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.
Koray didn't want to do this. He'd already made that abundantly clear the first time his father had brought up therapy. Rowan of course chewed him out later which... Koray didn't take it very well that his partner pokemon and thereby best friend was siding against him. It had taken time to get over that, but he knew that it was in his best interest... no matter how much he hated the idea. Telling complete strangers his woes and struggles didn't seem like it would help. Besides, there were things he kept quiet for a reason. Keeping it in isn't helping either Koray... Rowan whined, wilting a little when his trainer didn't acknowledge the comment. He didn't need to, their connection went both ways. The Phantump knew that Koray didn't want to talk about it. He was going to the Weeping Forest only because Father had insisted.
Riding Freda to the entrance to the Weeping Forest meant that Koray had more time to think about what this meeting would involve. It had taken quite a lot of convincing for Father to at least get him to agree to meet. Granted, his OCD had been acting up a lot more lately... and he'd been losing weight again but that was normal. He had a high metabolism, it had nothing to do with not being able to keep anything down. Clearly. His father had twisted his arm however and managed to convince Koray that he could at least meet someone first before dismissing the idea entirely.
There's no point. It won't help. Angry, cynical thoughts raced through Koray's mind even as Freda walked towards the forest. He hated being put in this situation. It... was actually making his stomach hurt. Was it the smell of the food his father had insisted he take with him? Apparently this Doctor Evans was a family friend that Koray was just now finding out about. Or he had never bothered to take interest in, either could be true at this point. Strange how he'd never heard of him before. Of course, Koray had only been living with his adoptive father for the better part of two years now. A lot had happened since then.
It's not too late to turn back... Disappear, pretend that he'd gotten lost. But the guilt of lying to one of the few people that actually cared was too much. I care too, Koray... Rowan flitted forward, looking pitiful for a Phantump. Hhhh, Koray could never stay mad at Rowan for very long. An arm reached out, welcoming him to sit on his lap while Freda walked on. Snuggling with the Phantump, Koray set his chin on top of the his partner's stump. This was comfortable, it felt right. I know you do, Rowan. That would be all the response the Phantump needed to perk up and enjoy the comfort of his trainer's arms.
Meanwhile Elanor, ever the optimist piped up that she too cared. She was caring for three eggs after all! That earned a soft laugh. Yes, the Litwick was one of Koray's lights...pun intended. Tucked away in the saddlebags, Koray was glad that the eggs, Elanor, and the lunch father had provided all fit. Freda didn't seem to mind, but then again the Absol was rather strong. Ah, it looked like the meeting place was up ahead. Sigh...might as well get this over with. Ash City wasn't that much further.
The subtle crunch of thawing ground underfoot mixed the winding sounds of soft birds overhead. It was winter, but it would not be winter forever. Atticus liked this season more than any other.
Walking down the path carved out through the Weeping Forest, Atticus made his way to the meeting spot: part way between Route 7 and part way between Ash City. It had been an unusual request. Normally clients came to him, not the other way around, but this one proved to be a special case. A special case for an old friend who knew just how to bake.
Alongside Atticus was a rather large Umbreon wearing a harness. One of Atticus’s hands had threaded itself through the loop. The other was in his pocket trying to stay warm. Eclipse the Umbreon didn’t really notice the cold as he walked his master out through the woods at a careful pace. He had long since come to accept and expect Arciel’s seasons. No, his senses were outwards, searching for anything and everything that could pose a problem to them. So far, nothing had.
Out in front of them was a smaller than average Pikachu who sprinted from one interesting thing to the next. As something caught his ears, he gave a small ‘chu’ and immediately sprinted towards it only to dead stop on seeing the Absol and company right in front of him now. Turning, he sprinted back to Atty, which wasn’t that far now, and immediately climbed up the man to his shoulder. Atty shifted a little awkwardly. “Easy, easy there Tes, I take it you’ve found company?”
Eclipse confirmed with a small ‘bri’.
“Hello there, Koray Starr, I take it?” Atty offered a smile in that direction. "Atticus Evans."
Last Edit: Mar 18, 2020 2:07:04 GMT by Atticus Evans
Freda would be the one to pick up the sound of approaching footsteps before Koray would. The Absol would give a low purring sound in greeting, causing Koray to look up and see the party before him. The man looked to be about as tall as he was, well, when he wasn't riding on Freda that is. Brown eyes searched Atticus', not really seeing any recognition. Of course from the way he was using the harness on the Umbreon it seemed there was a reason for that. The Pikachu climbing onto the man's shoulder earned a slight smile. That was interesting now, wasn't it. Is he blind?
Atticus' admonishment of the Pikachu had Koray blinking curiously. It wasn't until the Umbreon confirmed his presence that the man would turn towards Koray. A shiver went through his form as this man, Atticus, spoke his name. Of course he knows my name... Dad probably told him, relax. That still didn't erase the unease he felt, but Koray would nod only to realize that Atticus probably couldn't see him. Right. "Yes," Koray replied perhaps a little too curtly. He still didn't want to be here, "Nice to meet you, Dr. Evans." It wasn't, but Koray didn't want the doctor reporting his rudeness back to his father either.
Rowan gave a soft admonishing cry at that, scolding Koray for being so rude. He came here to help you, Koray.What if I don't want his help. Another whine came from the Phantump who seemed to shrink back in Koray's arms. A sigh would leave him after that, loosening his hold on Rowan. He really didn't want to deal with this. "Dad made us lunch. We could eat it now or later," Koray explained, a shrug would be given after that. There wasn't much he wanted to talk about right then. He'd only agreed to meet with Dr. Evans. Not to talk to him.
Post by Atticus Evans on Mar 18, 2020 23:22:51 GMT
As Koray nodded, Eclipse gave a low note back, and Tesla gave a soft ‘chu’ thereafter. Ah, right then. Even before Koray said yes, Atticus knew. It gave him a chance to be aware of the promptness of the response. “Call me Atty if you like,” Atticus answered. “Doc’s fine too but.” He shrugged his shoulders a bit indifferently now. Had he been younger and more prideful, he would have insisted on being called Dr. Evans. Those days, though, had passed.
Rowan’s cry had Atty raising an eyebrow. What was that? Sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place the species. The follow up whine was enough to conclude. Right, Phantump… Interesting choice for a Pokemon. Thoughts for later, though, as Atty listened again right after. Eat now or later? “Depends,” Atty answered reaching up and pulling his shades away from his eyes and folding them into the crux of his shirt. “Did he pack panda marshmallow cheese cake?” Atticus snorted softly at his own words. “Cause I could sit and eat that all day long.” And he would if left to his own devices.
Tesla stared form his perch on Atty’s shoulder. He was curious and brave! But he was also small and just a little aware of the size differential going on here. The Pikachu lowered his chin down onto Atty’s shoulder and folded up comfortably around the back there. Eclipse shifted Atty slightly to accommodate (and keep him from leaning too much one way or another).
Another nod would be given as Atty explained his name preference. Good, it was a little odd to be speaking so formally anyway. "Atty then," would be the only comment added thereafter. He would note Atty's reaction to hearing Rowan's whine, but opted not to say anything. Maybe it would be courteous to introduce his pokemon to Atty, but Koray wanted to reveal as little information as he could get away with. The offer to eat lunch now was more natural, but he didn't really care one way or another. He knew that he wouldn't be eating any of it, anyway.
The answer thereafter had a small laugh escaping Koray. So that was why Father had made those ridiculous little cheesecakes. Apparently it was a bribe, or payment, to see him. Koray didn't quite know how to feel about that, but he would nod regardless. "Of course~, there's at least 100 of the little things. He packed a cooler filled with them. Lucky Freda, my Absol, can carry them easily," Koray explained, urging Freda forward once again. He would much rather continue on to Ash. It'd be more comfortable than eating while on the trail.
The laugh, no matter how soft it was, had Atty smiling a little. Good, good. A hundred panda marshmallow cheesecakes sounded awfully tasty, though. “They were one of a couple desserts your father made for me and my husband when we got hitched,” he commented. “Seems he knows what still works.” Heh.
At the mention of an Absol, though, Eclipse gave a small ‘bri’ sound again letting Atty know that was the big thing standing in front of them. Shifting around and making sure Atticus did as well, Eclipse started to walk alongside the Absol and ushered Atty forward as well. Atty’s free hand reached up and gently pat Tesla out of habit. “Your dad mentioned you like to cook. Bribe anyone with sweets yet?” he prompted slowly after.
Koray's eyes softened a little when he heard the explanation. Oh. So that was why Father had been so insistent on getting them perfect. They held a special meaning, but it was still kind of funny that the choice of bribe was something so adorably cute. Not the kind of dessert he would have imagined Atty to have at a wedding of all things. Of course, he didn't exactly know what kind of person Atty's husband was. It might have been fitting to have something like that at a wedding.
Hearing the Umbreon make a sound, Koray glanced at her, wondering what that was supposed to mean. It seemed that both the Pikachu and Umbreon had done that on more than one occasion. Verbal cues to make sure that Atty wasn't surprised perhaps? The question about Atty's sight was on the tip of Koray's tongue when the comment and question thereafter interrupted him. How much does he know already? Another question Koray didn't particularly want to know the answer to. This was fine. Father and Atty were friends, it was natural to discuss different things. I'm fine.
He wasn't. Rowan felt the way Koray had stiffened, but wouldn't mention it this time. A soft half laugh hit the air after that. More forced than the one before. "A few. Mostly friends," it was vague enough that he didn't give anything away. Though the drop in his tone would be noticeable. Koray didn't want to talk about the memories it dredged up. Making brownies for Ara, cookies, other sweets. Even more recently, the lunch for Gabe... It hurts.
Thoughts would be interrupted at the squeak from Elanor. It seemed one of the eggs was hatching. Leaning over to take the egg in question from the saddlebag, Koray didn't tell Freda to stop. This was something that he enjoyed, seeing Pokemon hatch from an egg. That was something that would always make him smile. "My Toxel egg is hatching," Koray explained briefly, just in case Atty did need to know what the sound was. The light shone brightly and indeed, a Toxel did appear in Koray's arms, cradling close while Elanor stood guard over her other two charges. What a cutie.
Atty’s eyes closed as he walked, his ears focusing in his stead. The drop in Koray’s tone wasn’t missed but wouldn’t be extrapolated on right then. “Hm?” The soft cry of the Litwick was so different from that of the Phantump and what he guessed was the breath of the Absol that Atty had to pause and consider if he had heard it already or not.
“A Toxel?” Atty repeated. “Don’t think I’ve heard or seen one of those.” There were entirely too many Pokemon to keep up with these days. Travelers and trainers seemed to come up out of nowhere with a who’s-a-what-now all the time. “With a name like that, though, I’m guessing a partial Poison typing,” Atty chuckled at that.
Eclipse said nothing but had looked away from Koray and Pokemon. Tesla looked sideways at Eclipse and said nothing but frowned softly.
Atty's question would make Koray raise an eyebrow. The Toxel in his arms seemed to be trying to disappear into them. She's so shy... It wouldn't be the best to just hand her over right then but maybe... "Emmie's shy, the Toxel that is," since that was the name he'd decided on right off the top of his head, "She keeps trying to hide, but... here, I think she'll let you pet her," Freda would take the hint and approach the Umbreon, enough that they were withing arm's reach. "You're correct on that front though, they are electric and poison pokemon. As shy as Emmie is, I don't think you have any reason to worry about being shocked though. Toxel were actually in a swarm a few months back," Koray explained briefly.
Emmie was indeed trying to disappear into Koray's arms but did decide to peek out to see what her trainer was talking about. "There you go, Emmie, see, you're safe." That seemed to encourage the Toxel more as she stopped trying to burrow into Koray's arms. "Ah, I also have my Litwick and Phantump with me. Elanor and Rowan prospectively." That was... the polite thing to do. Right now, he was more in tune with Emmie and whether she was feeling comfortable or not.
Atty’s brow raised from behind his hairline in unknown unison. “Named her already?” he asked with a small teasing smile. “Baby Pokemon tend to be like that, though.” Atty shifted a little to reach a hand up to Tesla. The Pikachu pushed his cheek pouch into that free hand without hesitation. “They’ll either grow out of it or grow super attached, no in between.”
The offer to pet Toxel, though, had Atty’s hand dropping from Tes to shifting up in Koray’s vague direction. Atty left the hand there just waiting for the Absol or Koray himself to direct it. Once he did feel over the Toxel, though, he pet the creature gently. “Can’t let a shock stop ya from it either way,” he answered. “Life’s too short not to pet a Pokemon.” Too bad he’d supposedly missed this swarm, but work was distracting as always. He didn’t have the luxury of always being in the know.
Tesla shifted from Atty’s one shoulder up over to the other one and then fluidly climbed it right up onto Freda. Sitting down roughly in front of Koray, the Pikachu reached up a paw to pat the Toxel too. Electric solidarity. “Chuu….”
As Koray introduced his Pokemon, Atty nodded once. “The Pikachu’s name is Tesla; the Umbreon’s name is Eclipse. He’s actually my husband’s…” Atty smiled a little… differently at that before he finally retracted his hand and felt along to make sure he had a decent grip on Eclipse’s harness again. The latter let out a low rumbling noise that was not quite a stereotypical Pokemon sound.
Koray just gave a half laugh at the tease about having named the baby already. Names just came to him easily sometimes. Other times, it took a few moments to come up with a name suitable enough for the babies. Or any newly captured pokemon for that matter. Seeing the affection the Pikachu had towards Atty however made him smile. That was adorable, actually. "Not always, the last egg I hatched was a Spiritomb... that was a... trying experience," Koray explained briefly, unable to shake the fear from his voice entirely. Even Emmie looked up to see if he was ok at that, another half laugh would be given and just like that he was focused on the Toxel again.
Seeing Atty's hand reaching out confirmed Koray's suspicions that the man was blind. So his pokemon must be helping him see, in a sense. That made a lot of sense, actually. Koray would take the hand and direct it to Emmie who seemed to lean into it. Alright, these pets seemed just fine. The comment from Atty would earn another laugh as Koray shook his head, "Yes, I suppose so," he murmured softly, smiling when he saw the Pikachu pat Emmie as well. That was pretty adorable and the Toxel uncurled a little in Koray's arms to see this other electric type.
As the pokemon were introduced, Koray nodded and would reach out to pet the Pikachu. Tesla seemed friendly enough. Ah, but the way that Atty mentioned that Eclipse was his husband's was enough to let Koray know that Atty had suffered loss too. "I'm sorry..." he murmured after that, pulling out a free pokeball to give Emmie some rest. The Toxel was already yawning. Babies sure slept a lot.
Post by Atticus Evans on Mar 21, 2020 19:54:25 GMT
“Spiritomb?” Atticus repeated. “Ah, the supposed 108 souls trapped together Pokemon.” He recalled after a moment. It was hard to believe such Pokemon actually hatched if what the legends about it said were true, but Atty was more inclined to believe Pokemon existed versus Pokemon Were Caged Spirits or whatever.
As his hand was directed to the Toxel, Atty pet it gently. The warm electrical current that charged the dual-type Pokemon was vaguely reminiscent of the feeling of Tesla’s cheek pouches. Tesla’s voice assured him he was close Distantly, Atty wondered if two Electric types could feel the electric charges between one another. Tesla poked the Toxel a couple of times each attempt getting lighter and a little more tickling in nature.
Koray’s apology had Atticus tilting his head. “For what?” he asked. As the baby was captured, Tesla lost interest and went bounding off of the Absol and back onto Atty’s shoulder. The latter took a step back and sideways before recapturing his balance. Eclipse gave a sharp ‘bri’ in irritation at Tes. The latter just ‘chuuuu’d back.
"Not supposed. It's true," Koray corrected, taking a deep breath as he swallowed the fear that came at remembering that. He... still couldn't quite face Caradoc after that. Even though he was trying so hard to move past that. The fear was hard to move past, especially when the cost of being near 108 spirits so suddenly had almost made him lose consciousness entirely. It was exceedingly hard to get better with this accursed power of his when something like that threw a curveball at him.
No sooner had Koray let that apology slip that Atty asked him exactly what he was sorry about. That... stung, more than he thought it would. A deep breath would be taken before a slight smile, an attempt to mask the pain. Not that he would have to worry about the charade with Atty. "Because I know loss when I see it," Koray murmured, his voice quiet despite how much he tried to hide it, "Arceus knows I've seen enough. So... I'm sorry you've seen loss, too."
No sooner had Koray said this that Eleanor piped up again. O-oh, it looked like this egg fell out with the movement of the bag this time. "Rowan." That was all he needed to say before the Phantump swooped down to pick up the egg right as the light turned what had been an egg into a Mawile. The baby looked quite startled to be flying, and the big maw tried to bite at the Phantump but Koray grabbed the Mawile before she could try. "Shh, you're alright little Nia~. Sweet Mawile." Why was it... so much easier to be around baby pokemon than face Atty right then and there? Pokemon had become a reason to keep going. If he hadn't met Rowan... well, Koray didn't want to imagine that.
Post by Atticus Evans on Mar 28, 2020 13:25:02 GMT
Atticus’s head tilted as Koray spoke. It was true? Or at least Koray thought it was true. Atticus wasn’t sure he could believe it without seeing it for himself, but it really didn’t matter what he thought, not really.
What came after had Atticus’s features falling a little. Ah… Koray had read into something in the way he’d just spoken or otherwise, and even if that was hella presumptuous, Koray wasn’t technically wrong. A small breath escaped from Atticus. He’d been about to say something back when a sound cut him off. Tesla gave a small chuuu again, and Eclipse gave a small ‘bri’ tone as well.
Ah ….Koray liked distractions, didn’t he? That was why he brought not just one egg but two to hatch. Atticus smirked softly to himself. You can’t run and hide from your problems by putting up distractions…meaningful ones or not. Everyone always seemed to want to learn that one the hard way, thought.
“Sounds like you’ve been through a lot,” Atticus finally stated. “The people who’ve been through the most tend to have the most empathy.” He sighed softly debating whether he wanted to actually get into it or not. Still, part of this was building rapport. “I lost my husband a few years ago during the sudden opening of Ultra Wormholes and the release of Ultra Beasts.” He explained. “Kind of rude to make the assumption though.” He laughed a little at that.
Koray was aware of how Atty's head had tilted the moment he'd corrected the statement as fact. He just chose not to acknowledge it. That wasn't something he was so willing to divulge, at least not to a near stranger. It didn't matter how many panda cheesecake things Father had bribed Atty with, Koray was stubborn enough to try and get through this meeting with divulging as little information as possible. The Mawile that hatched thereafter was a very welcome distraction, one that Koray took advantage of until the little one needed to rest as well. Capturing Nia, Koray would place the pokeball in his pocket before hearing what Atty had to say.
Except he didn't want to hear it. Didn't want to hear about empathy or whatever he'd just caught in Atty's voice and tone. A small hiss of air would be heard as Koray inhaled, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach that came with that acknowledgement. Why did I say that? It had been revealing something of himself, something Koray had told himself he wouldn't do.
Hearing that Atty had lost his husband to the Ultra Beasts had that pain worsening though. Like his heart was in a vice grip that wouldn't let go so easily. Ack... Well, one thing that Atty said was true. Empathy was something that Koray knew quite a lot about. "Sorry..." Koray murmured thereafter, looking away once again. He wanted to disappear, to urge Freda on and not look back. Rowan let out a soft coo, expressing concern even as Koray held the Phantump closer. He wasn't going to slip up again. Or so Koray told himself.
The small hitch of Koray’s breath would not be missed by Atticus. Nor would the sound of him shifting forward some or the vocal response of the Phantump. Ah, bingo. He’d been right on that front, even if he already knew so to some extent.
The apology that came thereafter earned a small shrug of shoulders. “T’sok,” Atticus answered. “Spent about two months in grief counseling myself for it. Kind of funny hearing the usual suggested techniques turned on me. They work, though, ya know.”
Eclipse’s ears twitched, but he was trying not to listen. Tesla listened in unabashedly. He knew the story but was brave enough to acknowledge it no matter what!
A small shake of his head would be given at Atticus' words. No, it wasn't ok. Though... hearing that Atty struggled with grief too helped. At least to some degree. Koray didn't say much else, refused to. He'd already given away quite a few things already, and... well, town couldn't be much further, right? Besides, there wasn't really anything else left to say. A shrug would be given as Atty affirmed that the techniques for handling grief worked. Sure, maybe they did. Koray wasn't exactly convinced that they would work for him.
"That's good," Koray muttered, managing a slight smile. It was a non-committal response and one that he hoped wouldn't elicit more questions. That of course remained to be seen but it just... felt awkward to try and pick up a conversation after hearing that.
Attius closed his eyes. This was going to be difficult, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t up for the challenge. That was what he had signed up for in this profession, after all. “For instance, there’s a mechanism called mental imagery where, when you feel stressed, anxious, or otherwise, you focus on one particular mental image that is calming. There are a lot of people who would imagine the beach or a lake. Others have specific areas that make them feel at ease. It doesn’t just have to be an image, though. It can be a familiar sound or a smell…. Something that you practice bringing to the forefront of your mind to focus on.”
Topaz, meanwhile, carefully led Atticus down the path making sure he avoided missteps or uneven terrain. She wasn’t near big enough to ride, but she had seen those items in the shop windows a couple of times now. Maybe, someday, she too would be as huge as the Absol this patient rode. Tesla, meanwhile, was mostly indifferent to this and happy where he was listening in.
Atty went on to explain some of the techniques that worked on him. Could he read minds too? At this point, nothing would surprise Koray. Gabe could read minds apparently and with how Atty started off with something that would help stress and anxiety, it certainly made Koray wonder. It seemed far too coincidental to lead with that shortly after talking about grief, especially given how it felt like his stomach was twisted up in knots. A calming image, huh?
Well, it was worth a shot. Maybe. Or not. Koray stubbornly didn't want to take advice from Atty. He was just fine like this. You're not fine, Koray... Hearing Rowan's voice in his mind was enough to make Koray wince. He knew that. He knew that there was only so much distraction could do. He knew all of this but... No, this was fine. He was just fine. Try it? Please? Rowan cooed softly, worried and trying to help just as much as Atty seemed to be. They hadn't said anything bad... it was just a suggestion, right?
A breath would be taken as Koray held Rowan closer. The Phantump was right... he knew it. It didn't mean that he wanted to admit that Atty might be right. Or that his father might have been trying to look out for him in his own way. No. The fact remained that Koray didn't want this. There wasn't anything calm he could focus on. Ara had made sure of that. She'd bled into every part of his life so much so that it seemed everything reminded him of her. Every thought seemed to be consumed by and fixated on her. I can't do it.
Images did come to mind. The cabin he'd taken Ara to, lunch at the cafe... dancing, the feeling of flying. Except then Ara's dancing came to mind along with the spa and-... A sharp inhale of breath would be heard. The exercise would be dismissed entirely after that, focusing instead on Rowan, on the feeling of the Phantump in his arms. That was the only thing that seemed to pull him from the vicious cycle that would have pulled him under. It hurt too much to even dare bring that up. "It won't work." Just because it worked for Atty didn't mean it would work for him.
Atticus’s lips pressed together as he listened to Koray’s breathing. Unlike the rhythmic forces of the rest of the Pokemon walking, it was shakier, weaker, and sharper. Atticus’s eyes opened again, and fuzzy light pushed through his shades bathing the world in vague colors again. He could feel Topaz’s weight shifting. She was turning slightly to eye Koray and his Pokemon a bit better. Atty too tilted his head somewhat and sor of looked in Koray’s general direction. “Why’s that?”
06
04
00
