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.
Silas studied the Pokemon Lab before him, feeling a sense of deja vu. He had been in this position before, nearly eight years ago. Things had been different then. He had been looking forward to getting his first Pokemon and challenging the Galar League, unaware of the trouble and hard times ahead. He was still looking forward to getting his first new team member, but he was wiser now. There would be no more gym battles for him. No more crowds cheering him on, making his head pound with their never-ending emotions. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door of the lab and stepped inside.
Another wave of memories washed over him but he shook them off. He knew there was someone here; he could sense them, but no one was in sight. Walking in, he looked around curiously and called out, "Excuse me, I'm here for my first Pokemon." He took a moment to dig out the paperwork he had been given in case whoever was in charge needed to see it - he had specified that he didn't want a Psychic or a Dark type, but anything else would be fine.
[attr="class","momoPNotes"]I actually rolled these at random idk how you got all birds lol.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] The Professor had been going through some paperwork in the back room, reorganizing things, as it were. She did like to keep tidy. When she heard someone enter the main room, though, she was quick to mark her place and get up to go check. As she opened the door and saw the young man standing there, she recognized his distinctive hair from his file. "Ah, yes, hello. You must be Silas. Right on time, I see." She approached, taking the paperwork he had and giving it a glance over to ensure nothing was different than she remembered. Then, with a nod, she said, "Very good. I think I have a few options you'll enjoy."
Crossing the room, she opened the Pokeball case against the back wall and carefully selected three balls. Then, after a moment of thought, she put one back and grabbed a different one. Yes, that was better. Afterward, she grabbed a small box from the shelf next to it, and headed back to Silas. "In here you'll find some supplies to help you get started," she explained, handing over the box. "And in here, well... let's take a look."
She released all three Pokemon: a Skarmory, a Torchic, and a Farfetch'd. From his application, it sounded like he was a fan of birds, even though he hadn't explicitly stated a preference for them. For a moment she thought to perhaps go with all Flying-types, but then had exchanged one for Torchic, a bird of a different breed. Hopefully, at least one of these would be to his liking.
He didn't have to wait long before a blonde woman stepped out of a back room, and he gave her a nod in greeting as she took the paperwork from him. Everything seemed to be in order, and his expression shifted slightly as the professor mentioned that he'd enjoy his choices. She seemed pleased and slightly amused, if he was reading her correctly. It was always a bit difficult to interpret strangers' emotions. He tensed slightly as the woman put one of the Pokeballs back and chose another, even more curious to see his options now.
"Thank you," Silas murmured softly, accepting the box of items and putting it in his bag. He figured it was probably the standard Pokeballs and Potions every new trainer received, so didn't both to check the contents. He'd do that later.
The three Pokémon were revealed, and Silas drew a sharp breath as he stared at the trio. All of them were strange to him, but he recognized Farfetch'd as being a different regional form than the one he knew. The sight of the leek-carrying bird hurt, since he had trained one previously and had left them behind when he left Galar. Something in his chest twisted at the memory, and he gave the Farfetch'd a sad smile and a nod. It was too soon, he could not raise another one yet. The Farfetch'd squawked and flipped its leak in the air, clearly not upset, and Silas shifted his gaze to the steel bird at the opposite end.
It too, reminded him strongly of a former teammate and friend, and although it looked large enough for him to ride on, guilt churned in his stomach. Seeing his torn expression, the metal bird dipped its head and motioned towards the little orange chick in the middle. "H-Hello," Silas said softly to the small bird, kneeling down in front of it. It chirped and cocked its head to the side, just as curious about him as he was about it. Moving slowly, he picked up the Pokémon and held it to his chest as he stood and faced the professor. "This one please," he said with a confidence he didn't feel. Hopefully he was making the right choice.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Holly watched the young man as he mulled over his choices, taking note of his unpleasant expressions as he looked at the two Flying-types. Hrm. Had she misjudged in thinking he would like birds, or was there perhaps some other reason he wasn't feeling those? Association with negative memories, perhaps? Or even distaste for those particular species? Well, she wasn't a mind reader, after all, though that would make her job much easier.
She did worry a touch that he was only choosing the Torchic because it was the one he disliked the least, but the Professor was confident that any and every Pokemon raised here would make an excellent starter and partner. With a little time to get to know each other, she was sure he'd fall in love with the Torchic. If not, well, there was always Wonder Trade. So she simply nodded. "Certainly. I'm sure she'll make a fine partner." Her expression remained neutral as she asked, "Do you have any questions or anything before you leave? Or are you ready to set out on your journey?"
The professor seemed concerned as he picked up the orange bird Pokemon, and he inwardly grimaced. Had he taken too long to choose? Was she disappointed with his choice? Focusing for a moment, he picked up a hint of concern that wasn't come from him. A chip distracted him, and he glanced down to find his new Pokemon gazing up at him, eyes bright. He awkwardly patted its - her - heard, getting another chip in return.
He shifted from foot to foot as the woman asked if he was ready to go. Perhaps he should explain himself? The professor and the other two Pokemon deserved that much. "I...was a trainer in Galar. The Farfetch'd and the other bird remind me a lot of my former teammates. I can't-" he stopped abruptly and hunched his shoulders. "The memories hurt too much," he mumbled to the floor, getting a trill from the bird in his arms.
Swallowing hard and tearing his mind away from the past, he straightened and did his best to meet the professor's gaze. "Is there a guidebook for the native Pokemon? I'm not familiar with the species not found in Galar." He should probably ask what his new Pokemon was, but this was awkward enough without him showing his ignorance of the very Pokemon he had chosen to travel with.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Aaaaah. All right, his explanation made a lot of sense. She did wonder if Something Bad Happened to his old team or if he'd just chosen to leave them behind when he moved, but she wouldn't pry into his past. It seemed like a sore subject, and she wasn't in a habit of being nosy regardless. "Perfectly valid," she said simply.
When he asked about species, she nodded. "You can download a PokeDex app on your phone. With it, you can browse known species, and if you allow it access to your camera it can generally tell you what a Pokemon you point it at is. You do have a cell phone, yes?" She would be awfully surprised if a boy his age didn't. "If not I would recommend getting one for traveling, but for species listings you could check online at the local library." If he had any more specific questions she would be happy to help, but she wasn't exactly going to offer one of the lab computers just for browsing.
Silas nodded along as the Professor explained the Pokedex app and how to use it, taking his cell phone from his pocket at her question. "I do," he said simply, quickly downloading the app as he continued to talk. "Trainers in Galar receive something called a Rotom Phone, which adds any caught or seen Pokémon to the 'dex automatically. It's rather useful, but annoying on occasion." He was rather glad not to have to deal with something similar here in Arciel.
App installed, he quickly tested it by pointing the camera at his new Pokémon, the bird chirping as her info came up on the screen. So she was a Torchic, and was one of the traditional starters given to new trainers in the Hoenn region.
Pleased to have a species name, he smiled at his new Torchic, who kicked her feet against his chest and chirped again. "I'll have to come up with a name for you," he mused softly. Returning his attention to the woman in front of him, he nodded and gave her a small smile. "I think that's everything, Professor. Thank you for your time." Torchic trilled goodbye, comfortable in Silas' arms as the man headed out the door, ready to see what the region had to offer.
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