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!
"that's a good idea," said ismael, suddenly remembering the sorbet. he decided to finish it to the best of his ability, even if it wasn't exactly sorbet now. "but it's not fair.
"how some suffer and some don't, even if they've done all the wrong they could."
She met his gaze for a moment, and then looked away.
"No," she said. "I don't really believe it either. I can see why people would, though. It's easier to suffer through something if you tell yourself there's a meaning to it, pre-ordained by a higher cause that has everything set in place. And if you survive, you can tell yourself you're special, superior, you were blessed all along. And the others weren't. But it--it's wrong to frame the scourge like that. As if the people who died deserve it, as if they were lesser than us. The weak culled from the herd."
"It's not reasonable," she spat. "It's wrong. It's not true. If there's pain and suffering in this world, it doesn't mean those who suffer are worth less than those who don't.
And I won't let you go anywhere," she said. "Have you been to the doctor?"
ismael heard the snap in her words, and faltered slightly. perhaps he was being pessimistic. "i'll keep living. try to stay alive," he said, "and yes, i've been to the doctor."
there was a sort of ringing in his ears that he couldn't shake away. it was a strange, incessant noise.
yes, he was alive. they had saved him. kept him alive until another human came along. that was how he lived. yes. being alive. swear to become --
the whispering ceased, and he was showing her his prescribed medicine.
"none of this have really worked. the sorbet's been the best remedy so far."
Thalia examined the pill bottle carefully for a moment.
"I used to get fits," she said. "I don't know how else to describe them. They weren't a physical ailment, exactly, but I took medicine for them. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't. But what helped sometimes more than the medicine, or helped it work, was the sorbet-kinda stuff."
Thalia turned bright red.
"I mean, I know that sounds stupid, I'm sorry. I don't mean it like that. Just--maybe you should treat yourself to sorbet more often."
ismael blinked. slowly, he smiled, shaking his head. "it's not," he said, "i think it makes good sense."
medicine was a funny thing. he had tried the amberwell, and oddly enough, things started to look up since then. he felt better, but also worse in a sense. physically fitter, mentally weaker. something like that.
"you've recovered, right? so it's got to work some way, somehow. there's a bit of truth in every myth."
"I am better," she said. "I don't want to jinx it, but I haven't had one in a very long time. So I suppose there's some truth, or we wouldn't bother telling it."
Thalia didn't have a sorbet cup, or even a drink to toast with, but she did have a bottle of suntan lotion.
"To health," she agreed. Then she checked the time on her C-Gear and let out an undignified squeal. "Oh, shit," she said. "I'm going to be late. Sorry, I placed an order with the lab for another three doses of the EOS vaccine and I'll barely make it to my appointment now, even if I run. They only give you so many free doses a year, and it's first come, first served. It was really nice to meet you though! I hope you have a good day."
She scrambled to her feet and threw her suntan lotion in her bag--for a moment it looked like she would be off, but then she dug a piece of paper out of her bag and scribbled something down.
"That's my C-Gear number," she said, reaching out to press the folded paper into Ismael's hand. "If you need anything, feel free to hit me up. Actually if you don't need anything and just wanna keep in touch, that's great as well."
She stared at her hands.
