Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 16, 2020 3:27:55 GMT
Birch lab, huh? Now that was a name that brought back memories.
From as early as he could remember, Elliot remembered how excitedly his father spoke about Hoenn's own Birch Lab. As early as he could walk he remembered toddling after his father's Flygon, the dragon performing loops in the skies and telepathically teasing him for not being able to fly. All the while, his father's Torterra chased breathlessly after him, trying to stop the excitable boy from falling over himself. Terran always joked it was harder on Torterra than any battle he'd faced over in Hoenn. While Elliot's excitability calmed down over those years, his love of Pokemon never quite did. His father's team was a common fixture throughout the house, and to Elliot they were just as much part of the family as any humans present. And soon, oh so soon, he just knew he'd be receiving his own to join along in the journey. A Mudkip, he always figured. It was one of Hoenn's traditional options, so it'd likely be available, and it'd let him follow right in his father's footsteps. All he needed to do was hit those double digits, and as soon as his 10th birthday hit he knew he'd be speeding right over to the lab.
Warmth and coldness, joy and sorrow, and a bittersweet sense of nostalgia flooded Elliot as he looked towards the door of the lab. The building was smaller than he had expected, but how could it not be? Even setting aside it's rather rustic look, Elliot was 6 years and a few halfhearted growth spurts past the point he had originally planned to start from. The climate was different. The scent in the air was still that slightest bit unfamiliar. And the people he expected to be cheering him on as he took those fated first steps . . . he didn't know what they were even doing, and frankly he was afraid to find out.
Yet at the same time, it was hard not to feel a familiar calm piercing through the strange twists of his gut. The excitement around the building may not have been as electric as he imagined, but how could he not feel some enthusiasm looking over this home for new beginnings? Even now a little girl, no older than 13, came excitedly running out of the lab with a Drifloon floating behind her. The two skipped, spun, and hummed with excitement as her parents followed her out, the quartet all smiles. It was a beautiful, non-Hoenn day outside, at a beautiful, non-Hoenn lab, where people who may've never even been to Hoenn before were beginning the journey of a lifetime. The past was the past. As Elliot walked up and laid his hand on the lab's front door, he knew that'd be a fact he'd just have to accept. So what if his life could never go back to the way it was? Mourning wouldn't get him anywhere.
He blinked back the sorrow in his eyes and smiled. And then he pushed forward to step through the doors. It was time to begin the first day of the rest of his life.
Professor Holly had been at the front speaking with one of her assistants over their tasks for the day when the sound of the door groaning open caught their attention. The assistant was quick to disperse at the sign of the newcomer, having seen this sort of thing so many times before, and Professor Holly was left to her own devices.
The professor looked at the clipboard she was holding and skimmed over the data there as she made her way to Elliot, lifting papers up to peruse the second and even third pages. When she saw what it was she had been looking for recognition crossed her features and she lifted her head to address the newcomer proper. "Elliot Sunderland, is it? Welcome. I have the egg as requested."
There was a strange looking shelf stationed over a desk piled with research papers, a heat lamp casting a red glow over an egg that was hidden behind a protective plastic door. Professor Holly raised the door and took the egg out, then carried it carefully over to the young man.
"This egg will hatch into your new Pokemon relatively soon. In the meantime, take good care of it." Though her expression was impassive, a small smile does make its way onto her features.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 16, 2020 21:53:49 GMT
Elliot's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the egg being taken off of the shelf. For such a Pokemon-happy family, he had never actually seen an egg in person like this before. On television and in magazine pictures, they always seemed so small, still, and perfect. But this? This egg already had the small, subtle twitches of new life. It looked large in the professor's arms, almost as if she was cradling a baby. And the heat radiating from it wasn't just from the nearby heat lamp. The more he looked at the egg, the more the reality of the situation set in. His hands started to shake nervously as he held them out, prepared to receive the precious bundle of joy from the professor. Excitement sparked behind eyes the size of dinner plates, and while his smile was small it was filled with reverent awe. "Thank you so much, Professor," he said, more to the egg than the actual woman holding it.
It was only after a second's pause that he realized his mistake, blushing a little from the accidental rudeness. "Oh! Uh, sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "But, seriously. Thank you."
With his embarrassment out of the way, Elliot could focus more on the matter at hand. "I've got a few of them, yeah," he asked, slipping off his hoodie before Professor Holly made the hand-off. "Do you know how many days it usually takes before a newly hatched Pokemon can walk? Battle, even? I don't want to leave town too early and put it in any danger. Is there any special food or baby formula I should get for a newborn, or will they be able to start eating their normal diets right away? Would wrapping the egg in my hoodie be a good idea to keep it warm, or would that make the hatching too cramped?
OH! One more question. How would I make a habitat out of my ro-"
Elliot paused as he realized where that last question was going. Or, more accurately, he realized where it wasn't. His smile softened slightly, a melancholy joining the wonder in his eyes. Yet as he looked back up at the egg, he remembered why he was here. In the end, this was all going to be worth it. "Actually, don't worry about that part. I mean, I'm gonna be on the road too much to worry about that for now, right?"
Holly’s lips pressed together into a fine line as she waited for the questions to cease. When they did, she began speaking. “The egg stage of a Pokemon’s life is actually a larval stage. It should almost be self-sufficient on hatching,” she answered. That covered walking, battling, etc. What else? “Standard Poke-food will be just fine for them.” Her eyes then fell on the jacket. “Keeping it warm will ensure that it hatches in a timely manner.” Was that everything? Yes, she supposed since he cut himself off of that last question. So Holly waited for a response.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 16, 2020 23:30:40 GMT
"Huh, really? That . . . " Elliot trailed off as he considered the possibilities, drumming his fingers against his walking stick. "That actually makes a lot of sense. I mean, I think it's said all Pokemon descend from Mew, right? Maybe the egg's, like. The first form every Pokemon has. Almost like what's left of the original, ancestor Mew? And then they kinda branch from it like Silcoon and Cascoon branch out of Wurmple?" He started speaking a little inwardly, as if he was more making mental notes for himself than he was actually trying to strike up a conversation. Despite this, it wasn't long before he realized that he was doing all of this rambling, which was way above his weight class, around someone who had likely studied topics like that since he was in diapers. His embarrassed blush promptly returned as he hushed himself up.
"I think that should be everything. Thank you again, Professor," Elliot said. He looked up at her and smiled, a little bit more firm than his nervous one from earlier. As soon as he would be able to take the egg, bundle it all up, and make sure it was safe and secure, he'd wait just a little bit longer to hear if the professor had anything left to say. It'd be rude to just bolt out the door on her, right?
Holly suppressed the urge to make any sort of correction that otherwise might have come up. Instead, she just let the musings of the young man go on for as long as they would. When he had finished (or maybe he hadn’t but she was going to interject anyways), she decided to give her two cents. “If Pokemon history fascinates you, perhaps you should stop in Ivy Town. There is a lab with fossil Pokemon and many historical relics.” And after that. “Do you have any other questions or are you ready to head off on your journey?” she prompted making a gesture for him to take the egg and go.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 16, 2020 23:53:51 GMT
Elliot perked up a little at the mention of Ivy Town. Immediately he took out his phone, plotting what the path from Birch to Ivy would be. It seemed like his journey would be starting towards the north. Or, at least, it would if there wasn't an ocean in his way. That meant finding some means of Flying or Surfing would become top priority for Elliot to sate his curiosities. A little bit roundabout of a plan, but at least it was a direction. He slide the phone back in his pocket and nodded. "I'll be sure to head over there on my journey," he said, a little bit of confidence creeping into his smile. Now that he had a direction and a goal, he was many steps ahead of where he had started this journey.
He took the egg, bundling it up in his hoodie before holding it closely towards him. Frankly, he had to resist the urge to give the egg a little snuggle, especially since he could see it was already starting to wiggle and squirm under the hoodie's warmth. Just how close was this thing to hatching, anyway? He rose to his feet, egg securely held in one arm and walking stick supporting him with the other. "All ready to head off now, Professor!" he chirped, wondering if thanking her for the third time in a row would just be overkill. Instead, he settled for a smile and whatever tiny wave he could pull off without dropping anything.
Slowly, carefully, but with a new spring in his step, Elliot headed out the door.
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