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.
The past couple of months had been especially stressful and exhausting for Juni in particular. She’d managed to get 3 different projects completed and 2 papers published from that. It was exhausting being a post-doc where everything was expected to happen faster, but she found the pace particularly helpful in this case in keeping her going. There were deadlines to meet, and lord Groudon she would meet them!
A third paper was coming, but she technically had a fourth project to finish up before she could start writing it— and that was what led her down the long road towards Pine Town riding atop a Metang that was just barely big enough to sit comfortably on. There were other Pokemon that she had that were rideable, of course. Blades her Absol was very large and used to running with her atop her back, but the particular motion of feet on the ground was not something she was actually interested in right then and there. That went double for the beat of wings that occurred with Ambrosia her Aerodactyl. Lord Groudon. No thanks. Not right now.
Disc the Metang floated along close to the ground at a moderate pace. While he (technically it or they, but for a personification of a computer, he felt oddly male) was technically flight trained and had gone up rather high before, after Juni had taken a fall from his back one time, they’d both decided it just wasn’t a good idea to go too high until he was evolved. That was ok right then, though, as they were not in any type of hurry— not really. Sure they needed to get there, but the pressure wasn’t on.
In Juni’s lap was a relaxed Quilava named Smokie. The latter was keeping a subtle warm heat radiating up off her back in an effort to keep Juni warm enough, and it was very much appreciated in this case. Disc, of course, didn’t appreciate the extra weight, but whatever.
It would be Disc who noticed something first, and then from Disc Smokie and then Juni. Hmmm?? Juni adjusted her glasses but could not fucking see for the life of her. “What is it?”
"D'accord, nous y voilà. Merci d'avoir fait ça avec moi, les filles. Je sais que c'est une façon un peu ennuyeuse de passer l'après-midi." Senara spoke aloud to a pair of rather tall, rather impressive Pokemon that she was currently strapping a couple of odd looking pouches to. The first of the Pokemon was a beautiful and fluffy Arcanine, Gentille, her body still and careful as the sacks were clipped onto the saddle over her back. The second was, well, a creature not of this time. Petitpied the Amaura was a fossil Pokemon, and one so beautiful that Senara didn't care if her typing made her incredibly weak to so many, many other Pokemon. She was beautiful and she thrived in winter, so while the weather was still cool, she was being sure to let the girl get as much air as she could. Plus, she had a pretty good reason for needing both of them out today.
Over the last couple of months, between Bass and Plum and the forest and yikes, she had amassed...a lot of eggs. A lot of a lot of eggs. From finding them in her travels to purchasing a couple, to mysteriously finding one in the possession of her Grovyle--she was still not sure HOW she'd gotten it, but she had her suspicions--to ones gifted to her by her friend. That one she was especially fond of already. It didn't hurt that it was one of her two favorite Pokemon of all time but, hey, it was also the sentiment that counted.
Senara made sure each little pouch was secure. This was a little invention of her own doing to make things easier. Gentille had such a warm body that she'd be able to keep the eggs nice and warm as they walked along the route, giving them time to hatch. And to be sure none of them were jostled, but so that Senara wouldn't be left in the dust, she had Petitpied to follow along. Petitpied had been a little awkward around the Fire-type Pokemon, but Gentille was exactly what her name suggested, and the worry had faded quickly. Good thing, too, because Senara's other option for a ride was Chanceux, and his method of getting around wasn't exactly careful enough to do around so many eggs.
"Vous êtes tous équipés! Petit, aidez moi?" Stepping from Gentille's side to in front of the Amaura, Senara waited for the towering, ancient Pokemon to lower her neck so she could climb over it. As she raised her head again Senara slid back down a bit until she was snugly over Petitpied's shoulders, arms around her long, long throat. "Allons-y!"
Thus, the strange herd of a Fire-type, an Ice- and Rock-type, and a half-dozen tiny eggs (and one small human) began to trek across route six. Senara rested her body comfortably against Petitpied's neck. Her scales were beautiful, shimmering like ice, and the frills over her eyes gleamed like sunrise. She couldn't wait to evolve her into an even more stunning Aurorus. Maybe even invest in shiny powder to really make her glow...
Gentille's sensitive ears perked up at the sound of another person on the trail, and her nose picked up the scent of flames. But as they were accompanied by the scent of a human she wasn't too worried. She kept trotting along. Senara looked down from her daydreams when she, too, saw a figure hovering closer, and when she saw what it was--
Oh. My. GOD. A Metang!! Senara put her hand over her mouth for a moment. Oh, look at its beautiful steel exterior! It's marvelous! Oh, I've always wanted a Metagross, I'm so jealous of their trai...eh? Wait, I know that red hair and exhausted face.
"Dr. Savage?? Oh my gosh!" Genuine surprise, and not an unhappy sort, turned her look of envy and momentary confusion into a smile. "What a crazy random coincidence! How're you doing?? And, like, Arceus, do I love your Metang! They're so beautiful!!" After a moment she ran her hands down Petitpied's neck. "And look! Look how big this Amaura is?? Like, that Tyrunt from the lab was big, but Petitpied here is enormous!!"
Gentille gave a small nod of greeting, and Petitpied shied away, glancing in the other direction as the human looking her over. Oh geeze. New people. Oh no. Help.
Wait a second. Juni squinted more. That was an Amaura wasn’t it?? Why was it so huge??? Juni closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them again. Nope, it was still there and still very big. She kind of just accepted that Arcanine were that big but wow. As Juni leaned somewhat to try and get a better look, Smokie sat up slowly and shook out her… short fur before offering a relaxed smile in the direction of the new people.
HUH?? Juni straightened somewhat as she was recognized. Color touched her features as she briefly tried to recall (and process) just what she was hearing and seeing. Wait?? Wait wait— “Oh Senara….” Juni registered. She’d dyed her hair. Wow it was bright. Not that pink wasn’t bright, but yeah. “I’m doing alright,” she answered reaching up to adjust her glasses and then push a few strands of hair back behind her ear. “What are you—“
Up… to?? Before Juni had a chance to finish the statement, she had paused to look down at Disc as he was addressed. Disc blinked slowly before carefully leaning up causing Juni and Smokie to slide just a little but not enough to fall back. Out of impulse, Juni’s legs tightened at the knees around one of his sides. “A-ah yeah he’s pretty great.” Disc blinked slowly, not entirely believing this compliment but vaguely accepting its existence. "He's been with me for a long time, actually. We met first in Hoenn."
Juni’s eyes zeroed in on the Amaura again as it was mentioned, and a grin flashed across her features. “It’s huge???” she ask-answered. “It’ll be massive as an Aurorus!” Juni could only imagine. Carefully, she slipped off of Disc (causing Smokie to make the executive decision to bounce off while she had the chance) to walk a bit closer. “Have you been reviving more fossils then?”
Post by Senara Spargo on Mar 15, 2020 19:39:22 GMT
Senara was honestly pretty pleased to see Juni again, all things considered. While she had been initially anxious about having another person in her life that she might consider a "friend", it was just really, really nice having somebody to talk science with. Sure she was still putting on a friendlier, cheery mask than she actually was, and kept all criminal transgressions hidden well away, but she wasn't acting like she liked her. She did like her. She was just positive Juni wouldn't like those parts of her and, thus, hide them well.
Juni seemed a bit surprised to see her as well, if not stunned. She giggled and flipped a long blond ponytail over her shoulder. "Do you like it? I got it done in Plum City over the holidays! It's actually pretty close to my natural color," she hummed softly, "Maybe a bit brighter? I honestly can't remember what it looked like, I'd been pink for so long!"
As they seemed to be taking a little break in their walk, Senara gave Petitpied a pat on the neck. The elegant Amaura lowered her head so her trainer could slide off her shoulders and once again have her feet on the ground. All the while, Senara was making eyes at Juni's Metang. "Eh bien, il est magnifique! Did you raise him up from a Beldum? Is it true they only know a single move until they evolve? I had a similar experience with my Frosmoth--he didn't know anything but Powdered Snow as a Snom."
It really was something when Pokemon had such weak pre-evolutionary forms. Be it the adorable Snom or weird little Magikarp, they always turned out to be so amazing and worth all the effort it took to raise them once they'd evolved. Metang, though...gosh.
"I'm suuuuper envious though. I love Steel-type Pokemon so much, half my main squad is made up of them! If I had the time to fly out to Hoenn and try my luck at finding one..."
"I know, right?? I have no idea what I'll do with her--she'll be almost, like, three meters tall when she's evolved?? The closest I've got to that is my Steelix but that's from nose to tail, not head to foot! But she'll be so beautiful..." Senara leaned into Petitpied's side. The poor flustered Pokemon kept her head turned away. All these compliments were going to make her overheat. Senara giggled and stood up straight. "Yep yep! I've got a plume fossil and claw fossil I'll be bringing to Ivy later this month, as well as these!~"
As she spoke, Senara slipped her bag from off her back. Carefully she withdrew a pair of glass tubes--thick ones meant to not break during travel--each containing little shards of Pokemon long since extinct. One was curved and lined with faint ridges, like a sea shell, and the other was clearly a small tail feather. Senara admired them both for a moment before looking at Juni again, smiling broadly. "I've found quite a few doubles in my expeditions! I've been going at that one spot in the mines for all it's worth, heheh~ But can you blame me when it's producing such quality fossils like these?" She let the light from Gentille's faint flames catch on the ridges of the helix fossil, glinting off the thick glass casing like sunlight. "But I've already got a pretty lovely Omanyte at home, so I've been considering donating this one to the museum like you'd recommended."
“It’s beautiful,” Juni admitted, reaching to curl a few strands of her own hair behind her ear. She… suddenly felt vaguely self-conscious. It wasn’t like she didn’t (at least try and) take care of herself, but her own hair wasn’t near as vibrant as that and didn’t have that fresh look to it and….Ok. Maybe she was a little jealous too. Not that she’d do anything about it, probably.
At least that fell to the back of her mind as her attention shifted to Disc again. “I didn’t hatch him from the egg, but I did get him as a Beldum. He had several moves though, actually. They were specialty-tutored if I remember right.” Things like Iron Defense, Iron Head, and Zen Headbutt weren’t base-level moves but weren’t unachievable either. She didn’t really know much about Snom or Frosmoth, but there were plenty of Pokemon that she could think of that had a sort of ‘extended baby form’ like that.
As Senara went on, though, Juni couldn’t help but grin. “If you’d believe it, I actually have two Metang and a Metagross,” she replied. “Though they were both caught already evolved.” Too bad she didn’t have them right now to show off. “They do exist in the wilds of Arciel from what I’ve heard, though.” Not that she had any evidence to actually back that up just yet.
Red eyes flicked to the Amaura, though, and just slowly traced over the shiny scales of the beautiful dinosaur Pokemon. “You’re making me jealous hahahaha.” She could admit that, at least when Senara had said it first. Plume and Claw, though? As fossils were produced, though, her eyes shined. Aaaaa look at them. They were in such good condition and would definitely make a good revived Pokemon. Her eyes slowly drew over the helix fossil, though. “I don’t have an Omanyte yet….” she admitted and then immediately forced a laugh. "Not like I really need one, but yeah."
Post by Senara Spargo on Mar 19, 2020 22:02:24 GMT
Oooh, not only had her Metang been with her since its prior evolution, it had been super specially trained as well! Way to rub the green into Senara's face even deeper, Juni. And she only continued to make it worse with her next revelation which had Senara clapping her hands to her cheeks in (over-played but no less genuine) shock. "You've got three of them???" Her voice had gone up an octave. Oops, reign it in a little, or you might freak her out. Senara drew in a small breath and moved her hands to clutch the front of her shirt instead. "I've been looking for Steel-types all over the place, and I've only gotten lucky a couple times...urgh, you have all the luck! Je suis tellement jaloux!"
But as she showed off her lovely fossils to Juni, Senara's eye caught the look she was giving the helix fossil. Her admission of her own jealousy over Petitpied wasn't worth anything to her--Petitpied might not be a Metagross, but she's still way too gorgeous to trade away--but when she spoke about Omanyte...well, she had to reign her smile back from one of sly delight to one that just looked excited. "Well, you knoooow," Senara hummed and placed the plume fossil back into her bag, making sure the helix was front and center, "I would be super okay with trading the fossil for something! Then you can go to the lab and revive one of your own! Aaaand I don't think I need to tell you what I would love in return...!" Senara's eye lingered on Disc. Then, after a moment, she returned to looking at Juni. "Not, like, one of them, of course. I don't think a well-trained and beloved Pokemon is worth this! Buuuut if they were to ever produce an egg...?"
Senara’s response probably should have elicited an awkward one from Juni. She wasn’t one to often take pride in things outside of her science. All the same, she felt those familiar emotions in that moment and couldn’t help but beam a little.
Juni’s eyes held on the fossils Senara had showed for a moment longer before flicking back up to Senara herself. “Oh?” Trade for…. something. Color touched Juni’s features as she followed Senara’s gaze down to Disc right there. The Metang frowned a little— about as much as a Metang could actually frown. Even Smokie who had been mostly quiet through all of this shifted a little uncomfortably. Yeah, no. There was no way she could trade away Disc or Levi or Steven. They were—
“Oh.” Senara cut into those worries without prompting. Huh. “I guess they are all in the Mineral Group…” she registered aloud. Even if they were genderless by human standards, they were technically still breedable with each other, weren’t they? Actually, as she realized, Juni didn’t know. But how else did they appear? “Hm…. I can look into it. I think Dr. Knox knows a few breeders from the area,” she mumbled before looking down at Disc again. “What do you think, Disc?”
The Metang had seemed to calm outwardly. So long as he wasn’t separated from his long time friend, he wouldn’t mind per say. A low metallic almost computer sound reverberated from him. Sure, why not. Juni smiled a little softer now. Well, that was one Pokemon then. She'd need to make sure that either Levi or Steven was ok with this as well, but she had a strange feeling Levi would be ok with it. “Looks like we’ve got a deal,” she smiled a little up at Senara. "Of... course after I have an egg and all."
Well never mind that they're all in the mineral group, they're all the same Pokemon, they can definitely produce an egg. Senara didn't make that snarky comment even though it blipped into her thoughts, because she was still trying to be nice and friendly with Juni.
"Really? You mean it??" Senara squeaked, holding the container with the helix fossil to her chest as excitement welled up in it. "Thank you so much, Dr Savage! Oh my gosh, I've wanted a Metagross for so so so so long! I can't wait to train them!~" Would darling Chanceux get jealous of her if she suddenly had a new powerful Steel-type Pokemon on the team? No, of course not. He was so calm and he liked it when new Pokemon joined the roster--it meant he wasn't always on riding detail. Could one ride a Metang? Juni had been but they kind of hovered instead of "walked" so...did that count as flying? Was there such thing as a "hover" license? Eh, details to be worked out later. Much later, as Beldum took a very long time to evolve the first time, let alone into a Metagross.
Gentille started to strike up a friendly conversation with Smokie, Fire-type to Fire-type. Even though size-wise she sort of towered above him she was still quite courteous and calm. Petitpied still refused to make eye-contact with anyone. Ever. At all. Nope.
She carefully placed the helix fossil back into her bag. "I look forward to getting a text from you then! And I'll know just where to go to do the trade!~ Got any advice for me on raising one of them? Do they, uh, even eat? Chanceux my Steelix does but he has a mouth. I don't even remember if Beldum has a mouth." Senara gave another look at Disc, contemplating whether or not he had a mouth either. He had a nose. Sort of? Did the thinner part of his head lift up to reveal a mouth? She had done plenty of research on Steel-types but, well, when one's focused on the powers and capabilities, sometimes the biology goes ignored. Look, she was a geologist, what are you going to do.
Smokie perked up a little on being acknowledged by Gentille and was happy to carry on a light conversation. One day she hoped to be as big as her! She was now curious…. Just what she was carrying and why. Scuttling around, she looked at the egg sacks and pressed her nose to the first one. Smelled like babies! So many!
Senara’s disposition was infectious. Juni smiled bright… brighter still as she spoke. “Of course!” she answered grinning and pushing up her glasses. “What are friends for?” Friends, barterers, whatever. Hmmmm, advice though? She’d been about to say she wasn’t sure of what, but that question was actually easier to answer.
“They feed on the electromagnetism around them, actually,” she explained. “They also sort of ‘osmosis’ consume minerals by incorporating them into their physical form over time.” Her hands had raised up and made a quotations motion as she mentioned osmosis. “But ah…. if you have a cellphone or any electronic device… make sure not to have it out when they’re hungry. Someone ruined three of my phones in a two month period.”
Disc the Metang shifted a little… and then trembled with a strange mechanical laugh. Juni rolled her eyes, shook her head, and flicked the Metang a couple of times.
Senara was so excited over the prospect of getting her hands on a Beldum, and finally having one of the stronger Steel-type Pokemon in the world on her team, that she didn't pay too much mind to how Juni was smiling in response to her. Or her words. It was only when the woman started explaining what the Beldum line ate and turned her attention away form her for a moment that she felt it really sink in, and her smile stayed in place even though her hands twitched around the straps of her bag.
What are friends for?
"Avantages, pour un ou les deux côtés."
So then Juni really was her friend. She was giving her a fossil, and in return Senara was receiving a powerful Pokemon. It was a business transaction. A fair deal, a fair trade. So then why did she suddenly feel colder? She took an instinctive step closer to Gentille rather than stay up against the chillier scales of Petitpied. This was fine. Friendship was fine, this friendship was fine. Juni was her friend...so long as she had something to gain.
Makes sense to me.
Gentille snorted out an amused breath of air, letting Smokie poke around the bags of eggs slung over her toasty fur, but noticed her trainer leaning in toward her as well. She stepped just so she could press a large, wet, decidedly not cold canine nose to her cheek. Senara yelped quietly and ducked back. Huh? Oh. Right. She'd spaced out.
Neat.
"Well that can't be too much different from how my life usually is. I've got a Joltik whose favorite pastime include my laptop wires and her mandibles. And my precious baby still eats a lot of my jewelry when she's bored..." Senara spoke cheerfully, though there was a hint of irritation to her smile this time. So many replaced chargers. "I've surrounded myself with Pokemon with pica. And not the mouse kinds. I'll totally keep that in mind!"
Juni Savage WC: 351 Today in "Senara dissociates when friendship is mentioned"...
Smokie sniffed the eggs a little longer before falling on all fours again. There didn’t smell to be any Cyndquil eggs among them, but she couldn’t actually be as fully sure as she wanted to be right then. Ah well.
Juni was too caught up in her own explanations to properly read Senara’s face as she talked. As she finished, however, she was aware of a look she wasn’t… quite sure of? “Uh…. Did something not make sense there?” she asked. Maybe she hadn’t been clear about the electromagnetism or maybe she’d just assumed too much in regard to what Senara already knew on the subject or?
Senara’s yelp had Juni jolting awkwardly. Had it been any louder, she might have fallen off Disc, but luckily that wasn’t the actual case. “Huh???” A pause. “Are you ok??” The response was that to her statements earlier, as Juni realized, and she found herself slowly nodding back. “Cool….” She guessed. A raindrop fell square on the top of her head, and Juni out of habit reached up and slapped it. “Ow—“ Looking up at the sky thereafter, she frowned slightly. “We might want to move to dodge the shower.” she noted. Or at least the clouds that were moving overhead.
Post by Senara Spargo on Apr 14, 2020 22:43:21 GMT
“What?”
Senara’s smile stayed in place, firm, and not entirely friendly, although she was trying to make it so. “Oh, no, it made sense! I’m just spacing a little. I’ve got some weird sleep hours. Haha, part of why Petitpied was walking me was I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep on Gentille! That darn warm fur, right?”
Urgh. It didn’t feel good thinking about this. And it felt even worse, somehow, thinking it in front of Juni. Juni called them friends but were they really? She was just talking to a mask. She’d seen a crack in it but Senara refused to let it break away and kept holding to the act. So then they weren’t really friends. Juni thought they were but if there was a wall between them, then she was just friends with whatever she saw, not...really who or what Senara was. And that was fine. It was easier this way.
Senara didn’t have sincere friendships. Just business transactions.
Easy.
A faint haze of steam bloomed around Gentille as little droplets of rain began hitting her fur, and Senara glanced up at the darkening sky. Ah, shoot. She thought the weather was meant to be clear today? It wouldn’t be a far walk with Petitpied as her ride, but she was going in the opposite direction as Juni, and...honestly, wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay around her right now. At the same time leaving things here might be read wrong.
Did it matter?
“Uh, I’m going down that way, but I think there’s a rain shelter a bit aways toward Pine? If you wanna sprint for it?”
“Oh mood.” The words had escaped from Juni before she even really realized it. She knew odd sleep schedules like the back of her hand. A small puff of air, a half laugh if one could call it that, came and went from Juni as she listened to Senara’s words. Her eyes flickered to the Arcanine again. Warm, soft, yep. “That’s reasonable.”
This thought was cut off by a brief moment of concern and then a change of focus. Juni chewed her lower lip. She could make a break for it, but she’d still probably get soaked and— Her eyes dropped back to Senara again and then out towards Pine. “You think we can make it, Disc?” The Metang wasn’t exactly sure, but he supposed it was possible. Smokie hopped up in her lap, and Juni was quick to return her for now. Water didn't necessarily bother Fire Pokemon (it was more Water elemental attacks), but it was better to keep her safe and dry in this case.
Juni gave a nod before looking back towards Senara again. “Hey I’ll text you about that egg, and we can talk again then, alright?” she asked smiling a bit.
Post by Senara Spargo on May 11, 2020 16:06:26 GMT
Hah, she bought that. Shocking nobody. Though it was a little funny hearing somebody that she suspected was older than her use "modern slang" or however you want to call it. Senara giggled, actually amused. Wow. Nerd. But then again, she was one, too.
Not that it mattered.
"Good luck! And yes, please!! That'd be so awesome! Thank you so so much!” Senara gave Petitpied's neck a quick pat, and as cued their long neck lowered for her to climb up onto. She slid back into the same spot she'd been in before, seated right on the giant Amaura's shoulders, and kicked her feet back and forth. "Let's go! Vite, vite! Avant de nous tremper!" Gentille let of a huff of steam and took off at a good pace, quicker than Petitpied but still close enough for Senara to see her. Senara trusted her to rush ahead a bit. Better that than the eggs getting wet! But she was seriously reconsidering sitting on an Ice-type Pokemon with oncoming rain. Petitpied's skin wasn't freezing but...still.
I'm totally going to get a cold from this...uuuuuurgh that's going to suuuuck...
She pushed the lingering chill in her gut aside in place of the literal chill on her skin. She'd rather be sick than have those thoughts in her head. Nope. Not today, "friend".
“Take care!” Juni called with a small smile as she watched Senara go for a moment before making a small gesture to Disc to have him float onwards. The Metang started floating on a little faster. Juni clung on a little tighter. They were going to get soaked, weren’t they? And I didn’t even bring a change of clothes… Oh well. She had a few Fire types to dry her off later.
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