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!
Stepping into Juno City, Millie Goldman was here, and she was ready to rumble. As soon as she galloped away with her starter on hand, she would be ready to face any dangers. Anyone who stood in her path would immediately be mowed down as she tromped to all four corners of the world.
As soon as she figured out where exactly the Ranger Union was.
Running a hand through her red, dyed hair in an exasperated motion, Millie crinkled a small slip of paper in her hand, all filled with colored lines and symbols, and smoothed the creases again with her fingers. Then she crinkled it again. "This isn't telling me anything!" she grumbled, although the map very clearly stated where she was and where the Ranger Union building was. Juno City sure was hard to navigate. Blowing a sigh and a strand of hair out of her eyes, the frustrated girl tried to think optimistically. At least this wasn't Nerio City. At least this wasn't overrun by the Scourge. At least she didn't run off to Johto like her brother and parents, although that would have been the smarter and safer idea. Okay, so maybe she shouldn't become an optimist anytime soon. It just made her even more dour.
"I hate maps," Millie panted, finally shadowing the doorstep of the shabby building. It wasn't really the map that was the problem, but her terrible sense of direction. It was a wonder that she didn't scare off all the inhabitants of the town while stomping around, cursing none to quietly all the while. She did earn some dirty looks while milling around, trying to catch sight of this place.
Without so much as a deep breath (what, was she supposed to be going to yoga or something?), the girl flung the door open, practically shaking the walls. "Yo! I'm supposed to get my starter! Is, whatshername, Sa'di in?" she called, her loud voice cutting through the air. That was her normal voice, so she didn't think twice about speaking too loudly before stepping inside without an invitation.
OOC: question. how do you carry out pokemon assists in a thread? because when millie goes out into the big wide world, that's something she'll need to do a lot.
It is not a woman with scarlet hair that greets Millie, but in fact, a Lucario standing bold on two feet. The Pokemon stares the prospective ranger down, razor-sharp eyes narrowing silently. Only when the soft scuffling of boots came echoing down the hall did the Pokemon finally step off to the side. "Shirazi, that's quite enough," the new woman said, to which the Lucario returned her statement with a curt nod.
"Millie Goldman, was it?" Sa'di eyed the prospective Ranger silently, before continuing. "I hope you've heard that this is not a place where you get to pick your starter. All the Pokemon here have dedicated their lives to fighting Scourge as well, waiting day in and day out for a proper partner they deem is worthy of them." And only then does her expression soften, barely. "But if they will have you, I hold no right to deny either of you from each other."
She gestures for Millie to follow her past the Dragonite statues, further into the Ranger base where ten Pokemon would be awaiting her.
Somehow, Millie had been expecting a woman to sweep out, toss her some starter options, and usher her out into the big wide world. Apparently that wasn't the case, as she stared right back at the judgmental Lucario. "Thanks for the warm welcome," she huffed, making sure not to avert her gaze in a show of weakness. The girl wasn't going to go blubbering on the floor by this big guy. "I'll be sure to remember it." Finally breaking eye contact, although not in nervousness, she scanned the room, which somehow looks like her tiny, cramped bedroom back at Nerio City. Probably because it was poorly thrown together, like hers. Maybe this was a sign that she was meant to be a ranger.
Finally, the tapping sound scuffling shoes caught her attention. Lifting her head, Millie stared up at the older woman. Her first thought was, Hey, she has red hair, too. The difference was that Sa'di's looked more natural, while hers was obviously dyed, what with the blond crop of hair that was very visible until it was cut off by the fiery red dye. This woman has style, or at least a pretty cool hair color. And she didn't redye it.
Her statement was confusing, though. Of course she was here to pick her starter. Wasn't this what this place was all about? The explanation shone some light on the matter, though. Not dwelling on the worrying prospect of none of the potential starters choosing her, Millie nodded vigorously. "Yup, got it. Even though I didn't hear it until now." she added. It's not like her parents had any useful advice to arm her with. With an energized grin and a flip of her ponytail, the girl followed the experienced veteran down the hall. The statues were a nice decoration, although it looked out of place in this converted warehouse. ZULF ?
"It's this way," Sa'di says, gesturing for Millie to follow after her. She turns on her heel, her Lucario padding silently after her. And it is in this center room that Sa'di keeps the little soldiers. They crowd around Millie, all with eager eyes, studying the new prospective Ranger. Some of them circle around her, some of them are a little more hesitant to approach. But after awhile, they immediately warmed up to her, bouncing around her feet, chattering eagerly.
"Ah, they all have much to say to you," the veteran Rangers says, pushing a lock of scarlet hair out of her face. "They'll be careful with choosing you though. A Ranger's Pokemon is not their servant, but a true partner. They may choose you, but you must also agree to work with them."
Trotting after the experienced ranger with an impatient skip to her step, the soon-to-be new ranger continued to look around the area. It was somewhat cramped, and at certain points in the hall, Millie had to duck to avoid banging her head on a low-hanging beam or lamp. This place could really use some renovating, but at least it wasn't as posh as the Breeder's Guild. Every once in a while, in her impatience to get going, the girl would step on the Lucario's heels. "Oh, sorry. Sorry again. Whoops, sorry." she apologized whenever she did so, not sounding very apologetic at all. She was too excited to feel those kinds of emotions at this moment.
When the veteran finally stopped, the girl bumped right into the Lucario, mashing her face against its fur. "Sorry," she repeated, but her emotionless apology faded away at the sight of the prospective starters. Finally! She laughed when they all crowded around her, some more hesitant than others. Hearing Sa'di's comment, the girl nodded in understanding. She already told her that, didn't she? "Sorry, guys, but I have no idea what you're saying." she told the chattering Pokemon. Millie had heard that later on in her rangering career, she would be able to fully understand their language. Now that was something she looked forwards to.
Choosing a starter was serious stuff. It might not be such a hard decision for trainers and the like, but rangers only got three partner Pokemon max. She couldn't just nab a random Pokemon and skip away. Oh wait, they picked her. That's right. It sounded cheesy, but the girl understood what the veteran meant. "So, who wants to come with me?" she addressed the whole group of Pokemon.
A silence veiled the group's talking. The Pokemon exchanged glances, doubtful. Was she worthy? Was she good? Brave? Smart? Passionate? There was some milling about, but then one Pokemon stepped forward. The Deino.
Grinning rakishly, Millie rand a hand through the fur on his head. "You wanna work with me, then?" The Deino was taking matters more seriously and nodded solemnly. "Great! I won't let you down, then, eh?" Hugging the Pokemon close to her, even though she wasn't really the hugging type, the girl let go and stood up, facing the veteran. "How about it, then?" ZULF ?
The Deino makes a slight squawking noise, before letting out a deep growl in its throat. It opens its maw wide, letting out a miniature roar before trotting over to Millie's side. Sa'di gives the Deino a nod, and the dinosaur-dragon Pokemon returns the gesture. "Very well," she responds, pressing a styler into Millie's palm.
It is not a woman with scarlet hair that greets Millie, but in fact, a Lucario standing bold on two feet. The Pokemon stares the prospective ranger down, razor-sharp eyes narrowing silently. Only when the soft scuffling of boots came echoing down the hall did the Pokemon finally step off to the side. "Shirazi, that's quite enough," the new woman said, to which the Lucario returned her statement with a curt nod.
