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!
Thalia's pokemon--even togepi--quieted down and huddled together, unsure, as the battle seemed to abruptly end. Although the sandstorm didn't cease, the blastoise noticed with great annoyance, trying to cover his eyes against the wind.
Should we go over there? he asked togepi. Do you think she needs help?
Togepi considered it.
No, he said after 0.02 seconds of thought. Blastoise didn't seem as convinced, but he remained where he was regardless, watching his trainer.
"Hello," Thalia said to Stavros, looking nonplussed.
"my name is stavros, and i live in the desert," said the man, chuckling, "but anyone who seeks me out knows my name and where i am. X marked the spot -- i'm sure you've learnt your lesson."
he recalled his ampharos. it warped into its pokéball by way of a red flash of light. "i suspect that you've come here to talk to me," stavros said, "and so i've come to meet you from ... from sand dune thirty-five over there. how did you find the battle?"
stavros was expecting an answer along the lines of 'stupid', because that was what he had been told for years by challengers.
"we could have, but it was hardly a fair fight -- unless you have been used to fighting against the odds all the time? now, that's an interesting turn of events."
"I didn't think it was interesting so much as just common knowledge by now."
Although she guessed maybe a crazy old man who lived in the desert and threw Draco Meteor around willy nilly wasn't the best source for up to date current events.
"then how did you find me?" stavros was genuinely perplexed. he had assumed that travel guides spoke of a mysterious X in the middle of the desert and was the reason why wave after wave of trainers had come to challenge him. it was also why he had his tyrantrum throw draco meteor around just to mess around with them for a bit.
"were you just walking around, trying to find some odd you could fight against? funny how trainers these days are like that. you guys are a pretty interesting lot, to say the least." he laughed. during his time - oh man, that was such a long time ago - they were more serious and focused on challenging nothing but the league! he too, had reigned at the top for a while before he was --
-- nope. not going there. stavros's gaze flickered and shifted.
"There are rumors about some old guy--no offense--who lives out here and is wicked powerful as a trainer. Almost no one has the time these days to go tracking anyone down based on rumor though." She smiled.
"Except for me. You could say collecting powerful trainers who hang around and do nothing during the apocalypse is kind of a hobby of mine."
stavros waved a hand. he seemed fine with being considered old; he did know that he was getting on in age. whether it was something detrimental to his fighting abilities remained to be seen. (read: he was still a damn good fighter.)
"oho," the dragon tamer chuckled at thalia's statement, "everyone's too busy for me but you, you say? seems interesting, this hobby of yours. who else have you met? i may know them."
stavros wasn't familiar with lyanna or habiba. he had heard of serkan, though. he was up-to-date on the champion front, not so much the elites. stavros rubbed his chin in thought.
"serkan, eh? hides up on that mountain of his, never leaves."
stavros frowned. no, that wasn't the case. the champions of his time were often in the limelight. but then again, there were more reporters and journalists around to get an interview with them. the league was also a lot more interested in getting people to challenge the gyms ... it had been a very long time since he had obtained one of those flyers off lost trainers.
hmm.
"a mountain over a -- hah!" stavros boomed with laughter. "that's a good one! why not an island in the middle of the lake? that sounds recreational."
"Okay," she said. "Not that I've not enjoyed our battle. And this conversation. But. The reason I came out here: are you going to help save Kohaku from the zombie apocalypse or what?"