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!
stefan looks a little baffled at this point. who did thalia think she was?
"on whose authority?"
the city laws would honestly be a little lacking, even for nerio, if a gym leader could be physically dragged off from his own gym in the middle of the day.
"maybe one day you will realize that the world does not revolve around your whims." that day doesn't seem to be today. that's okay. stefan's dealt with plenty of those kinds of people before.
the eyes of a nation in love, looking down at all their hopes
"On the authority of EOS," Thalia said. "They don't take kindly to trainers leaving their program. And if you think Nerio's memory is so short that this city has forgotten months of trauma and torture at the hands of the scourge, that they would begrudge EOS asking a gym leader to do his duty--I fear you're very mistaken."
She laughed. As if there was any lesson she knew better. She had missed Stefan and his absurd posturing. It was a nice change from scourge posturing.
"Maybe one day we'll all learn something. Even you."
contrary to whatever thalia might think of him, stefan isn't completely blind to his own priorities. he doesn't have any strong reasons not to fight the scourge. he had proven himself plenty capable last year, and he walked away with no real ptsd to speak of. logistically, it could be done.
that didn't mean that it should be done.
"nerio will forget as much as it needs to in order to survive." he does not see what nerio has to complain about, as long as it is able to survive.that is not something that is under anyone's control. he's suddenly struck by a nostalgic feeling, and stefan isn't entirely sure where it comes from. nerio still has much to lose. bacchus and decima do not. "if nerio survives, then my work is done."
or at least, for as long as he keeps his current post. he would have pledged his undying loyalty once. stefan is no longer so naive. not when he has yet to see an empire that lasts.
"civilian or eos, aren't we all working to make sure that the surviving cities don't have any cause to remember?" whether they meant to be charitable or not, the result is the same. he doesn't have to want the same end in order to be an unwilling participant. stefan passes off his pokeballs to an assistant for healing. "if you believe that nerio is better off facing another scourge invasion, then feel free to sit out the next siege."
stefan isn't stupid enough to turn an ally away, and that is why he can say these words to thalia. that white knight jock probably couldn't keep away from a dying city if she tried.