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!
Her entire team bathed in the Amberwell, and they'd earned the treat. Two battles in a row, three hades agents, it hadn't been easy.
Neo sat at the edge of the water, her feet dipped into the healing pool. Even that much revitalized her. The last few times she'd been here, her pokemon (younger then) had played in the water. Now, they mostly just napped or floated idly in the water, recovering more from exhaustion than their wounds.
...She might've pushed them too hard. None of them had complained, and many of them seemed to have infinite energy, but no one could persevere forever.
Neo laid down in the grass and closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine. She could use a moment of rest too.
OPEN TO ANYONE note to young researchers: neo legit has six pokemon out right now. you might want a piece of that.
he had heard things about the amberwell. about its healing properties, and how it could apparently help him with the nightmares plaguing his sleep. ismael dragged himself to the edge of the pool, sinking his feet into it --
-- and then it hit him.
excruciating pain surged through his veins. he hadn't a clue that he was playing host to the hades virus.
Man in the water. Athena was already diving to his rescue, so Neo recalled those of her pokemon that took less kindly to strangers. Icarus and Tiresias might try to eat him, Leto might try to drown him just for shits and giggles, and Apollo was just downright unfriendly.
Phoebe panicked, rushing over to Neo and tugging at her as if Neo hadn't noticed. "I know, I know. Hold on, I think Athena's got him."
Phoebe's tugging grew more insistent as it became obvious that Athena really hadn't got him.
"Stay here, keep watch," Neo said to Phoebe as she abandoned her purse and her jacket to the ground before diving into the water herself. She wasn't much of a swimmer, but the Amberwell was still and kind. She used to think it'd be impossible to sink here, but this unlucky man was proving her wrong.
Uselessly, Phoebe used safeguard, as if drowning were a status ailment you could safeguard against. Thanks, Phoebe.
ismael was caught successfully by neo, while the lucario flailed around helplessly where the boy wasn't. neo managed to pull him up and away from drowning.
Neo carried Ismael out of the water, a harder task than it should've been. She assumed it was just because his clothes were soaked.
<The water didn't want me to save him,> Athena said, her voice a soft echo of aura--just a whisper. <It's burning him. Look at his skin. Should I heal him?>
Gently, Neo checked Ismael's pulse. It was unsteady, but alright. She put an ear to his chest--lungs sounded clear too. "He's fine," Neo said to Athena. She shook her head, no heal just yet. To Ismael, she said, "You're fine. Hey, can you hear me? How do you feel?"
ismael was caught between wanting to breathe and to respond to the question, but his brain was foggy and what little concentration he had was spent on trying to keep himself awake and aware about his surroundings. being in the water had been extremely painful, and even though he was removed from it now, the wet clothing clinging to his skin still continued to sting him. it was trying to --
get away. run away from pain. leave.
the whispering in his ear grew stronger, and ismael involuntarily shivered from it.
the warm wave washed over ismael's skin, and his pale skin gradually returned to its usual coloration, though it still seemed rather sensitive to the touch.
ismael shook his head, chest heaving as he tried to regain his breath. he finally opened his eyes, and his pale grey eyes darted around, trying to find something to focus on. he settled for neo.
Neo took his hand and checked his pulse on his wrist again. It was mostly just an excuse to keep a hold on him.
"It does heal," Neo said. Visitors to the region always thought it was bogus, but Neo knew from experience that the amberwell was every bit as real as it was cracked up to be. "Didn't seem like it was healing you though."
Neo paused. "You're a little warm," she lied. "Have you been well lately? Sometimes, the normal medicine is a lot better than quack science."
again, ismael shook his head. his conversation with hisham was entirely why he had chosen to visit the amberwell. he'd heard that it was used to make vaccines and its water bottled into fresh waters, and that was why he wanted to give it a try. feeling ill wasn't exactly one of the best feelings one could experience.
"i haven't ... no." his brain wasn't really functioning, and his words weren't coming out right. "been a bit feverish. can't be a fever, though ... it's weird." by the end of his sentence, he was already slipping.
Something evil gleamed in Neo's eyes. That evil was science.
"Here, stand up. Can you stand? Athena, help him." Neo beckoned for Athena to come back over and give Ismael a shoulder or, if need be, just carry him to the edge of the well. "I don't have any real medicine on me, but let's try the water again. This time, don't drown in it. It might go much better for your recovery if you can breathe."
Warily, reuniclus used safeguard again. Hey, it helped last time.
the voices in his head protested, telling him not to go. rarely was mind stronger than body, however. athena helped ismael to his feet, and brought him to the water's edge. he heard more voices, more insistent hisses and angrier grumbling. objections, objections! ismael let out an involuntary whimper as his feet touched the water again.
<Something's wrong,> Athena cautioned again. Athena being cautious by itself was enough of a caution warning. The lucario never seemed to worry about much of anything on a normal day.
"That doesn't look right," Neo commented, as if noticing the particular shape of a cloud in the sky. She observed the water start to... yes, it seemed to be bubbling at his feet, not a rolling boil but something closer to an acidic reaction.
Kneeling, Neo prodded his foot, testing the sensitivity of his exposed skin. She should take a skin sample, she thought.
Her entire team bathed in the Amberwell, and they'd earned the treat. Two battles in a row, three hades agents, it hadn't been easy.
