This world is inhabited by creatures that we call pokemon. People and pokemon live together by supporting each other, but now the scourge threatens the safety of the entire region. Kohaku has become a dangerous place, where children stay at home and only brave souls go adventuring.
Welcome to KOHAKU. Come for the nightmares. Stay for the tea and crumpets.
The season is SUMMER. It is easy for survivors to forage for food from the land, as there are entire abandoned farms ready for harvest. On the downside, you can smell the corpses.
swarms
GRAND OPENING !
Welcome to KOHAKU REGION's grand opening! If you're interested in joining, come check out our grand opening giveaway!
Nima wasn’t the sort to usually chase after rumors. Usually. Well. Okay. Maybe sometimes. …N-Nevermind that! Point being, he’d heard that there was a breeder in the area. While he wasn’t sure he had need of an egg just then, what he DID need was a look at all those healthy pokemon! What better place to do some research than with a trainer who already had quite a few? There were bound to be pokemon in his party that Nima had yet to come across.
Finding this breeder. Now that was another story. He wasn’t sure how else to do it, but hoof it around town and ask people if they’d seen this ‘Mordecai’. With a name as unique as that, there was bound to be somebody who’d heard of him! …At least he hoped so, haha. Finally permitting a break, Nima rested his hands on his hips and glanced around. Huh…icecream sounded pretty good right then…but, still… “Mordecai, Mordecai, Mordecai…honestly, am I going to have to search the whole city?” On a thought, it’d be terribly regrettable if that rumor proved false after all…boo.
electric has gangnam style
Sorry for being so MIA! Life is hectic, and I'm moving. I should be good to go after about a week!
Mordecai did stick out like a sore thumb though. If it wasn't his traditional attire, the long pipe that he puffed on, or the white bandages over his left eye, then it was the full party of vaccinated Pokémon that surrounded him that attracted the attention. He lowered a hand, with a cream-filled pastry to his heels, only to realize that the vaccinated Pikachu at his side had hopped into the space next to him. That left both of them sitting adjacent upon the wooden bench. "Hungry, then?" he laughed, to which Flavius gave him an eager nod. Mordecai broke off a piece of the bread and handed it to the Pikachu, to which the vaccinated Pokémon quickly started nibbling away at it.
People-watching was an old past-time of Mordecai's. In a sense, the number of people in the world, like the number of Pokémon, had decreased significantly with the onslaught of the Hades virus. A person that strolled leisurely past him may not live to see the next day. The Lillipup at their heels might end up as Scourge feed, or worse, a victim of the Hades virus themselves. Briefly, Mordecai wondered if there was such a strand of the virus that affected humans, but no professors had voiced such concerns.
"Strange that it's so nice out," he muttered, mostly to himself. On the contrary, Mordecai appreciated that there was a lively ambiance about Proserpina City. It made for a wonderful change of scenery juxtaposed with Bacchus Town.
And so did a particularly long-haired woman standing in his line of vision.
mood: hopeful notes: nima is so straight forward lol
Nima was pretty much ready to declare a much needed break from the hunt, in favor of finding an ice cream stand somewhere, when Zooka spotted something interesting. The tiny horsea was leaning out of Nima’s messenger bag a bit more than usual, in order to get a good look at the group of shimmering pokemon across the street. He was pretty sure Nima would find THAT interesting! “Sea! Sea! Horsea!” He rocked in the bag for good measure, catching Nima’s attention. Brushing some of his blond hair out of his face, he blinked down at his little starter. Following the pokemon’s line of vision, he found himself staring at a gentleman and his team… …o-oh, and the gentleman was staring back.
It was always a little startling to find someone looking at you, and Nima blushed slightly despite himself. It was awkward meeting eyes when you weren’t anticipating it! W-well…he had quite the crew of vaccinated pokemon there so…well, couldn’t hurt! Patting Zooka on the head, Nima turned and walked with confidence (feigned or otherwise) right up to the man on the bench. “Hi there! That’s quite the team you have, they’re lovely. Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I ask you just two questions? First, have you heard of a breeder named Mordecai? And second, may I study your pokemon for my pokedex?” Right to the point, polite as possible! Not much other way to do it, hehe.
"First, have you heard of a breeder named Mordecai? And second, may I study your Pokémon for my Pokédex?"
Mordecai was torn between being flattered by how fast his name had spread and being startled by the same thing. He had never been quite the person to strut around with his accomplishments, but it was nice to be recognized occasionally for it. He rose from the bench and extended a hand to Nima. "Mordecai Delacroix, speaking," he said to "her". Flavius, by now, had slid off the bench was poking curiously at Nima's bag. There was something moving around in it, and he smelled something fishy coming from its contents (literally).
"Flavius, come back," Mordecai said sternly. "That's very impolite." He scooped the Pikachu up in his arms and the Togepi toddling about in the other. It would do no good if the baby Pokémon ran off in the opposite direction. It could barely fend for itself, anyways.
mood: hopeful notes: lol i don't want to think of horsea as smelling fishy, blech
Nima blinked rapidly in surprise. Wait, really? He’d actually walked right up and found the guy he was looking for? …Awesome! Breaking out into a smile, Nima took the extended hand and gave it a light shake. “Nima Faraday, it’s very nice to meet you!”
Zooka squirmed about in the bag when it was poked, and Nima giggled a little as the breeder scooped up his pokemon. “They’re such cuties! And don’t worry, it’s probably Zooka that’s got Flavius’ attention.” On cue, the little horsea popped his head out of the bag, and Nima scooped him and held him out toward the curious pikachu. Unafraid, Zooka trilled happily in greeting, flailing his little fin. Ah right, back to the conversation! “I can’t believe my luck though, to actually find you in this huge city. I just heard that you had a good number of pokemon, and since I’m a researcher, I was hoping you’d let me study them. Is that alright?” Please say yes! Breeders usually had wonderful pokemon for study!
Mordecai took Nima's hand with a grin and gave it a friendly shake. "Nima Faraday, is it? Pleased to be of your acquaintance." After becoming a breeder, and after meeting Neo, Mordecai found that he had very little problems with showing his Pokémon to anyone who asked. After all, if these researchers would benefit from learning more about Pokémon by studying vaccinated one, then the breeder was more than happy to show his Pokémon off to them.
Flavius tilted his head to the side at the sight of the vaccinated Horsea. He gave the little seahorse Pokémon a poke in the side as he wagged his lightning-shaped tail. The Pikachu was always curious, which often landed him in trouble. Mordecai gave Nima an apologetic expression, but it appeared that the "woman" genuinely did not mind the Pikachu's slight antics.
"Oh, of course," the man replied with a nod. "I'd be more than happy to show you my Pokémon." He gestured for the Pokémon milling about to gather, and in a line stood a vaccinated Eevee, Skarmory, and Beedrill, with Flavius on the side and an unvaccinated Togepi in his arms. "This one here will be vaccinated soon. You want to get them safe from the Hades virus strands while they're still young," he explained.
Zooka squeaked at the poke, but was still excitable, his tail curling and uncurling rapidly. Nima giggled, finding their antics quite amusing. “Ah thank you so much!” He quickly reached back into his bag with his good hand, fishing out the pokedex. They really were good examples! Smiling all the while, he scanned each and every one of them carefully. “They all look so healthy and vibrant. And so cute!” Finishing up his scan, he looked up at Mordecai as he spoke. He sighed softly, but nodded, reaching out to gently tickle the togepi. “That’s true…I’m glad they’re all relatively safe now then. I’ve been getting vaccines for my pokemon too, and I’m very close to being able to distill my own.”
Mordecai raised a brow as Nima mentioned that she was very, very close to distilling her own vaccine. "Surely, there must be more than one way to produce them?" he asked Nima. At first, Mordecai had thought that sending researchers out into the field was a little impractical. But then again, different information could be gathered by different researchers. Studying two vaccinated Pokémon of the same breed could still yield very different observations.
Angelus giggled as Nima tickled his belly. The hatchling gurgled happily as Mordecai wiped a bit of drool that dribbled from the corner of his mouth. "Aha, sorry about that," he said, rubbing the top of the Pokémon's head. "Hasn't quite learned how to keep all his saliva where it belongs just yet."
And of course, Flavius could think of nothing else to do than poke the Horsea in the stomach again.
Mordecai decided to ignore the Pikachu. The Horsea didn't seem to mind. "I've met a couple of other researchers in the past as well," he said. "Do you think that you will be able to produce an easily-distilled vaccine in such a short amount of time?"
mood: contemplative notes: mordecai askin the important questions lol
Togepi being an adorable little ball of cute distracted him momentarily. He had to cover his mouth with his free hand, barely stifling a squeal. “Awwww. Such a cute little baby you are! Aren’t you? Yeah, hehe!” He tickled the togepi gently a few more times, totally smitten with the infant pokemon.
Zooka squeaked happily again, and then started to squirm, so Nima set him down next to the pikachu. The fact the other was an electric type didn’t bother him any - after all, so was Raijin!
Nima gave Mordecai a sad sort of smile, and shook his head. “Right now, we’re still distilling it from the Amberwell. It’s not easy to do, even after understanding pokemon physiology. And it’s still just a vaccine, for pokemon not already infected. We have to keep going, keep researching, if we want to find an alternative. The Amberwell can’t last forever. That’s why we’re out studying pokemon and the scourge.” He sighed softly, withdrawing his pokedex again to look at it. This little thing was really the key to the whole researcher program…but Mordecai was bringing up some good questions. “Honestly, we don’t have a choice. We have to figure it out. What’s the alternative? Being overrun? Obviously that’s not something we’d be willing to choose. Failure really isn’t an option.”
The Togepi was more than happy to let out a few more trills and squeaks, accompanied by the flapping of arms. Perhaps, if the baby Pokémon flapped a little harder, it would be able to fly straight out of Mordecai's grasp.
Flavius stroked his chin with a paw, still examining the Horsea, as if he were a researcher himself. He muttered the occasional "Piii pika..." as he tilted his head this way and that, trying to figure out as much as possible from the seahorse Pokémon. Never had Mordecai seen the Pokémon so absorbed in studying another, but it was a change from the Pikachu's hardheadedness and liability to rush into things without looking twice. Perhaps he had learned a thing or two from the researchers that Flavius had met.
Mordecai managed a reassuring smile for Nima. Doom and gloom didn't quite suit the cheerful day in Proserpina City. "Ah, well, the more the merrier," he said. "I've already met a couple of other researchers, and I'm sure that one of you is bound to come up with an alternative." And this was something that the man truly believed. Then again, he wasn't sure if they really had another choice, did they?
mood: happy notes: guh that togepi is so cuuuuuuute
That little baby was going to be the death of Nima at this rate. Even he could only handle so much cute before he potentially overloaded on it. Just…gah, it was so adorable!! Zooka meanwhile just blinked at Flavius. He flipped his fin rapidly now and then, and tilted his head along with the pikachu. Haha, this pokemon kind of looked like Nima with a thinking face on! “Horsea!”
Nima perked up pretty quickly, sensing Mordecai’s attempt. Honestly, he preferred to remain optimistic, and he switched from the somber mood. “Yep! There are a lot of smart people still left out there after all, haha. With all of us working so hard, it’s really only a matter of time - and we’re all pretty much rushing so it shouldn’t take long!” He blinked then, and shook his head as he had a thought. “We’re not the only ones working hard though. Trainers are ready to fight, and then there’s all of you Breeders working hard to make sure there are lots of healthy, strong pokemon. And now we have Rangers helping out too. I think all the groups naturally start to work together - like right now, you letting me study your pokemon!”
"Yes, it was smart of Eos to have all of their different classes working so closely together." As the saying went, e pluribus unum. Mordecai just hoped that the other members of Eos were also pulling their weight (he did not doubt, at all, that they were). "It's even more important for cooperation now."
The Pikachu nodded quietly to himself. Yes, this Horsea would be a formidable opponent one day. When that day came, he would be ready! Not that the Pikachu was feeling particularly eager to fight today. Sometimes, Mordecai was sorry that he was not a Pokémon trainer, but a breeder. That would have turned out better for the Pikachu. Flavius made no complaints, so all he could take away from that was the Pikachu was content with him.
Mordecai peered over the edge of Nima's Pokédex. "Your device... how exactly does it work?"
Zooka wasn’t entirely sure what was up with this subdued pokemon, but he wasn’t about to let things stay so quiet! He trilled happily, and then gave Flavius ~smeck~ a horsea smooch on the nose! How was that for a greeting?? Hehe!
Currently oblivious to his own pokemon’s antics, Nima blinked as his pokedex was questioned. Smiling, he held it out for Mordecai to get a better look. “It’s pretty neat, huh? It’s got a really awesome scanner built in - its not just taking pictures of the pokemon. It can give you all sorts of information about it’s size and weight, basic habits, habitat, and so on. And then I can always edit in more information as I come across it, so that in the end I have a really detailed description of each kind of pokemon. And then that gives me something to compare the Scourge pokemon to. Honestly, I think a lot of people could find good uses for a pokedex.”
Mordecai is lost to most of the mechanics, but he nods anyways. "Sounds like it'd be very handy in a battle," he says, though he also feels that it would aid greatly in breeding too. Being able to learn about the Pokémon's hidden potentials would facilitate a breeder's job to pair off strong Pokémon who would produce an egg and to nurture the smaller, "weaker" ones in hopes that they would grow stronger as well.
"Of course, they can't give one out to everyone though," he says. It would have been a rather unnecessary expense. The best way to combat the Hades virus, Mordecai felt, was not to purge the region of the Scourge, but to cure the Pokémon it came across. If possible, he hoped that the least amount of Pokémon lives would be lost in this process. "It'd be best to cure the Scourge than to kill them, I should hope."
Flavius blinks, mostly in shock about what has just happened. He's never been smooched before, save, smooched by a Horsea of all Pokémon. He rubs a bit at his nose, giving the Horsea a quizzical, "Pika?"
Nima finally pocketed the nifty device, nodding to Mordecai’s observations. “I think it would be really handy for a lot of people actually. But you’re right, they seem to only have but so much, and at the moment researchers need them most. Maybe one day everyone can reap the benefits though.” At the mention of curing, rather than killing, the scourge Nima looked a little pained. He hadn’t met them personally so he wasn’t sure how…hopeless it might really be. He’d yet to talk to any other researchers either, to see what they thought. All he knew was the source of the vaccine was dwindling, so at the very least they had to come up with an alternative. A cure would be ideal. But ideals sometimes…well…he’d keep up hope at the very least!
“I’d like for that to happen, too. I don’t know if it’s feasible to stop this any other way. I mean I don’t think we can actually vaccinate all the pokemon, there’s not enough resources for that right now. I haven’t seen the scourge for myself, but I’m hoping a cure is within our reach. We can only try, right?” Zooka trilled happily at the pikachu, signaling his intent at a friendly greeting. Humans sometimes kissed when they saw each other, right? So it was totally a good thing to try!
