuji Town.’ That might be nice break after pushing through the Grumble Mountain and finally obtaining his Fire Type trove. Maybe he’d like it just as much as Cherry. Or Bass, of course, yes Bass. ‘Ah…. I should probably get going actually….’ He realized ‘aloud’ as his thoughts went to the volcano again.
If it's your first time exploring East Arciel,I recommend checking out the Moonrise Ruins as well. It's not nearly as interesting as the volcano may be for you, but it's beautiful, especially when the pools are frozen. I think it's worth even a short look-around.
Naoki slid the Cornn berry and Figy berry into another pocket of their satchel, then was sure to zip up the whole thing so nothing rolled free when they hefted the pack back onto their shoulders. They gave another smile to Gabe as he looked up at the ever smoking tower of Grumble Volcano, then a small bow forward. It was very nice meeting you, and very exciting to meet a psychic. I hope our paths cross again in the future. They looked up at Onsei who was still perching on their head. Maybe by then he'll have evolved and can speak "properly", right Onsei? Wouldn't that be amazing?
Onsei beeped dismissively. I S-P-E-A-K J-U-S-T F-I-N-E A-S I-S, H-U-M-A-N.
Naoki exhaled softly and shook their head. If you say so. Best of luck to you, Gabe.
And with that, they began to walk back towards Ash, in the opposite direction as him.
Moonrise Ruins… Gabe had heard of them but not much about them in general. A small nod was given anyways. ‘I’ll look into them’ was the answer given. Gabe smirked a little as Naoki spoke. It was only then that he realized what had been booming in his head to start with had settled into something… actually normal to him. In just the course of their conversation, he’d adapted. That was…. good to know. It probably didn’t apply to a lot of things… but for a single individual, at least, he could tolerate it. ‘Until then, then….’ he smiled waving off Naoki and Onsei and heading onwards again. Up towards the volcano he would go.
Your thread has been locked. Because it was 3 pages on a journey, you each receive 200 pen, 9 Rare Candies, a Dusk Ball, a Quick Ball, and a Great Ball.