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.
So, it may not have been the best day to venture out on her own, but Sonia had bundled herself up in her blue jacket, hood pulled over her head. Her braids appearing to be half the length that they actually were as a portion of the hair was tucking into the hood which kept it open wide. Her hands were tucked into the warmth of her pockets as she looked up at the sky. It was borderline miserable, the sky was blanketed by clouds of white and light gray.
Thankfully it wasn't that chilly, still cold enough to warrant her jacket. Though, Valiant didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he whinnied and pranced about. Sonia took a moment, just watching her Pokemon with awe. She'd been having a hard time keeping him in his ball, not out of him misbehaving, just the fact she felt somewhat guilty about restraining him when he so clearly wanted the freedom. Or he at least enjoyed it, and Sonia was as well so how could she say no? It brought her such joy to even just have the Ponyta at her side, even when he was tugging at her hair, or making a mess and getting mischief.
She sighed, the smile never leaving her lips as she reached out her mind to the Ponyta. "Valiant, don't go too far please." She gently reminded the psychic type who nickered but happily trotted back to Sonia's side, though he didn't really stay there. Sonia chuckled as just as quickly as he returned, Val was running off again.
Though it warmed her heart as he often stopped to look at her over his shoulder to make sure she kept up while they began walking across the plains. Sonia briefly wondered what to expect. Some people told her to never leave without a Pokemon as she would likely be attacked by a wild Pokemon, but her father always told her that she would be fine, that the stories were exaggerated. Well, it was time to see for herself!
It was actually a lot more peaceful than Sonia expected. Nothing immediately jumped out at her or Valiant even though he was wandering about. He did stay within sight and hearing distance, and he always came back to make sure Sonia was okay. She couldn't have asked for a better partner, and she was quite happy that she had made the choice she had.
There wasn't really a path to follow as Sonia was taking her own way around the plains as one is want to do. Plus the longer they were out, the more time Val had to play. But, not following a set path could also lead to some complications as Sonia was about to find out. It's not like the figures popped up out of the blue, but she certainly didn't see the two Pokemon until she crested the hill. She had to pull out her phone, uncertain what kind they were. All she was certain was that there seemed to be some sort of altercation happening.
And of course, Val was already running forward to see what was happening. < Whatcha doin? > He neighed loudly to gather the attention of the Lickitung and Ninetales. The normal type definitely seemed the most disgruntled and angry, while the Ninetales sat there quite composed with a berry between her paws. The potenial situation seemed quite spelled out, the lickitung wasn't happy about not getting the berry.
< I'm hungry, and even though I saw the berry first, and almost had it, she grabbed it and won't let me have it. And she won't fight me for it. > The lickitung growled, glancing between the interloping Ponyta and the Ninetales. This just wasn't fair!
< You actually think you could take me in a fight? > The fox stood tall, tails flaring gracefully behind her.
Uh oh, this was turning sour quickly, and the Ninetales was obviously the most powerful of the trio. Val nickered, cantering off back to Sonia's side as she pointed her camera at the Pokemon to get their info. And even she paled once she saw it and what was about to go down. Blue eyes widened fearfully, not totally certain what to do.
There was fire gathering around the large fox's mouth, and the normal type braced for impact. That did nothing to prepare the lickitung for the incinerate that came shooting towards her. Even Sonia and Val felt the heat even though they were further away. This wasn't a battle they wanted to be a part of. So instead, Sonia watched on.
She didn't understand just how powerful a Pokemon could be until she watched them fight. The fire eventually dissipated, having melted the snow in the surrounding area and the Lickitung was still standing. And in retaliation, she lashed out with her tongue, whipping the Ninetales with it. The hit connected, but the fox remained as graceful as ever, summoning two wisps of purple and yellow light that quickly spiraled towards the pink mon, hitting her before bursting into a shower of stars.
Under the confusion, the normal type tried to lash out again with her tongue, but instead it wrapped around her face and blinded her. She was totally vulnerable...
The fox smirked, fangs bared in victory as more flames began to gather in her mouth.
Val neighed and kicked in distress, not wanting to interfere in a battle that wasn't his. But Sonia wasn't so sure there was nothing that could be done. Quickly she was digging through her pockets and lifting one out of the fabric confines. Holding the ball loosely in her hand, she focused on it, then threw it towards the Lickitung. Hopefully it would make it in time as the action startled the Ninetales into stopping her attack.
Three pairs of various hued eyes all stared at the ball, each with their own version of shocked on their faces. Sonia most of all, she'd actually caught a Pokemon? It wasn't even something she wanted, it was just a knee jerk reaction to put an end to the situation.
She squeaked out loud, hands coming to her mouth as she continued to stare at the ball for several long seconds as guilt washed over her. She just caught a Pokemon, most likely against it's will. There was a weight pressing into her sides, a different kind of warmth washing over her. She looked down, blue eyes meeting the blue of her Ponyta's as he gave a soft nicker, lipping gently at her hands before butting his head against them to get them into his mane. He looked back up to to, see? It was all okay, she had no need to worry. Shoulders eventually relaxed, the girl taking in a deep breath before looking towards the Ninetales that was now looking at her, curiousity in her gaze though Sonia didn't know what for.
"Val, please tell her I mean her no harm..." Sonia spoke with her telepathy, though he mental voice was even softer than usual. Valiant butted his head against her again.
< She doesn't mean you any harm to you. She just wanted to put an end to the fight, that was the only way she could think of. > The Ponyta tossed his mane, looking pointedly to the fox.
Thankfully she sat down, seemingly relaxed now until she looked down. There, in front of her on the ground was the remains of the berry that the two had originally fought over. A cream paw lifted before coming down onto the charred berry, smashing the rest of it before licking at her paw. She huffed, annoyed that the hard work of finding the berry had been undone, but she could find another. Red eyes continued to watch the girl as the ball was lifted and floated back to the girl. The fox continued to sit, waiting to see what the girl would do.
But all she did was tuck the ball into one of the pockets on her bag before Sonia was moving away with slow, cautious steps. Once she was sure the Ninetales wouldn't try to pull anything, Sonia stopped looking over her shoulder in favor of keeping her gaze up front.
What had started off as a peaceful trip sure hadn't stayed that way. Sonia was still haunted by the guilt of capturing the Lickitung, and the phantom heat of the flames from the Ninetales. But did she really have a reason to feel so guilty? This was what trainers and people as a whole did right? Plus, she just wanted to save the lickitung, that wasn't so bad was it? The girl still sighed heavily as her fingers gently brushed through Valiant's mane, it was so soft, and just knowing her was there helped the ache in her chest a little. For now he didn't try to run off ahead, the Ponyta happy to stay by his trainer's side.
Especially as fog began to start rolling in. If anything this made him press closer as he felt the worry emanating from Sonia. Of course she had seen fog before, but there was always that fear of something coming out from nowhere.
"Hello?"
Like that. And of course Sonia could not respond, so Val neighed instead, leading them towards the source of the voice. Which turned out to be another girl.
"Oh, hello! Did you get lost in this fog too?" The girl asked, smiling softly at Sonia. Sonia was worried but pulled out her small dry erase board she had bought before leaving Birch City and wrote on it.
"We weren't following a path." Sonia admitted with the text.
The girl chuckled as Sonia gave her a sheepish look. "That's alright, are you perhaps a new trainer?" Sonia looked bewildered for a second but slowly nodded her head. "Perfect! I have some young Pokemon I just recently hatched, would you be willing to battle them? I figured the experience would be good for a new trainer, and it'll be good for my Pokemon as well. That is if you don't mind?"
Sonia needed a moment, quickly writing as such on her whiteboard before looking to Valiant. Purple blue irises met her's and he nickered softly. Sonia was still a little tense. She hadn't actually battled before, not with Val or any Pokemon for that matter, though she had read about battling strategies and seen them on TV. It wasn't that hard was it? So Sonia nodded her head.
"Wonderful!" She clapped happily, before a look of worry overcame her face. "Do you mind if I ask why you aren't speaking?"
Sonia shook her head, quickly writing out that she couldn't. "Oh dear, then how do you plan to communicate with your Pokemon?" She asked.
"If only she knew." Sonia spoke telepathically to the Ponyta, giggling before Sonia was doing a sign for tail. "Tail whip." She instructed with the sign, to which Valiant whipped his tail around dramatically without a care. She punched a fist into an open palm. "Tackle." To which Val charged forward quickly only to skip backwards back to her. Then her hands cupped near her mouth before pushing outwards. "Growl." To which Valiant whinied loudly.
"Wow, you two seem to have it under control." The breeder girl clapped happily, eager to see the fruits of her labor. If her Pokemon won, then she could say that her first breeding was a success! So with a very delighted look on her face as she tossed a pokeball which released a Pokemon practically everyone would recognize. A pikachu!
Now this was something Sonia felt like she could handle! With a point, and the general cheer coming off of her, she encouraged Valiant to trot forward. "As the challenger, I'll let you have the first move." The girl called, and Sonia nodded to show she understood.
"Tail Whip!" Sonia signed as well as spoke, Val only needing a quick glance over his shoulder to know what to do. So the Ponya charged forward, giving the electric type a firm slap with his tail.
"Pikachu, you use Tail Whip too!" The girl called.
"Counter with your own!" Sonia called, doing the sign for tail again.
There was a clash of tails, one stopping the other before the Pokemon were breaking off.
"Thundershock." Ema directed her Pokemon, the mouse's cheeks already sizzling with electricity. And this was where Sonia began to panic. She didn't have a sign to get Valiant to dodge!
Thankfully the Pony was already quite in tune with Sonia and could feel the panic rising, so moving quickly Valiant began to canter around his opponent, waiting for the attack to be unleashed. Once it was fired, and missed (though his tail tingled at the near miss) he tackled quickly instead. Knocking the Pikachu off balance. There was a brief stare down between the rodent and the pony.
"Tail whip!" But the attack wouldn't do full damage as Val charged into it with another tackle, his larger body pushing the smaller one away. The electric type retaliated with another Thundershock, this time hitting Valiant which had him frantic for a second before tackling the pikachu which caused it to faint.
Valiant stood proud, shaking out his static fill mane. Sonia ran over to him, hugging his mane and checking him over for injuries but he seemed fine.
"Would you mind one more battle?" The breeder girl asked, already cradling the pikachu in her arms before returning it to its ball. Sonia wasn't certain, but looked down to Val to see what he thought. He shook his head and neighed happily, dancing on his feet before taking a ready stance. Sonia smiled and nodded.
This time a less recognizable Pokemon came out, Sonia scanning it with her phone to get its info. An Elekid, another Electric type huh? Sonia waved, letting the other girl go first this time.
"Elekid, use Leer." She called, the Pokemon's eyes glowing red which startled Val, hooves skittering backwards.
"Growl." Sonia mimed. So Val did, lowering the other Pokemon's attack just as it had lowered his defense. This time the two were more cautious, Val running forward to tackle only to get dodged, but once his back was turned, the Elekid was hitting him with a quick attack. The second time he dodged, but the elekid didn't have as much stamina. He grew tired, though so did Val. But Vall had more perseverance, as well as the mental cheers from Sonia. Finally a couple of his tackles hit, and the elekid was out. Though Val was quite tired now himself and would need a break.
"Thank you. I'm sorry that I bugged you, but I'm going to take these two home so they can rest." Ema spoke softly, but smiled and shook Sonia's hand. Sonia quickly wrote a thank you as well before the two were parting, both disappearing into the fog.
Though the further away Sonia got, the more it thinned. She kept her pace slow, giving Val a chance to catch his breath though there was still a delighted skip to his step.
The fog had started to thin, but it was still disorienting and had caused Sonia to veer off towards the beach like areas of the route. Finding less stable ground under her had caused her to trip, falling to her knees where she had become near instantly mesmerized by the sand. Had they ever actually gone to the beach? She certainly hadn't since she had recovered from being such a sickly child. She stared, fascinated by the sand as she let it fall between her fingers. Standing up she had dusted herself off before looking to her Ponyta and nodding her head towards the beach. Val was a little uncertain at first, steps overly cautious for the Ponyta. It only took him a few strides to get comfortable walking on the less solid ground before he was prancing and kicking like the young foal he was.
Even Sonia began to run and skip, laughter shaking her small frame though it wouldn't be audible, even Sonia herself could barely hear it. That didn't mean she enjoyed the new sense of freedom any less. This was what it meant to be healthy, to be outside, to be alive. You had to enjoy the little things, and one of those little things was skipping on the beach. Though she had to be careful, between the sand and the grass there were still some sharp rocks that she was scared to trip on. And it would be just as she was discovering the rocks that Valiant heard the soft cries. He became alert, body tense as he became worried.
"What's wrong?" Sonia asked, noting the unease from her Pokemon. However he couldn't tell her just how worried he was, just share it with her before he was running further down the beach, much less joyfully this time. Sonia was quick to run after him. It wasn't until a fair ways down that Sonia would see why. Two beached water types, she knew that one was a Lapras, the other required the pokedex app to figure out. A Gorebyss. Well, one would certainly be easier than the other... the Gorebyss was at least in a trench with some water pooled around her, but the Lapras was much higher up on the shore. In fact she was on top of the rocks where the sand and grass merged. Both Pokemon were limped with exhaustion, and it seemed like they had been there awhile as both of them were getting dry, the Lapras more so.
"I'm going to try and help them." Sonia declared, rushing over to see how tired the Lapras was. She was a fair bit smaller than some of the others she had seen.
Valiant went to the Gorebyss, giving her a gentle sniff and a nudge. < You okay? > He nickered softly, using his nose to splash some of the water pooled around her. But she just blushed pinker on her cheeks, looking away shyly. < Don't worry, my trainer Sonia will help get you both back into the water! > Val tried to cheer up the other Pokemon present as he continued to splash water over the Gorebyss.
Sonia could already tell that moving the Lapras was a near impossible feat by herself, but she didn't have enough time to get help if someone didn't stumble upon them withing the next few minutes. The Lapras was in bad shape, her eyes barely opening to look at Sonia when she had approached. The Gorebyys at least would be easier.
"I need your help to pick her up. And please tell her to stay close by, one of her moves might be helpful." Sonia grunted softly as she knelt down by the pink Pokemon, getting her arms around the upper portion of the long Pokemon. Val relayed the message as he helped by wiggling himself to support the middle portion of the Pokemon. Then they began the slow process of waddling their way back to the water. It wasn't easy to return the Pokemon without getting soaked, and Sonia was already in need of some new foot wear as she waded into the water to be about knee deep. Then they slowly eased the Gorebyss into the water, the Pokemon needing a minute before she could swim. And once she could, she circled right back and looked expectantly at the duo.
Now it was time for the Lapras, which Sonia was already focusing, pulling as much water as she could and floating it with her telekinesis to splash the Lapras. Sadly water did tend to grow very heavy quite quickly, and a few batches already had a headache blooming behind her eyes. Sonia frowned, closing her eyes and shielding them with her hands while rubbing at her temples with her finger tips. There was certainly no way she could get the Lapras off the ground. But, the Gorebyss was still nearby.
"I think she knows Whirlpool, can you ask her to use it please?" Sonia groaned, still rubbing her temples.
< Oi! > Valiant shouted. < Can you use a whirlpool attack? > Valiant asked, purple blue eyes growing wide as the Gorebyss lifted herself out of the water, flinging the growing attack with her tail.
But it still wasn't close enough, it only created a mist which further soaked the three of them. Looking closer, Lapras wasn't going to be able to move herself either, her fins were hurt, cut by the rocks. She probably could, but it would hurt her a lot.
"I'm sorry." Sonia murmured, her lips moving as if she could actually speak. "I can't help you right now, and you are in so much pain. It would take too long for me to get help, and I'm just one person. I can't lift you back to the water." Tears quickly formed as Sonia broadcasted her thoughts, tearfully looking up at the Lapras who was doing her best to look at the girl. "If I capture you, I can take you to the Pokemon Centre, where we can properly treat your fins. That's the only way I can think of to help you in a timely manner." Sonia sniffled, reaching into her bag to grab one of the pokeballs in her possession.
This was normal, capturing Pokemon was a normal occurrence. And she would be helping this Lapras by doing so. So Sonia patted the large water types neck, murmuring softly of how sorry she was that there wasn't more she could do. Then she tapped the ball to the gorgeous blue Pokemon.
Tears still blurred her vision, and expecting the ball to shake it startled the girl when it clicked close right away. Sonia waited, breath held as she waited for the Pokemon to just burst out. But her lungs began to ache, and the ball had yet to move again. So she exhaled slowly, bringing the ball to her chest to hold it tightly. She would help the injured Pokemon, and then see about releasing her back to the wild. Though Sonia found the Lapras very beautiful.
Sniffling the girl finally wiped at her eyes, still keeping the ball cradled to her chest. She knew deep down she was taking this hard, this happened all the time right? Pokemon were caught, traded and the like, it happened every minute of every day. Taking a deep breath Sonia looked up to the sky, just breathing and calming down. She looked down, finding Valiant right at her side again, the pony pressed close. Slowly her lips turned into the softest of smiles as she raised her free hand to pet his mane. She was definitely taking this too hard, being way too emotional, even if this was all new to her she needed to relax a little.
"Thank you." She mouthed the words as well, the horse nickering softly.
That just left the Gorebyss who was still watching curiously from the shallow water. "Thank you as well." The soft words were broadcasted to the pink Pokemon this time. There was a splash from the purple tail before the water type was spinning herself around to swim off.
It was almost beautiful watching her swim off, at least until the moment was broken by a sneeze. It was still winter, and now Sonia was quite wet. She looked down at her sodden boots and pants, water squishing between her toes from her socks with each step. Maybe there was a home nearby? So with a wave the duo was off again. And they were given the best news at that moment, the sighting of a waterfront property!
Hurrying towards it as quick as her too heavy boots would allow, Sonia knocked on the door. And was surprised when she saw a familiar face through the window. Click, the door was then opening to show the breeder girl from earlier.
"Oh! Hello again! Though.... you are very wet." Ema blinked down at the puddle starting to form around Sonia's feet. "What happened?"
"Would you mind if I dried off? Then I can share the story?" Sonia was ever thankful that the dry erase board wasn't totally soaked and her marker was safe. Ema nodded her head, ushering Sonia inside where she was offered a blanket to cover herself after stripping from her soaked clothing. The fabric was wrung out before getting tossed into the dryer, Sonia sharing the story of how she had gotten disoriented in the fog only to come across some beached water Pokemon.
An hour and a half was spent getting Sonia's clothes dried and talking to Ema. Maybe after this Sonia could actually say she had a friend. But once her boots were dried, Sonia was politely leaving, feeling like she had already intruded enough. And she still had her goal of getting to Cedar Town.
Last Edit: Feb 20, 2020 0:41:10 GMT by Sonia Antoni
Now that she was dried off and moving again, things seemed to be a lot better. Sonia would still say that she was emotional over the whole incident, but would also admit she was a little happy she could help the Lapras. And maybe, just maybe, there was a part of her that was hesitant to admit that she wanted to keep the Lapras and was even thinking of a name for her. The ball had been tucked into her jacket pocket, though so was Sonia's hand that kept the ball close as her thoughts wandered.
"What do you think of the name Mizune for the Lapras? In case she stays with us?" Sonia 'thought out loud', directing the telepathic question to Val. His head lifted sharply, looking up at his trainer and tilting his head at her. Did that mean she felt comfortable catching Pokemon now? Or was she just going with the situation? Either way he jerked his head up and down with a snort, lipping at the edge of her sleeve as he shared how happy he was.
"I like it too." Sonia smiled, automatically threading her fingers into the pastel colored mane as they continued their quiet walk down the beach. It was nice out, the fogging having lifted more which just left the sky littered with clouds, some blue patches breaking through and almost promising something nicer later on.
"Like, hey there!" A higher pitched, squeaky voice called out. Most certainly not a voice Sonia would call herself familiar with. Head turning towards the voice, and Sonia was near instantly filled with regret as the young lady began skipping over. Who could be that chipper and happy, in a swimsuit I this kind of weather? It was still cold out! "Like, I totally want to battle your cute little Ponyta there. You, like, don't mid do you?" But just as Sonia was opening her mouth to decline, she was cut off by the other. "Of course you don't! Let's do this Psyduck! Scratch it right away!"
Sonia blinked rapidly, not totally sure why this lady just thought it was okay to force people into a battle. Valiant was quick to push Sonia backwards, taking the brunt of the scratch attack. Now this actually lit a fire inside Sonia, anger and annoyance merging and twisting in her gut to sour her mood. She snapped, grabbing Val's attention before doing the sign she had come up with earlier for tackle. Fluffy hooves pawing at the sand, the pony whinying before he was charging forward and ramming his shoulder into the duck.
The girl called out again, this time announcing a tail whip. So the psyduck turned and wagged its rear end at Val. Though neither Sonia or Val were very impressed with the 'attack'. "Show them a real tail whip." Sonia half requested, half demanded of her Pokemon. Not that Val could blame her, he could feel her irritation and see it plain as day on her face. So the Ponyta was delighted to turn around, smacking the psyduck with his own, much more lengthier tail.
"What's your deal? You're not battling properly!" Janelle complained, stomping a sandal clad foot on the ground. "Why aren't you talking? You're totally not a proper trainer! Psyduck, use water sport!"
Sonia raised an eyebrow as the psyduck started dancing around and spraying water onto the sand to saturate the area with water. But, that weakened fire type attacks right? She wasn't using any, and who would use a fire type against a water type? Sonia stared, unimpressed with the lady's lack of tactics, though she guessed not everyone could have a decent grasp of battle knowledge. She signed for tackle, which Valiant followed through. Then there was a few minutes of back and forth, the psyduck scratching, Val tackling. But eventually the psyduck fell, Val snorting at the girl with his victory before he was limping back to Sonia. The poor Ponyta, he was starting to get tired again already, though they had already done a lot today. This was his third battle within a matter of a few hours, and they had done a lot of walking.
There was another foot stomp. "You're supposed to let me win!" Janelle complained, sounding quite whiney as she returned the fainted psyduck and was sending out another Pokemon. Sonia glared at the girl, not wanting this battle to continue, but she called for a water gun, spraying Val heavily with water. He winced and shook himself off, though he was panting heavier now.
Not wanting to, Sonia returned him to his ball. There was another complaint from the girl, and though Sonia didn't want to she sent out the Lapras. "I'm so sorry. Do you mind if I call you Mizune for now? But this girl won't leave us alone unless we beat her in a battle. I need your help." Sonia ran forward, stroking the Lapras's neck as she turned her head down to look at Sonia. There was a soft sigh from the large Pokemon, but she nodded and waved her fins before glaring down at the lobster like Pokemon in front of her.
Sonia was checking Mizune's moves as she wasn't familiar with them, causing the Lapras who couldn't move easily on the sand to get hit by another water gun. Though there was a definite resistance to it this time. "Sing!" Sonia called, instantly covering her ears.
She could still hear the beautiful whale song that the Lapras sang, which had the intended affect of putting the clauncher to sleep. "Water gun!" However, it became clear that this would be a long battle as the clauncher resisted the water type attack and woke up immediately after. However, maybe it was the nature of the Pokemon, but there were times where it just flailed in the puddles created by the earlier water sport. And since both Pokemon were resistant to water type attacks, whittling each other down was a slow process. Mizune couldn't really dodge on the sand, but the times that the other Pokemon spent time splashing resulted in Mizune winning. Though she was also quite tired now too.
Janelle stomped and shrieked, the sound too high pitched to be described as anything else, before she was stomping off.
Sonia glared at the girl's back as she left, hurrying forward to stroke and pet the very tired Lapras. "Thank you." Sonia murmured, kissing the Lapras's nose before returning her to the ball. Then, by her lonesome as she wanted to give Val a chance to rest, she began walking her way down the beach again.
Valiant - 2/5e Mizune - 1/5e (due to the situation Mizune was in, treating it as if she was caught after a battle)
She had been using the word peaceful all day, but now that she was alone it wasn't quite as peaceful. Yes, she had been alone before, being an only child had taught her that much. But she had always known where her parents were in the house, even if she couldn't see or hear them she knew where they were in the house. But this, this was the first time she had been totally alone. Even on the plane here there had still been other humans. The trip to the lab had been quick, and then she had gotten Val. Even though it hadn't been that long since she had gotten him, he had been out and by her side practically the entire time.
So Sonia being completely by herself, it was an odd feeling. She couldn't even talk out loud, so just having her thoughts to keep her company was quite an odd feeling. And it set her on edge though she felt extremely silly for it. She was a young lady, she was an adult, she should be fine by herself! But that didn't change the fact that as she walked down the sandy beach that each time she thought she heard something out of place she jumped. It took awhile for her to settle down, but then she really heard something. A mewl of pain and the shifting on sand. Now that wasn't something she could just ignore, but looking showed nothing but the water to her left and a large rock to her right. That meant either she was just hearing things, or there was something behind the rock.
Slowly, oh so slowly Sonia walked to the rock, placing a hand on it as she began to walk around. Then she found the source. Another Pokemon that she found quite beautiful, eyes going wide as she saw it. Who didn't know of the Eevee line and it's many evolutions? Though this was the first time she was seeing a Vaporeon in person. And sadly it too seemed to be in a bit of a predicament. Licking her lips Sonia began to pull away from the rock to get a better look.
Of course the movement made the Vaporeon aware of her presence, which the female was definitely not happy about. Her frills flared threateningly, maw opening as she snarled and growled, trying to stand and swipe at Sonia only to fall. There was a length of twine, maybe from a fishing net or a fishing rod, and it was firmly wrapped around her tail and then tangled about her hind legs. It seemed like she had tried to thrash about to get it off, but it hadn't helped.
"Shhh." Sonia managed to make the sound out loud, holding her hands out in surrender to show that she meant no harm. Slowly she knelt herself down, making herself smaller. Feline and canine Pokemon used that as a form of submission right? She remembered ready that somewhere. The frills relaxed slightly, the Vaporeon still watching her warily. This was a wild Pokemon, with a very closed off mind that Sonia couldn't breach to try and reassure the scared water type. Sonia believed her to be scared at least.
"Shhh." She whispered again before she was slowly leaning forward. This was not taken well, and the Pokemon leaping forward into a pounce at the girl. As startling as it was, it was also somewhat expected and Sonia let herself get pushed down by the blow. Only now there was a scared, wounded, and seemingly angry Pokemon on top of her, pinning her down and growling in her face. But all things considered, even though her heart raced, Sonia stayed calm and just shushed the Pokemon gently. Being this close and looking into those black blue eyes, she knew the Pokemon was just scared and in pain. Gently, oh so gently she could feel the Pokemon opening up to the small mental link that would let her speak. "I want to help."
The Pokemon froze, the growling stopped and the two just stared at each other for several long minutes. Then slowly, once some sort of trust had been established did Sonia reach up to gently pet the side of the water types face. The Vaporeon began to tremble, but eventually got off of Sonia so she could sit up and began digging through her pockets. Didn't her dad give her one of those utility knifes when she had left? Finding it, she opened it up and slide out the section with a little pair of scissors. The Pokemon whined, wary and worried but she just continued to shush and pet the Pokemon. Then carefully, hands shaking only slightly she got to work, pulling the twine away gently from the much more delicate skin and snipping the cord. Unraveling it until it couldn't anymore, then cutting it again to start anew. It was a slow process, but she kept the Pokemon calm by speaking to it softly.
"Are you alone? I'm alone right now too, I'm trying to let my friends rest. Would you like to be my friend? You are so beautiful, it's such a shame this happened. But I'll have you out of it in no time, just need to be patient." Sonia murmured mentally, still taking time here and there to pet the Vaporeon and keep her calm.
A lot of cutting later left Sonia with a pile of what was definitely fishing line and a slightly sore but happier Vaporeon. The water type purred a very feline like purr and rubbed against Sonia, licking her cheek.
"It's okay, I know what it is like to be scared. You're forgiven. But, I'd really like you to come with me, and be my friend. Please?" Sonia asked, pushing how selfish she felt doing it. The Vaporeon didn't immediately run away, but she wasn't sure if the Pokemon liked the idea or not. Instead of waiting longer, Sonia pulled one of the last two pokeballs from her jacket pocket and tapped it to the Vaporeon, hoping for the best.
One wiggle, two wiggle, then a click. And now she had another friend, another teammate.
She still felt a little selfish about her actions, capturing a Pokemon purely because she liked it. Was there even any other reason for a trainer to capture a Pokemon? That was what most trainers did right? They liked a Pokemon so they caught it for their team? Sonia sat down, staring at the pokeball in her hands as she pondered this. She didn't go to trainer school, she only knew the bare bones of battling and the info everyone knew. But there was specifics she just did not know. She tilted her head, still staring at the ball as if it would give her all the answers.
But pokeballs couldn't talk. She sighed softly, shaking her head before tucking the ball back into her pocket. She would really need to find a better place to store the balls before she lost track of which ball had who in it. Chuckling to herself Sonia stood and began to gather up the fishing line. There was still a chance it could hurt another Pokemon, so she gathered all the she could and stuffed it into a pocket in her backpack until she found a way to dispose of it properly. Then she was standing up and moving on. She had to be getting close to Cedar town by now right? It sure felt like it....
She had to be near the town by now right? She didn't see, but if she were close she would actually see it right? Had she missed it? Maybe it was time for her to get off of the beach and look for an actual path...
And it was in her mental musings that she registered the sounds around her but didn't pay any actual attention. At least not until she most definitely kicked something with her foot and nearly tripped. Sonia blinked foolishly down at her feet where there was now a small, turtle like Pokemon on it's back. Whoops, she hadn't meant to do that! Kneeling down she carefully picked up the Pokemon, her initial thought was maybe a Squirtle, and set it down on it's feet.
Sonia blinked at the Pokemon that in turn blinked at her, then slowly she smiled, patting it gently on it's head as a silent apology. It's head bounced slightly under her hand, but once her hand pulled away it's jaw opened and snapped shut quite loudly. Sonia started backwards, jerking her hands away in case it snapped again.
However, that just seemed to be a warning as the turtle's head lowered and it began a slow pace back in the direction it had been initially heading. Sonia watched it go, pulling out her phone, and once again the pokedex app. That wasn't a Squirtle either, but a Chewtle? That would explain the jaws. Sonia continued to watch it go before leaving herself, intending to get off the beach. Or at least closer to the edge where maybe she could spot Cedar town if she got close enough.
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