WELCOME TO THE SINNOH REGION, a massive island rich with exploration and Pokemon. Legends say that Sinnoh was the very first Pokemon region to come into being;
and so the nefarious Team Galactic has begun searching for the time and space Pokemon in an effort to destroy and recreate the entire Pokemon Universe. Will you step up, earn your badges,
and fight to defend the world? Or do you believe in Galactic ideals, wishing to follow their efforts in starting anew?
[ 08.15 ] Welcome to Sinnoh! Team Rocket have arrived in Sinnoh and have left a very daunting message here. With the introduction of a new class comes another promo!
Check out the rocket promotion here and stay tuned for many more exciting events!
major news alert!
witness reports from all over the region has been flooding in about strange happenings at the three lakes. what's more perplexing is that these occurrences seem to be happening spontaneously at the lakes. just moments ago, a burst of light erupted at the locations and residents in the vicinity have reported that the lake-side pokemon have turned aggressive and attack on sight.
However, there have been rumours and sightings of the legendary lake trio which has had trainers flocking in from all over the region.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 21, 2016 5:09:35 GMT
they're bad people. he knows, he tries to ignore the wrongfulness of what they're doing or what they've done, of what he's done. he's too far gone now, too tangled up in their web of lies and deceit to know any better. he's a bad person, he knows this, and he fears that he'll never be able to redeem himself. "what are you--" he speaks up when she grabs his wrist. it only takes one swift movement for him to end up against a wall, the side of his face scraping against the brick.
he tenses, controls his breathing. he doesn't move his wrist instead he just stays still, head planted sideways, eyes still managing to glance to the side. "i appreciate your concern but--" he tenses under her hold, "--i can keep myself safe." now he tries to move under her hold, tries to wriggle his way out. "it's you i need to keep safe," he adds, because he couldn't keep her safe back then.
he hears footsteps approaching in the distance, eyes immediately travel to the source. "avery," he whispers in an attempt to get her to release him. two men walk around the corner dressed in darkened clothing. the dim lights don't help with identifying them but it's clear they weren't just random civilians. he pries himself free and grabs hold of her shoulder, turning her before forcing her forward. his other hand goes into his pocket, and the other remains on her shoulder.
he says nothing, keeps his head down as pace quickens. he glances behind his shoulder, they're following. he fears the worst. "run."
look at me. how does he not get it? that keeping her safe would mean he'd have to keep his distance. she goes to say this, parts her lips, but then she tenses when he does. "stop calling me--that's not--" but as she tries to work her way around wording that she's different, that she's not the same person she was the last time they'd seen each other, she gets cut off. her shoulders square up at his touch, but she wordlessly follows his lead. have they been watching this entire time? her blood runs cold. she sneaks a glance backwards. if it's the rangers, she's done for.
but they could be paranoid. this could be nothing. jubilife's on high alert. strange activity is happening everywhere since rocket showed up. she wants to write it off, but she can't, and worry turns to reality when lucas puts a hand on her shoulder and tells her to run. she sees his hand go into his pocket. if he stays and fights, he'll be up against two trainers himself. and this will be it. somehow, someway, she'll manage to keep her distance from him--she could talk to the board, get relocated somewhere doing bullshit security in a town hours away from jubilife.
if she stays, she risks losing everything. she risks losing her job, her pokemon, lucas. so she chooses neither. instead she stops him from pulling his pokemon out, twines their fingers together so she can get him to move. she doesn't have to speak. it's second nature after everything they've done together. safe house. ditch them and get to a safe house.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 21, 2016 7:02:31 GMT
he wants to fight, to turn around and charge straight at them. it's clear that he wants to when he moves to turn only to be stopped by her. he looks at her and immediately understands. she has always been the one to keep him on the ground, to keep him in check because he can be a bit hotheaded at times. he nods and picks up his pace, a walk turning into a run as they turn a corner.
his breathing quickens, body racing with adrenaline. it shouldn't feel good but it does, to have her by his side just like old times. he can't help but let a smile show on his face as he looks across, but it quickly fades when he sees the two still hot on their trail. this proves that they aren't just civilians, but he still can't tell if they were ranger or rocket. neither option proved to be good.
his mind thinks as fast as it could, circling through the various safe houses. zest's too near, not enough time for them to create distance. he can't think, not right now, not when it's so tempting to just turn and fight. but he remembers their situation and the risks he'd have to take, so he stops himself from turning, for her.
a safe house pops into his mind, one near the edge of town. he knows it's safe, abandoned. he directs her, pulls her across the street onto the other side. they duck around another corner and from there it's just one long straight road. he hears something running behind, closing in fast, too wild, too feral to be a human. he turns to see a mightyena, fur rippling in the wind as it charges straight for avery. he slows down just in time to step between the hound and avery, teeth sinking into his arm.
he falls to the ground but keeps hold of the mightyena, pain not seeming to faze him yet. it releases his arm, so he grabs it by its neck with both hands. it tries to chomp down on him but he maintains his hold, keeping it raised enough to avoid its fangs. he's on his back, he looks behind the mightyena to see the two catching up, though still quite a distance away.
he looks to avery, blood drips out of the wound, falling to the ground, onto his shirt, onto him. "mercury, blue door--" he tells her, voice stern but soft, making sure no one overhears. he wants to reach down for his pokeballs, to retrieve his team but every attempt to would move the mightyena an inch closer. he's struggling, he can throw the mightyena off to the side, but he's buying time for her to run.
even their strides sync. they move with one body, one mind; she's aware of where he's looking, how he's breathing. when he turns, she does. her lips part as they sprint and she shouldn't dare a glance backwards, but she does. eyes widen when she sees the mightyena close in and she half twists, raises her arm to block it as it lunges forward. but then lucas is there in front of her. she stumbles to a stop as he goes down, scrapes her knee and then gets back up again. her stomach twists anxiously when the mightyena's jaws snap just a breath away from lucas's face.
"--i'm fine, go!"
she grabs alpha's ball from her belt. the burst of white light as he emerges doesn't faze the mightyena and it goes in for another bite. but it whines out in pain as alpha tackles it to the ground. the charmander's fiery teeth sink into its neck, tail lashing as it crunches down. their pursuers are getting closer and they're getting closer fast. "alpha, give us some cover." she yanks her scarf from her neck as a smokescreen pours out from the charmander's maw. the mightyena scrambles to its feet, but somehow she loses sight of both pokemon in the ash. he'll be fine.
"honestly, when has telling me that ever worked?" she mutters as she rips the scarf from her neck and wraps it quickly around lucas's arm. she assesses the damage, tells herself that the wound can't be as bad as it looks. she sinks her fingers in lucas's shoulder and yanks him upright. by the time he's gotten him up and back on his feet, she's still anxiously checking him for anymore damage. footsteps near and she can hear coughing as their pursuers reach the cloud of smoke.
"alpha!" they're not going to make it. even if they get moving now, lucas's fall had consumed precious distance. fingers graze her other pokeball, but she hesitates. this is against code. this is against conduct. i'm a ranger now. she can't prioritize lucas's safety and yet she yanks the ball out all the same. echo materializes in front of them and as soon as alpha clears the smoke, she orders an earthquake.
the ground rumbles as echo digs her feet into the ground. cracks shiver out in front of her and the buildings around her creak as the ground below them shifts. a jagged crater forms between them; the buildings topple inward and once the path is blocked, dust settling, she withdraws both of her pokemon and tugs lucas forward.
guilt will come later. for now, all she's worried about is getting them to safety.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 22, 2016 6:03:31 GMT
another bite attempt would put the mightyena dangerously close to his face. he feels the animosity of it, feels it in its breath that leaks. he tilts his head to the side, about ready to throw the hound off when something else does the job for him. he immediately crawls backwards, his legs doing most of the work as he holds his arm close to his chest. he doesn't dare look at it, not now, not when it starts to numb.
"never but i thought i'd try anyways," he forces a smile. her scarf wraps itself around his arm and he's tugged onto his feet. "i'm fine," he says despite the glaring issue. blood soon soaks the scarf, adrenaline slowly fades. he feels the cringing pain now, every attempt to move or rotate would send another spike. he hides it well enough, clutches it to his chest, not wanting to worry her more than he already has.
he hears coughing through the smoke, footsteps that accompany it. he braces himself for a fight, wants to rush into the smoke. but he stops himself, or rather, the trapinch stops him. he immediately looks to avery, shakes his head because he knows what she's about to do. "don't--" but it's too late.
the earthquake comes, ground rumbles, cracks, building falls in front of them. he turns away to shield his eyes from the dust, and when it finally clears he's left with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "you shouldn't have..." his voice trails. she just risked her status as a ranger for him, broke their code, and suddenly he wasn't sure if he was worth it.
mercury's not too far away, it only takes them a good ten minutes to arrive. he pushes through the door of the crummy old building and once the door closes he drops everything, turns to her with anger and guilt. "we were fine, we could've taken them," he speaks, "why?" he shouldn't be mad but he hates himself for putting her in that situation. he lets go of his arm to reveal the scarf completely soaked. it's long gone numb now and he lets it hang there.
she splays her hands on her knees once the door snicks locked behind them. breath wheezes out through her chapped lips. she tilts her chin back to eye lucas, starts to speak, but she decides it's not worth it. too much has happened for her to fight fire with fire. so she stands back up, takes her hat from her head to shake out her hair. it falls in slight curls around her face, slightly damp from the exertion of their getaway. she surveys the area. it's cozier than the last one with only a small cot, an armchair, and a few pantries filled with supplies. she finds a medkit wedged behind a couple cans of food.
it's clear the inside has already been rummaged through. her hands still and she tries not to think about countless other people this has helped, countless other of the enemy. she now has two extremely vital pieces of information under her belt, both of which could prove priceless to the rangers. but maybe it won't even matter; who knows if she even has, or deserves, to keep a place with them?
she focuses on counting what they have, looks up briefly as she threads a needle. "come here." her voice is soft, not quite resigned, but still tired. when the weight on the bed shifts, she peels back her scarf. it falls to the ground a lot harder than it should. her brows furrow as she examines the bite wounds. the canines had torn ragged holes in his clothing. she reaches to push back the collar of his jacket to help him take it off, but then she stops, remembers her place. the distance between them keeps growing.
"do you ever dream of leaving? i don't mean like that." she purses her lips, washes the needle with the alcohol rub. "sometimes i wonder why i don't just hop on the next ship out of here. but i think it's because i wouldn't want to stop. i'd just want to keep sailing." her shoulders hunch and she exhales. "i missed you so much. too much."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 22, 2016 20:06:38 GMT
calm down. he tells himself this, repeats it over and over in his head because he knows just how hotheaded he gets. it's something that he struggles with, to keep cool under situations. he lets his anger get the better of him sometimes; leads with emotion rather than his head. so he takes a moment to calm himself down, leans against the door to catch his breath. he slows his breathing, makes it systematic, controls each breath he takes and releases.
he moves towards the bed when her voice calls out to him. he hears the tiredness in it, it's subtle, but he notices. he's tired too, of the lies, of rocket, of being alone. he's not anymore, she's back now, it's clear as he looks across to see her sitting right beside him. but he still feels lonely, he could reach out to touch her but he doubts that'll help clear the feeling. things are different now, and as much as he'd like things to go back to what they once were he knows it's impossible.
the thought brings a frown to his face, makes his heart sink. he watches the scarf fall heavily onto the ground. "sorry," he whispers. he doesn't know what exactly he's apologizing for but he does it anyways. he notices her hesitation with the jacket but he understands. he reaches back to shrug the jacket off before gently sliding his left injured arm through it. it stings, but he's grown accustomed to the sensation. he eyes the needle, dreading the moment.
"sometimes," he replies, letting his arm extend out onto his thigh. "sometimes i get tempted to just leave in the middle of the night, to run from it all. i don't care where, the woods, johto, just anywhere." the thought brightens his mood a bit. "...i missed you too."
"avery," he calls for her even though he knows that's not who she is anymore, that avery died in the fire. he's been told that but yet he remains strong in his resolve. the girl he knew isn't dead, he refuses to believe that. "for the longest time i wished that i had died that day in the fire with you, because i couldn't see a possible future for me without you in it." he lets her take hold of his arm and braces himself. "i wish i could've been there for you." so many regrets, it shows in his expression, in his voice.
they take turns. right now she's the one to quench his flame, the sound of cool water on coals when she murmurs for him to, "shhh." she doesn't want to hear apologies, not from him at least. he shrugs his jacket off and she gently turns the side of his arm, draws closer so she can get a better look at the wound. she works at cleaning the area around it and it's easy to kind of get lost in what she's doing, easier still when she's lulled by the sound of his voice. how many times she'd spent wishing she could hear him speak her name one more time seems so silly now, so far behind her. it shouldn't feel like this.
the needle goes in a bit rougher than it should and she forces herself to relax, tries to keep the tautness from her face. she pinches his skin delicately with her fingers, ignores the small twitches and jerks that come every time she threads the needle through his arm. she's quiet for a long time after his confession. it's too quiet in this place, too removed from the world. for a while she'd craved silence, seclusion, but now she prefers the tumultuous, exhausting world filled with far too many people and far too much noise. it's easier to think that way, by not being able to think about the other stuff.
"no one's called me avery in years, you know," is how she breaks the silence. she still pours over the wound, grimaces when she has to pour a small bit of peroxide before she attempts to close the last puncture. rhythmic motions slow as she focuses on keeping her hands steady. "you shouldn't say things like that. you know we're still better off if we never see each other again after this." she finishes, ties the last stitch together and dabs around the edges of the puckered skin. when it's clean and she checks to make sure nothing is bleeding, she places bandages over his arm and drops her hands into her lap, bloodied palms facing up.
"that was their blood on my hands. nobody should have died that night. nobody would have if i'd listened to you. there's a reason i'm here now, with them." it's simple, really, but it doesn't feel like it. not anymore. "i want to do right by them. i want to do the right thing. what's so wrong with that?"
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 23, 2016 1:04:58 GMT
silence lingers after his confession and for once he doesn't mind, not when the mere presence of her soothes him. they don't have to say anything, do anything. they just sit, and even as she tends to his wounds he's never felt this calm in a long time. he twitches at every pinch, every jab that she makes. it's too quiet, the sound of water dripping from a tap fills the room, rhythmic with every drop.
finally silence breaks. "what would you prefer i called you?" he asked. avery is what he knows her by, and it's what connects her to him, helps link their past. he's not even sure if he can learn to call her by anything else, just because avery feels so natural. "i know," he says hesitantly. outside this room, this safe haven they are enemies, the world tells them they are. she finishes tending to his wound, he lets his arm stay extended out along his thigh. "thank you," was all he could mutter.
guilt's toxic and everyone suffers from it; he for not being able to save her, for believing a lie, for moving on. it eats away at her too, he can hear it in her voice, see it through the tired expressions. it's a tug of war, he listens while she speaks, he speaks while she listens. it's clear now that no one can really come out of this as the victor, they've both been through too much to call themselves that.
"there's nothing wrong with that," he says. "you are doing the right thing. avery, you left rocket, joined the rangers to do what you believe is right. nobody can fault you for that." he reaches for her hand, caresses it slowly with his thumb, feeling the roughness that accompanied the blood. "nobody blames you for what happened that night, not even me. so you shouldn't either." he doesn't shift the topic away, keeps it on her because there are things that he still needed to say. "you don't have to be alone anymore, i'm here, and nothing's going to stop me from seeing you after we leave here tonight." he's determined.
but he shifts the topic away from her for a second. "you're stronger than i am, you have purpose. i don't even know what i'm doing in rocket. proving myself? making father proud?" he rambles and ends up shrugging his shoulders.
she'd meant to ask as a hypothetical, hadn't realized she'd been looking for an answer until he says something. tells her that it's okay she's moved on, moved away, moved forward. now all she wants to do is take a dozen steps backwards just so she can try to take him with her. "and you don't fault me for that?" she watches his thumb trace circles on her hand. it doesn't matter what he says, not when it comes to the fire. because she feels it in her bones, knows that everything could have turned out different if she hadn't been so pigheaded, so stubborn. but she doesn't press the issue.
she sighs, slips her hand out from under his. but she doesn't pull away. instead she places cupped palms to his cheeks, makes herself meet his eyes. she's been okay alone, not alright by a long shot, but okay. days are pale instead of colorless, tedious instead of empty. it hasn't been awful in a long time. but that's because she's in a better place now, a better environment, one with a purpose that drives her towards something. lucas believes what he's saying, that he's there for her, but she wonders, maybe, if it's for him instead.
her nose wrinkles when he mentions his father. "what do you think you're proving? to the world, you're proving that rocket is just as terrible as people say they are. do you honestly want that?" she drops her hands then, shifts on the bed until her back is pressed to the wall. she looks at the door, bites her lip, and then kicks off her boots.
"come on, then. let's forget about this for a while because we're not getting anywhere. tell me something. something nice, something good."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 25, 2016 6:07:03 GMT
"i don't fault you for anything."
he'd be stupid for doing so. her question makes him think, makes him question himself. prove yourself. the phrase's been repeated to him so many times that it's stuck with him. he doesn't know what he's trying to prove nor who to; to be strong, to be rocket's perfect specimen, to be the true blackburn son? these are the things he tells himself, reassures his actions with. but now he doesn't know, he's never had much of a say in what he does. this life isn't his.
he drops it for now, looks at her as she shifts on the bed. he does the same, turns his body to face her, lays one leg bent on the bed, foot hanging off the side. his other leg remains planted on the ground as he shifts on the bed. "something good..." he repeats, stalling to give him time to think of anything. it makes him sad that it takes him this long to finally think of a story but he hides it under a smile.
"mother's been good, has her own bakery now to keep herself busy. when i visited her a few months ago she made the whole house smell of bread, and god were they delicious. she even closed the bakery for a day to spend some time with me." the memory brings a genuine smile to his face which only amplifies as he looks at her. he misses this, misses talking.
a thought pops into his head, sending his hand to retrieve his phone out of his pocket. a few clicks and taps would make the display rest on a picture; a mother embraces her son, wondering where her little boy went; she barely reaches him anymore, head ends right below his shoulders. he rotates his phone, shifts closer to her on the bed as he extends the phone out to her. "please ignore the apron on me," he chuckles. "it's hard to find time to visit her now."
it's so easy to fall into this, too easy really, but she doesn't let that stop her. the picture is strange. it's been years since she's been in the company of the woman on the screen. fingers pinch to blow up the picture and she stares quietly, takes note of the silver sheen that's taken over his mother's hair. it's been a long time. when he mentions the bakery, she swears she can smell it, taste the red velvet cupcakes she'd eaten the last time she'd accompanied him home. in a way, it had been her own. 'you're always welcome, avery.' memories she haven't thought about in years are resurfacing quickly.
she turns her head; concrete is cool against her cheek. "you're so far away from home. i want to ask why you're here, but..." that would mean making him divulge rocket's secrets. the walls in their conversation tower impossibly high. how they'll get past it, this, she doesn't know.
"that apron's pretty hard to ignore." she swipes sideways, out of nature more than anything. there are more pictures from his trip there and then she stops, swallows past the lump in her throat when she sees him standing with his old team, rocket's symbol emblazoned on his chest. "what are their names? your mienfoo and fletchinder." she closes his apps and hands his phone back to him. her simper is slightly forced when she says, "sorry, by the way, for setting alpha and echo on them the other day."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Sept 1, 2016 18:39:49 GMT
he takes back the phone and lets it sit comfortably on the bed. he shakes his head at her apology. "don't be, they're fine," he replies. he doesn't stop himself from reminiscing; his old team comes to his mind, braviary, nidoking, scizor, he saw the picture when she swiped, memory still fresh in his mind. he misses them; the feeling of being embraced by big yet soft feathers, the feeling of being carried by a nidoking, the boxing training he'd have with the scizor. the memory brings a smile to his face as he processes her question.
"koma and kojo," he replies. before the ranger could make any comments he'd speak up again. "i know they're dumb names, that's what i'm known for, i guess," he chuckles. he's never been good with naming things, no sense of creativity, maybe? "they're strong," he speaks, "alpha and echo. but then again they are your pokemon." he remembers their parents, the charizard and flygon and how they perished in the fire too. so much was lost that day that it was hard to process sometimes.
his mind lingers on the question she asked earlier, about why he was here. "you saw alexander's broadcast, didn't you?" he asked. there's a chance that she didn't so he'd clear his throat before explaining. "there's nothing left for us in kanto. we've conquered it, so we're here to do the same."to conquer. he doesn't even realize how he uses 'we', like he's one of them, like they're all one big family.
"why did you pick sinnoh?" he asks, curious of her choice seeing as there were better regions. hoenn comes to mind, the beaches look splendid. there isn't much to sinnoh, the mountains are nice and the cold too, but that's about it.
they are strong. stronger than their parents. but given their circumstances, it's not surprising. she takes their pokeballs from her pocket and rolls them around in the palm of her hand. what little tension that'd been left in her shoulders loosens. she lays down slowly, fingertips press to her temple when he asks her if she's seen it. "of course i have. why do you think we're out here? the rangers are running around without a target and all we're getting are lowly grunts sent on recon missions. it's frustrating because i...you know." her voice lowers. "they won't listen to me."
we've conquered it. she holds her breath. it's strange, knowing that they completed the mission she'd once strived to be a part of. it's never going to be enough, she thinks. even if the accident had never happened, she would still be stuck. it consoles her, almost, even if at the same time it makes her want to reach out and reassure lucas.
"honestly?" she closes her eyes, lays the crook of her arm over her eyes. her sigh is shakier than it should be. "i went a little crazy. i just...had to go. somewhere, anywhere. i got on the first boat that took me." she bites her lip. "i should have gone back for you. i didn't even think...i'm sorry." but she's lived a lifetime for regret and so the moment passes in a flicker.
"it's not so bad. there aren't--weren't any ghosts." her eyes are still closed, arm still covering the better part of her face, but she finally reaches with her other, touches her fingertips to his wrist, over his knuckles. "you're alive. that's more than i could ever ask for, but it's--you know it's going to complicate things. i want rocket destroyed, lucas. i want to see it burned to the ground."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Sept 7, 2016 17:02:59 GMT
he remembers waking up, remembers seeing the men in darkened uniform cautiously approach him. she's dead. he refused to believe it, demanded to see her body or at least some sort of proof. they showed him a body, burned to a crisp with no way of being able to identify who it was exactly. even then he refused to believe it, she isn't dead. he's caught in this cycle where he doubts everything, even himself. in his own way he too went a little crazy. "don't--no, it's fine," he speaks. he too regrets not checking thoroughly but a part of him needed to let go, to move on. he now wishes he hadn't.
"you didn't know, how could you..." he trails off at the end, again realizing just how vile rocket could be. he rotates his hand as she grazes his knuckles, his palm faces up as fingers traces hers. he has to stop himself from flinching when he hears her plans, because as much has he cared about her a part of him would always stay loyal to rocket. he's suddenly conflicted again, unsure whether or not he's going to report any usable information he might receive here.
"that's not a good idea," he comments. he feels himself tense up, his fingers intertwines with hers. "i can't protect you if you go after them." he fears that they'll find out, that they'll force him to do something he doesn't want to do. he's their dog, he'll somehow be forced to comply. it's conditioned into him to be loyal, to be obedient, and he fears he can never get that part out of him. "you know what they did to me. if they find out about your plans they'll make me...they'll use me to..." he looks away, the thought of it makes his stomach turn in disgust.
"i don't want to hurt you, not now, not ever." he wants to get her to change her mind, to stop her before she does something extreme. but he knows her, nothing he would say could ever change her opinion. "don't go after rocket, please." he pleads.
1. PLEASE BE KIND AND WELCOMING TO EVERYONE.
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3. PLEASE KEEP THE CONVERSATION POSITIVE; DO NOT RANT.
SINNOH the roleplay was created by the combined effort of NOODLES and LAKE.
The current skin was created by PHARAOH LEAP OF WICKED WONDERLAND.
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