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!
Karp had no choice in the matter. Whenever he found himself in an unfamiliar place, there was exploration to be done. He bade good day and leapt from a trolley he used to move about. The driver responded with a YEE-HAH and sped away in a rush. So long, cowboy.
It was true: Juno’s entertainment district couldn’t hold a candle to Proserpina’s, and yet, Karp already enjoyed it much more. For one, more people were talking, laughing, and savoring the moment. Karp spent two years in the neighboring concrete jungle, so he knew how impersonal the place got.
The sunset above troubled him. His hometown was halfway across this region; he didn’t know any locals. He considered bar hopping later and making a friend for the night. Not a carnal pal, just someone who’d open their doors for a traveler (and future savior of the region). For right now, his concern was his exhaustion.
It was a long day. The flying q-tip that finally caught up to him shared his fatigue. Ozzy wanted to fly alongside the trolley but flew quite clumsily into a tree-bush not too far back. The swablu flew into his trainer’s loving grip then into the beam of light coming from its pokeball. Alright, alright.
“We’re going there.” Beside the hustle and bustle of the district was a beautiful park, subsidized by the Ranger Union. In passing, he overheard that the in-park gazebos acted as little outdoor coffeeshoppes. It was partly the reason of so few cafés in Juno. He powerwalked into the park and towards a gazebo. Sitting down by the bar, he took a deep breath of fresh air.
Boy, he could use a grande triple mocha whipped cream grandmaster deluxe right about now.
Honestly, after the whole ordeal at the Ranger's Union, Amelie didn't really know what else to do. Holding her newly befriended partner pokemon in her arms, with its hands holding onto her arms and its head poking out. Amelie's arms turned into some kind of test measuring how long the Riolu could physically hold on. Obvious to its efforts, Amelie continued to walk around aimlessly. That's right - she was now a ranger. For so long she had dreamed of this day and yet now it actually happened Amelie wasn't quite sure what she should do to fill that kind of hole.
But no! Wait! This was not the right mindset to go on! This was just the beginning! That's right, the start of a new life, a new journey! She was going to meet so many people and meet so many pokemon and help so many too and, and, and...!
The petite seventeen year old stopped, not taking into consideration she had just wondered into a park without even noticing. A mop of very familiar lilac hair sat by a bar. Obviously Amelie didn't care to consider the chances this guy was not who she was looking for, because hey, life was for living, was it not?
So she charged right up to the bar and took a seat herself, and turned to face the familiar stranger.
"KAAAAAAAAAAAARP!" She chirped like a bird. Then hit him on the shoulder. "So this is where you've been hiding, huh?"
He ordered a complex coffee and watched the barista go to town behind the counter. The worker made brewing sweet caffeine an art. She handed him his drink and clawed away a bill from his other hand. Karp brought the paper mug closer and inhaled the fragrant mocha.
“Keep the chang-AH!” The jarring voice that sung his name pierced his entire being. His brain couldn’t think of who knew him in this foreign town and balance the hot drink at the same time. Then, she cuffed him like she used to. The coffee shook a little but he saved it from any spillage. Placing the mocha on an oak coaster, he looked into familiar eyes and sighed. The past had a deathgrip on him, it seemed.
“Small world.” He shifted his entire body towards her and gave her a looksee. Two years hadn’t really changed much. Karp felt like Amelie did half of the growing he did. Girls growing faster than boys must’ve been a myth. The pokémon in her hands surprised him. They couldn’t be here for the same reason, could they? His smile turned to a grin, and he returned the favor by poking her forehead.
“Still miniature, I see.” He placed the same finger on the riolu’s head, scratching its ears. “I just got here, though. Leaving soon, too.” yuu
Looking pleased with herself at Karp's surprised reaction, the Riolu looked up at her, probably confused as to what was happening. She watched the coffee he bought almost tip, but thankfully didn't. Watching it reminded her she had yet to spend time getting used to the idea of being in a city. After all, Amelie spent most of her life living in a village where everyone knew everyone and secrets just had a way of being known. Everyone knew everyone's business.
Noticing that her childhood play pal started eyeing her up, Amelie huffed, but her attempt at trying to look angry turned into a pout instead. "What are you doing? Are you still lacking in manners? We haven't seen each other in two years and you've still not said hi to me! What did I do?" She questioned, half annoyed and half disappointed. The girl was expecting a better reaction than this.
Her annoyance managed to disperse quickly as he greeted the little Riolu in her arms. "Cute, right? I just partnered up too."
Her eyebrow arched in confusion. "Soon? How soon? You're not going to run away from me are you? Because that would be really really really rude! And oh, can I try some of that coffee? It looks so nice!" Smiling cheekily, she leant in closer. "Pleeeeeeeease?"
Karp respired and clung to the leafy/coffea taste of the air. It all tasted a tad synthetic unlike Cura’s aroma, but there was little to expect from a simulated park. Fate had planned this moment behind his back, but the boy treasured it already. It was worth an entry in his novel unquestionably, so he took in the scene with all his senses.
Her pokémon had an inquisitive youthfulness that resonated from it. His own hadn’t shared any defining traits as of yet, but he expected to know Ozzy’s most Meta mannerism in a week or so. He looked back up to her – still fairly innocent and childlike herself. Maybe city-life made all that seem foreign to him. The youngest street rats had so much suffering and experience in their expressions. Her purity had a callousness of its own, though.
“For shame, Amélie!” His smile seemed to stifle a chuckle. “My apologies. I started a letter to you, and I never got back to it.” In that moment, his coffee enticed him with its scent. He took a sip before turning back to her and reflecting on how she looked twenty-four months back. For years he hid an obvious fondness for her. Karp was unsure if those feelings survived the separation. Alas, not much from back home warranted any longing. He missed very little about that place, but there were no harsh feelings.
“You didn’t do a thing. It was all me, Amé.” He breathed a sigh and turned to the barista. The expertise this woman had made him wonder if she was a delicacy herself. Karp didn’t know if he appreciated the past coming to greet him suddenly. This all wasn’t on his terms, per se. The riolu in her hands snatched his full attention once more. He got good vibes about this one. Something about the critter made him sure that his childhood crush was in good hands.
“How’d you figure I partnered up?” He stuck out his tongue at the emanation pokémon. It must’ve been too obvious. “A swablu from Prof. Cypress. For fighting the scourge.” He took a moment to savor the reality of it. Karp was sacrificing his life for his region but there wasn’t any pride in it. Why? Just as he sipped sweet caffeine again, she asked for a taste. He raised it high where she couldn’t reach.
“It wouldn’t be rude if you tagged along. And if you can reach, you can have some.” Karp had quite a spread on her so he wasn’t expecting her to surprise him with some gymnastic jumping skillz. As for the offer, it was the least he could do. He figured they were going the same way after all. yuu
Amelie rose an eyebrow, obviously showing distaste for the lack of effort the boy put in to contact her, but she wasn't angry, per se. His departure only made her want to travel even more.
"You just wanted to forget about me, thaaaaat's right, isn't it?" The ranger sneered, but ended up laughing at herself. "Either way, I'm very happy you're doing well. I should let my mum know too! She wondered why you left so suddenly as well. Guess she did like you a lot, hey?" Her mother had a natural affinity with people, Amelie decided. She was very good at weeding out the bad and keeping the good, and warned her child of the 'rotten' sort of kid. Of course, she was fond of the young buds who were waiting for their time to open.
"Eheheh. Of course it was all Karp. Karp's nasty, that's why~" She teased childishly, but the truth was, she forgave him a long time ago. "Don't be so serious, I understand. Sitting in places like this having cool coffee makes you happier than Cura and everyone else." ...Or maybe not.
It was what he said next that really caught her attention. A swablu! Weren't those fluffy blue cloud pokemon? She remembered admiring a drawing of it from a story book belonging to her childhood. "Ahhhh, so cuuute! I just partnered up with this cutie riolu from Sa'di. She's really cool you know! Her lucario is so amazing!" She giggled and looked up, replaying recent events in her mind.
When Karp held his coffee up high, Amelie's eyebrows scrunched together, distraught that her childhood friend would do something so mean like this. Sitting her riolu on the bar table, she leant in closer, climbed on the stool, steadied her hand with his leg and reached...
Until she lost her balance and fell. Her riolu looked on in shock.
He never could tell when she was being serious. She was always so dynamic. Her sneer really got to him however. He really didn’t want to forget about her. I wanted to forget about everything[i/].But he was teasing her shortness, making up for years of teasing opportunity. Now was not the time to be all somber-like. What this ghost from Christmastime past said next also itched his nerves, though. In that moment before she arrived, he felt so alone with a faded sense of direction. Maybe that was cool to some people. What really got to him was the déja vu. Her exhilaration hadn’t changed these past two years. He admired the way she admired others.
Then, she fell. Kind of like a major klutz.
Reflexes luckily kicked in. Karp dropped his arm with the paper mug and braced for impact. With his other arm, he caught her quite awkwardly. There she laid, halfway on him, slowly sliding off his lap. Any and all bystanders thought they were ridiculous. He even got a quick glare from his beloved barista. The boy was just glad nothing spilled. Scalding hot coffee on two traveling teens was just a bad time. He lowered his mug to her nearest hand and slid the cup in.
“Still want some?” Karp laughed and helped her back on her stool. “So, are you coming with me or not?” She didn’t really react to his offer yet. He didn’t expect any but perhaps there was still tension there.
[yuu: obviously rushed. I need to start studying for an exam tomorrow haha.]
Amelie didn't find the situation all that awkward, which made sense since seeing as falling in general seemed to occur multiple times a day on some cases, never mind a week. Karp helped her sit back onto her stool and she took the offer without thanks, and brushed off imaginary dirt because that's what she did to pick herself back up again.
"Hm? You're giving me some?" Distant eyes focused in, and she smiled not only with her lips, but her eyes too. "I take back what I said, you've turned more gentlemany! Just fix that nasty disappearing habit and you'll be perfect, kehehehe." She clapped her hands, then her fingers crossed into each other. Then she stared at the cup in not so subtle expectation.
Then, she looked at him in confusion. "Coming? Coming where? I don't understand..."
LAIKA OF GS!
ozy its okay exams are killing us all uAu plus im late so sorry
Ah, he handed the mug to her and immediately turned to her pokémon. Eighteen years of living and he hadn’t come across an actual Riolu. His family’s fables regarded this critter’s evolution to be some tremendous messiah figure. What if this specific mon would fulfill those prophesies? Truly, the boy had to find those old books himself. He wasn’t sure what this legend really was.
He switched back, hoping to see her indulging in his drink. Instead, she asked him something looking quite perplexed. She must’ve been fighting the scourge, no? He read volumes on the preparations the EOS made against the threat. The use of rangers to pacify the infected was vital. Maybe she misunderstood what he meant. He hoped to be clear this time.
“Let’s travel together. To make up for past years?” Karp was surprised by his matter-of-fact tone. If fate brought her along, he didn’t see the point of letting her go so soon. yuu
Smiling, she held his drink in both hands and took a long gulp, closing her eyes to see if the lovely coffee would paint some miraculous painting across her eyelids. She opened them again, and thanked Karp, guiltily placing the coffee back on the counter knowing full well she drank more than she really should've.
"Travel together? Hm... like a pokemon journey?" She stroked her imaginary beard, considering what he had just said. "I don't know... well, I'm heading to Prosperina City to meet someone who I'm supposed to go around with, my mother said I just HAD to go with him or else she'd never let me leave the house." And Amelie was not the type of girl to lie to her parents or break promises. "I guess, if he's okay with it, we could travel together? And we could always go to Prosperina together! That'd be really cool!"
Karp clicked his tongue while she overdrank, giving him an excuse to buy another serving. He smiled and raised his arms as if to say ‘no sweat.’ His reparations weren’t over just yet, he knew. Still, it wasn’t like he’d dislike doing her solids. Despite the homeless-thing, his nature kept him rather hospitable. He slipped a camera from a sling bag that he carried. Flicking off the flash, he took a snapshot of the vaccinated riolu beside his cup o’ joe. The teen couldn’t wait to print that shot.
He shifted back to his childhood friend and nodded. Karp never called a pokémon journey before, but this entire adventure might’ve been just that. An adventure beside many other fighters to end an epidemic. Nothing was dreamier than that. Her next words turned his daydreamy smile to a frown.
“Mama Valentine, eh? I miss her.” Karp reached out to grab ahold of his drink. “How about I escort you to meet this guy? Don’t think I should stay in your hair much after that. Three's a crowd! I’m sure we’ll meet on the road, too.” He then took another sip of coffee. The bitter taste reflected his mood. The trainer would try his hardest to keep their trek to Proserpina from being bittersweet. yuu
Amelie could only manage to laugh nervously as Karp ordered another coffee, no doubt because she more or less finished his drink for him. Feeling a tad shameful, she looked away and said: "I'm sorry... heheh." Of course, this wasn't the first time something like that happened but she'd prefer not to think about it. However, that thought quickly dispersed when he took a camera out of his bag and took a picture of riolu. The pokemon question looked at Karp, confused.
"How come you wanted to take a picture of riolu? Is he that special? But hey, I know he's certainly very very cute, aren't you dear?" She smiled, petting the pokemon who sat obediently at the spot she left him on. "You can play with him if you want, I'm sure he'd like that. What d'ya say?" She turned to her partner with a smile. "This is a close friend of mine, Karp! Like y'know, Magikarp! Oh wait... I don't think you'd know any magikarps..." Amelie spoke with dejection, but quickly recovered.
She didn't notice Karp's disappointment, either. "Mum did want to ask how you were doing, hehe. I'm sure she misses you too, she liked you a lot!" Nodding chirpily, her hands came together at the edge of her dress. "...Yeah, I think that'd be great! Well, if you think that way then that's... the way to go?" Blinking twice, she tilted her head. I mean... if you really want to do that I'd be happy to be with you..."
Karp grinned at how she treated her new pokémon. Such baby-talk had disappeared nowadays. No surprise, either. When a certain few were both ruining and ending lives, it was hard to look at a pokémon as an innocent. The trainer raised an eyebrow at the thought of playing around. He was really surprised at what he was feeling, too. Had he really grown to a point where lively play didn’t interest him any longer? Eh, he wasn’t certain if that was depressing or not.
A smile escaped his mellow smokescreen when she brought up his namesake. Shit, he’ll neverever get away from that, it seemed. All that used to worry him in his youth when he was teased by neighborhood kids. Being related to the almighty magikarp was no bother anymore. She beat him to the punch of making a joke out of it.
“Did she really?” Karp smiled at that. He couldn’t remember Amelie’s mother that well. She always seemed pleasant to him, but who knows how people were without company. He took another sip of his nearly finished drink but coughed harshly at what she said next. Embarrassed, Karp turned to hide his smile and watering eyes. She’d like to be with me? Just then, the grimaced barista came forth with his second drink. He knew what Amelie meant but he couldn’t help but chuckle over it.
“Ye-yeah, it should be fun. So, uh, Amé! How’s Cura been since I, uhm, you know. ” Ditched, deserted, abandoned. yuu
As usual, Amelie took much of the words from other people at face value, never realising the sentiment behind them all. Absentmindedly, she played with her hair whilst wondering what kind of pokemon Karp had in his possession.
"Yep, she did..." She trailed off, now evidently uninterested in the line of conversation as she mind entered some form of a shallow daydream. Getting bored, riolu grew restless, fidgeting with himself and staring at Karp's coffee, wondering what that tasted like.
"Cura's been fine. Nothing really happened." She replied courtly and quickly, then grinning when she found the opportunity to phrase the question that had just began to prod her mind. "So, so... Karp's a trainer... right? Does that mean you've met loads of pokemon? Can I see your pokemon?"
The trainer eyed his coffee this time. Now, it was Amélie’s partner that wanted a taste. Karp smiled and lifted the drink to his chest. He doubted that his old friend wanted her pokémon tweaking on caffeine. He nodded and then took a sip before adding a meaningless ‘huh’ to the conversation. News in Cura was always rather slow-paced but he figured something big would’ve happened the year after the scourge emerged. Calamities like that usually dispelled people’s masks and force fields. He supposed he didn’t see true colors in Proserpina, though that was a city. Everyone wore a façade in the city.
“Yep. Something like that. I wouldn’t say loads.” Karp chuckled and took out two deactivated pokéballs. Somehow he was already skilled in spinning the small spheres between his fingers. It was something to learn while walking long paths. Click and release. The next moment a swablu was hovering and yawning while an elekid rushed to hug her trainer. “Alright, guys. Be nice. Amé, my swablu goes by Ozzy and this one here is named Miriam.”
Uninterested in meeting new people, the cotton bird flew off to take in the sun. Karp sighed and scooped up his baby electric to show his friend. Coffee in one and Miriam in the other, the trainer stood and invited his old friend to come close by tilting his head. “Let’s walk. No use wasting the day in the shade.” Ozymandius returned and hovered over the boy’s head. yuu
Karp had no choice in the matter. Whenever he found himself in an unfamiliar place, there was exploration to be done. He bade good day and leapt from a trolley he used to move about. The driver responded with a YEE-HAH and sped away in a rush. So long, cowboy.
