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!
Finally. He finally made it to the lab. "Phew, and here I thought I wouldn't make it." Juno wasn't like the rest of Kohaku. They actually had the vaccine here. And it was so picture book, so text book. Picturesque, even though there was much to be remedied, what with the scourge constantly providing a threat. Certainly a well deserved (and most likely) permanent break from the shit hole he was raised. Mommy and Daddy didn't have any ambition other than waiting tables and cooing sweet nothings in a strangers ear for tips. That was the sad reality- Hah!, he had a brighter future. To think, twenty-eight and still living at home.
The lab itself looked like a legitimate pokemon facility. The bells, whistles, gadgets, and machinery. Cornelius strolled into the building with proud stride. He was a very handsome man and he hoped he made a good impression. After all, he was under the guise of "defending Kohaku" and "eliminating the scourge". Yeah, sure those tasks were certainly part of his journey, but clearly not the main focus. "Hello? Yes, hello? I am Cornelius Young, I made a call earlier in the week...." Hmmm, the place didn't seem very active. Didn't they develop the oh so sought out vaccine here?
The gothitelle was the first to spot Cornelius when he entered. She called out for the professor, a quiet psychic reverberation in the minds of everyone nearby. <Professor? Professor! We have a guest!> To Cornelius, she bowed--but only slightly. <Greetings, I am Mrs. Sybill. Professor Cypress will be out in but a moment.>
True to her word, after a few seconds, the esteemed professor appeared, but not before a shining rattata charged out ahead of him, a few wires and a test tag still attached its leg. Mrs. Sybill might've rolled her eyes before she caught the rattata in a telekinesis.
<Mr. Young is here, he's a trainer. The eos programme.> The way she said it made it sound like the gothitelle made a habit of reminding the professor of just about everything. She bowed again, and left the room with the rattata stiffly in hand.
"H-hello!" Professor Cypress said. He looked at Cornelius nervously, until he finally put the face to the name in the paperwork and the voice over the phone. "Ah, yes, welcome! So excited t-to have you. You're here for a vaccinated pokemon then?"
Cypress immediately shuffled over to the pokemon PC in the room. Stammering less now, he said, "It's so good to see new trainers from Eos. S-such a relief! There's been fewer and fewer of you as the months go on."
Cypress turned the PC monitor to Cornelius, showing a line up of ten pokemon stored in a box labeled VACCINATED.
"It's a small selection, sorry, but vaccinated pokemon don't stay here long. Vaccines don't stay long either. Everything's sent out to help people as soon as we can. I'll withdraw any pokemon that interests you, for you to make your choice."
When Mrs.Sybill took care of the rattata, Cornelius blinked his eyes. "Why hello dear, it's a pleasure." he said courteously, before performing a little bow of his own. His attention immediately went to the bumbling professor as he approached Cornelius with his stutter. What was his deal? Poor thing, the scourge has probably left him all dingy inside. When it was clear that Cypress was eager of his arrival, Cornelius flashed him a bright smile. He was kinda of cute, in a mousy, intelligent way, of course.
"Yes, well. The scourge must be stopped somehow right? We can't be dealing with this problem forever, what if it spreads to other regions?" Yes, that sounded like a concerned Eos trainer response, right? Cornelius follows the professor to the PC monitor where he showed him the choice of starters from the VACCINATED box. Cornelius jaw almost dropped, his whole journey here he's been asking people around about it. Vaccines were expensive and rare, only the big wigs and those close to certain researchers get the goods. Maybe they mistaken him for someone else- Oh well! You snooze you lose, right? "Professor," he said in a low, possibly flirtatious voice, "...thank you for the exceptional treatment. You are too kind." he said pleasantly.
No, no, no-quailfish? No The selection was small, but he didn't have to look further when the label STARYU and it's picture next to it. Staryu....That hope diamond in the sea. Ah yes, it reminded him of Titanic. When Rose wore that gem around her neck, naked; what a vision! "Staryu! I'll take the Staryu ah yes, but I think I'm going to name her Rose. That's the first thing that came to my mind. Didn't you love Kate Winslet in Titanic? Now that's a star." Cornelius sighs dreamily as he imagined Rose next to him, ready to take on the scourge and the rest of the world with her hypnotizing reflection. Oh, how perfect....
Cornelius' smile put Professor Cypress almost at ease. He was never really at ease, except when he was at his research. Then shaky hands became steady, and the tremor to his movement became still. Some things, some people are born to do.
He blinked. He envisioned the virus in Kanto, Johto, and all the other regions besides. "T-that would be bad," he said, delivering the understatement of the year.
The last night Professor Cypress had been in a situation where social skills were required... well, that was high school. Cornelius' efforts wooshed over his head, and Cypress smiled in return--bright and toothy, like a child told he'd done well.
"Rose is a l-lovely name," Cypress agreed. He'd seen the movie when he was younger. (He suspected many of the program participants were too young to remember it. This one was older than the usual trainer--but Cypress paid that no mind. A little bit of experience in the real world could only help a trainer!)
"It was very tragic though. I-I hope your staryu won't watch their loved ones d-drown to death in a freezing ocean." ...He'd meant that in a good way, in earnest, but Professor Cypress winced as he heard the words aloud.
Quickly (and nervously, but that goes without saying for Cypress), he withdrew a pokeball from the machine and presented it to Cornelius. "I mean, it's a g-great name. A-and she's a g-great actress too. V-very talented. Here."
Cornelius takes the pokeball with dazzling eyes. Oh, what a wondrous day! He nuzzles the side of the pokeball against his nose. "Oh Rose, we are going to have so much fun together. Thank you Professor." Although, when he mentioned the comment about drowning in the freezing ocean it just got Cornelius more excited. "You've watched Titanic before? Bravo sir. You earn a star in my book." Cornelius beams at him, today just couldn't get any better. The beginning of the rest of his life, a life away from the stressful atmosphere of his apartment in Nerio. Eventually he'd have to return, he must win the badge there, hopefully those pesky zombie monsters don't get in his way. And if they did? Haha, well thats why Cornelius has Rose, he was determined to train her to perfection. A true Kate Winslet.
"Professor, would you mind trading numbers with me? I'd like to keep in contact with you. Juno is such a lovely place, your so lucky to be stationed here. Untouched by those...things." Cornelius takes out his C-Gear and holds it out to Cypress with a wide smile. "I hope I'm not being inappropriate or anything. Really though, was he? He wouldn't mind his first romantic romp be with an elite researcher from a city that isn't plauged with thieves, crime, or whining parents.
Professor Cypress blinked, not quite comprehending. Of course, he had a C-Gear of his own, but no one really ever called it. Granted, that might be because he rarely answered. No electronics in the research labs--it might interfere with science.
"U-um," Cypress said, taking the C-Gear, "sure."
He thought about it, and Professor Cypress came to the conclusion that there was much he could to aide a trainer on their journey. He could let them know whether they were a boy or a girl, for example. Also, he might be able to tell them who their childhood rivals are. Those things, very useful to know.
Professor Cypress obligingly added his contact information to Cornelius' C-Gear, both the office number and his own C-Gear.
"They say I'm lucky. I am, b-because I'm alive," he replied idly as he returned the C-Gear. "B-but it's d-difficult. It's a h-heavy burden. To k-keep living for the fallen."
So many researchers had died. The vaccine was made, from the genius of one mind, in memory of them.
He smiled again at Cornelius. "G-good luck out there."
