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!
“Great, okay!” He took a moment to recall his own pokemon - usually Zooka stayed out but he didn’t want to put a wet little horsea into his bag. Once J was all set, he turned and lead the way back up the docks, this time walking and therefore without his limp. Once up and away from the water, he decided the patio of a close café would be the best defense from the wind without actually going inside. “Phew, okay.” Using the empty glasses, shakers, and silverware rolls on the tables, he pinned the corners of his wet notes and left them out to dry. Not too bad, now it was just a waiting game. Flopping into one of the chairs, Nima grinned apologetically up at J. “Sorry for taking over your morning J.”
"it's fine," J waved, and ordered himself a mug of hot chocolate. the warmth of the small shop was good enough for the cold morning, and J was content to watch notes dry if only to see what was on them. he too, had an aspiring researcher friend -- he considered all researchers to have some sort of duty, and helping them was always on his agenda.
"better than losing everything."
the hot chocolate arrived, and J stirred it absent-mindedly.
mood: curious notes: omfg i was going to have nima look at the menu for hot chocolate last thread, but cut it. omg lol freaky.
Thank goodness J seemed so laid back. He was back to being totally unphased by anything, but Nima was feeling a bit more comfortable with that now. J seemed like a nice person, quiet or not, so there was no real reason to be nervous. Nima was a bit startled to see J order hot chocolate - he was just thinking about that! He quickly hopped on the bandwagon, ordering himself one too. The notes were crinkled and warped, but the ink was intact. They were all sorts of notes about different pokemon. Most of it was in short sentences, as writing wasn’t exactly Nima’s forte. But getting the info on the page was the point, and he’d covered just about every inch of that paper with writing. Luckily he didn’t write on both sides…otherwise it’d be juts about impossible to read right now.
“Oh man, I don’t even want to think about how bad that would be…” Once the drinks arrived, Nima gleefully started in on his. He had to blow on it quite a bit before taking a sip, and even then it was a bit too hot. Mm, but so good! “Ah, what was that you said about a contact by the way?”
J raised his c-gear above the rising steam from the beverage, and pointed it at nima. "if you have one of these," said the trainer, while pointing to a contact point at its side, "make contact at this point, and we would have exchanged numbers." it was rather simple, really. if nima didn't have a c-gear and instead something else, they would have to input contacts the old-fashioned way.
he glanced over the notes spread on the table, and noticed that the ink was relatively waterproof. a good move on the researcher's part, he thought as he sipped his drink, hot chocolate scalding his throat as he swallowed it.
mood: amused notes: don't mind us, not knowing what a contact was, doo doooo lol
Con…tact…OH. He had to laugh at himself, shaking his head in amusement. Like a phone number…he got it now. “Haha ok, one sec.” He dug around in his bag, pulling out the c-gear he almost never used. The only people really on it were his parents…but those numbers no longer led to familiar voices. He tried not to dwell on it too much, instead holding out his c-gear so the two devices could register the info automatically. Huh, his first new contact…he felt oddly happy about that.
Hmm, what would he need to contact J about? Probably just his pokemon…J didn’t seem like the chatty sort, haha. “So, will you give me a call when your cute little aron evolves?”
the two devices chimed in unison, having exchanged their contact numbers via infrared sensing. and to think that just a few years ago, everything had to be done manually, with keypads and tinny screens that boasted minimal colors. back then that was state-of-the-art; now, it was an antique.
J returned his black-and-red c-gear into his pockets, and nodded. "why not," he said. he had a suspicion that it would be a very long while before it did, though, but neglected to highlight it to nima. what he did say, though, was:
"it grows up into something not very cute. a lairon, then an aggron."
mood: pleased notes: nima makin friends...gosh they grow up so fast lol
Nima’s c-gear was actually pale blue and pink, but hey he liked those colors. He had decided awhile ago now to just be himself, even if others wanted to ridicule him or try and make him ‘conform’ to something he wasn’t. So what if he looked girly, acted girly, and liked girly things? He was Nima. That was that.
“Thank you! Oh, and if you get any neat new pokemon too. If I’m nearby, I’ll come look.” He put his c-gear away as well, sipping a bit more on his hot chocolate. The pages of notes were drying pretty nicely due to the breeze. There wasn’t enough sunlight just yet to help out, but the sun was climbing steadily. “Hehe, I know. But see, that’s when the little guy starts looking really cool. I don’t think there are any ugly pokemon…they’re all unique and charming in their own way. Like people.”
the sun had rose quicker than J had expected. the sun had left the horizon, and was now beating down on the docks; it wasn't as bright as it usually was, though. perhaps it was still too early for full-on sunshiny days.
J wasn't sure if he ought to call nima every time he got a new pokémon. asking a researcher new to the game, and perhaps a tad clumsy to go into the wilderness every time he saw an exciting new pokémon was foolish. he was no enthusiastic hiker or excited fisherman who thought that catching a common pokémon was worth phoning all their friends about.
"i suppose," J said quietly, sipping his hot chocolate as he watched the sunrise.
mood: content notes: sorry about the wait, but this is a more normal pace for me. school + work and all orz
Nima paused mid-sip in order to laugh properly rather than snort it on accident. “Well, that was a really non-committal answer!” Finishing his drink, he set the mug down before turning to look at J. Resting his chin on his hand, he arched an eyebrow at him quietly. “Its ok if you don’t want to. But, remember, you’re the one who offered me your c-gear number! Heehee. Really though, you only need to shoot me a quick message if you think about it. I’ll meet up with you if I can.”
His smile turned a little sheepish. “I’m sorry if I sound pushy at all. Its just, I really want to do as much research as I can before I run into the scourge. Eventually, I’ll have to go seek them out. I don’t want to do it unprepared.”
non-committal? J thought otherwise. if he bothered to give an answer, it was at least him showing some concern for the people around him. J listened to nima speak, nodding once, or maybe twice to show that he had been listening. "i'm going to find them soon," said the trainer, watching nima quietly, "researchers shouldn't be in danger."
mood: somber notes: srs bsns strikes again muahaha //cough lol
That wasn’t…quite what he’d expected. Nima blinked in surprise under that quiet stare, but recovered quickly enough. His expression became uncharacteristically sober, and he straightened in his chair. “No, that’s not right.” He couldn’t help but think of his mother, of Pax…and he winced despite himself. “Researchers caused it. We’re the reason so many have died. I for one don’t think it’s right for Researchers to sit back and let others do the fighting.” He managed a smile finally, but it was hard to muster up his usual optimism when thinking about something like this. “My parents might still be out there. And I want to put a stop to the virus. So I’ll be out there, right along you and the others. I’ll be prepared, and I won’t be a burden. Its what I have to do.”
J wanted to say that he would be a burden, a great burden. researchers were never meant to be on the field, just like breeders. it was one thing to stand back and grab specimens, or scan them with pokédexes. it was a completely different matter to actually fight a scourge pokémon.
he wanted to tell nima to forget about his parents and fighting on the frontlines, but remembered other people whom he'd met. perhaps he was just different.
he wasn't fighting for anyone; never had, never will.
mood: amused notes: we can end it here? lol whatever you wanna do
Nima stood up then, rather suddenly but not with an undue amount of emotion. He was grinning more firmly now, and he scooped up his dry notes in order to tuck them away. “I’m not sure what your silence might mean, but I’m a really stubborn person. It’s alright though, we’re all going in our own direction. I’m going to keep moving forward, either way.” He caught the waiter with a smile and then paid for both their drinks.
Turning, he gave J a slight wave. “This one’s on me. Thanks for the help earlier, and the braid. I’ll see you around, even if I have to hunt you down to see your pokemon!” He stuck out his tongue and then turned to make his way down the street. Hopefully J would stay safe too - he wanted to be able to see him again, just like everyone he met. He didn’t want any more c-gear numbers that no longer went through…
