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!
Silence is a sign of danger. There's no way that Lacey would know that, though, but she trusts the little feeling in her gut that resembles something like instinct. Rattata rears on its heels at a certain point, hissing at dark spots in the distance. First sign. She recalls it. The pokeballs in her dress pocket knock against each other like a faulty game of pool.
The pokedex is a useful tool - in more ways than one, she's found. Lacey holds it in front of her like a radar, scanning the front, both sides and behind. With her other hand, she holds up the corners of her dress, hoping that doing so will minimize the amount of noise she makes in the quiet clearing. Leaves rustle, the bushes shake with a gust of wind. Second sign.
Lacey shifts on her feet, biting her lower lip.
@mod: wild scourge, preferably no agents, please!
"into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely."
the dark swellow flew above the forest, circling to see whether it could find something to eat. it spotted a krabby -- and dived down to capture it within its claws. the hadean pokémon was satisfied -- it would have a good meal today.
and so, it settled down by the frozen pond (the crab had been trying to claw its way in). the swellow was poised to break the crab's stomach with a well-aimed beak -- but then, the krabby fidgeted and ripped itself out of the bird's grasp --
brother, we are one and the same. the crab flexed a darkened claw, its eyes rolling about in its sockets. why do we have to kill each other so quickly?
the swellow clicked its beak. crustacean, you are wrong. i am the predator and you are the prey -- we are not brothers.
we are the same now, said the krabby, its jet black exoskeleton shimmering as it took upon a new hue. we may be beasts of air and sea, but we are brothers by higher guidance.
a third creature watched the exchange, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
It's the pokedex that first reacts to signs of life - the small arrows light up on its screen and focuses on a target that moves in patterns too irregular to scan properly. Hastily, Lacey pockets it, her eyes taking over what the device has started as she draws closer. It's not difficult to make out the avian that sits close to what used to be the amberwell, now covered in a sheet of ice. To see the krabby that lingers beside it is more difficult, made only possible by the fact that it starts moving, struggling, hide changing from a light orange to dull grey-black in a matter of moments.
She moves closer, out of curiosity. The tree that once served as a shield - never mind how thin of a shield - to hide part of her from view gets substituted for branches, then bushes that barely block out the pattern of her dress. When she gets close enough to feel the chill that the ice emanates even the bushes part way, leaving nothing but Lacey and her pokedex, which falls silent in the presence of such confounding data specimens.
They are mere spectators of a show, this exchange. Except there is a distinct difference in the relationship between audience and actors, this firework that only either waits to be lit or ignites itself when the correct time comes, and Lacey doesn't want that. She parts the bushes, walks up to the two of them and leans forward with her hands on her knees.
"Hey! What's going on here?" It's incredible, how pokemon can be more civil than humans at times. She can't say she understands their language, not at all, but the relationship between predator and prey has always been absolute. The fact that one isn't tearing at the other's throats is a feat within itself.
To light a firework, there must be fire. She approaches with an open flame and lets it choose to either explode or remain static, a dud.
there was once a story that went as such: a stork had its leg trapped within a clam, and both sides refused to yield. in the end, a fisherman passed them by and caught the both of them. a third party always benefits from the conflict between two other parties.
higher guidance? the swellow scoffed, breathing curses in scourgetongue from its beak. it refused to be compared to prey, to something lower than itself. lies! it lunged for the krabby.
alas, the fisherman in the story stepped in -- it was a raticate, all fangs and scourge. its dark fur bristled in the cool air. its eyes swept across the two of them, as it rubbed its stubby paws together. its whiskers twitched.
finally, it spoke.
brothers. together, we stand here, each of us from the land, air and sea. we need not fight like this. something glinted behind its eyes. you may not be keen to work together, but look over yonder! the raticate's gaze moved, and slowly, but surely, the collective gazes of bird and crab moved along with it. there is a human, and she is watching. she speaks, but not in our tongue. we have to make a decision: do we continue to bicker, or do we stand united in the face of humankind?
the krabby made a split-second decision. we unite! however:
the swellow wasn't as enthusiastic. i quit!
the raticate had to resist the urge to crumple its whiskers in frustration. not all were gifted with intelligence after being infected by the virus. higher forces were indeed at play, but not all were dealt an equal hand. no, you birdbrained oaf. i suppose thinking taxes you far too much, said the rat, clicking its fangs together. we stand, and wait. and we watch! if this girl attacks us --
we smash her face in! yelled the crab, delighted.
i quit, the swellow insisted.
citrus no prob lol. as it stands, i'm ridiculously attached to this trio lmao.
