11.22.15 -- We are approaching the holiday season very rapidly. I understand that things get busy around this time of year, just try and make sure that you don't forget about us! And, because winter is coming, things in Rakuen are about to change! Our winter event will be starting on December first so keep your eyes peeled for it and be sure to participate. You won't want to miss out. Enjoy the last little bits of your fall!
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Post by Ryusuke Ugumi on Aug 16, 2015 16:17:38 GMT -5
Scenes come to life Showing a day Of a wandering Misfit like me
What was he doing with his life?
It wasn't often that Ryusuke found himself delving into such questions, but boredom had a way of bringing them on. More to the point, being trapped on the same boat, no matter how big it was, tended to rob a person of much else to do after over two weeks, with most of the vessel explored within the first couple of days. Even with the final call going out over the vessel's loudspeakers for passengers to return to their cabins and claim their belongings for arrival, the blonde trainer couldn't help but let his mind wander as his legs carried him through the ship's halls.
Half a year. It had been nearly half a year since Richissime, and half a year since Ryusuke had started to take his abilities as a trainer seriously - or more specifically, his lack of them. The events at the hotel, frankly, had made him think, to look back on his last three and a half years since leaving home. A lifetime for most trainers, the span of time between regional League tournaments during which those seeking to compete used that time to build themselves and their teams into powerhouses able to take the best that a region could throw at them.
And what had he done with that time?
It hadn't been wasted, Ryusuke knew that much. He and his Pokemon were far more capable than they could have ever dreamed of when they had first left Lilycove back when he was only 16. The wrong choice, made for the wrong reasons, and to a point Ryusuke had paid for it, as had most of his family who had been involved in the mess, but it was a decision that he would make all over again if given the chance. The people he'd met, the things he'd experienced, they'd all made him a far better person as well, not nearly more capable than before. The question, thought, was where to go from there? Ever since Richissime his main goal had been focused on self improvement, enough so that he could measure up to the level that his companions had reached - yet somehow, Ryusuke still couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was still leagues behind them, merely following in their footsteps much as he seemed to be for his mother's path.
Regardless, coming to the Rakuen region would hopefully help fix all of that. It was one that he was fairly certain beyond the reach or knowledge of his family or the Leagues from the mainland, a place where he could start fresh and be tested on his own merits alone. Finally reaching his own cabin door, Ryusuke's mind would return to the present as he reached to open it and step inside, pausing at the sight of having already been beaten there by someone else.
"Good to go? Ship's docking, we're there." Ryusuke spoke, stepping in to close the door behind him and beginning to hastily stuff the few articles of clothing and other belongings strewn about the cabin into a decently sized, travel worn suitcase on the bed. Next to it, the individual he had addressed - a large, definitively reptilian creature, covered in red and green scales and several tufts resembling leaves. Finishing off the bit of food in his hands, likely stolen from the lunch buffet line when no one was looking, Grovyle shrugged in response and hopped down to the floor before moving to the cabin's door to wait in the hall for his human partner.
Blunt as always, but then again Ryusuke was used to it. Grovyle had been there for nearly as long as Ryusuke could remember, and they wouldn't have lasted as long as they had if neither one had thick skin. Still, for all of the back and forth bluster and in spite of each one's rather strong showing of independent traits, Ryusuke would've been hard pressed to think of anyone or anything he trusted more than the Wood Gecko. Finishing his rushed packing just as the dock came into view outside the cabin's small porthole window, the trainer would make his way out into the hallway again, passing Grovyle who would seamlessly fall into step behind him as they began to approach the stairs leading down the the ship's vehicle deck, where every passenger would be forced to exit as soon as the vessel finished docking.
There had been a rumor in Rukden that a large amount of new trainers were arriving in the region. Melia herself did not care much for other people. In fact, when she heard that five ferries had sold out all of their cabins to new trainers crossing to Rakuen, she did not even blink an eye. It was when someone mentioned that ferries were filled with young children escaping home that she began to worry. She could not have her home overrun with self-entitled brats who did not know a Charizard from a Dragonite. She decided that the best option would be to head down to Yayli and inspect the new troops herself to see if they really were just children. Melia was hoping to be proven wrong and see young adults and old adults getting off. She wanted a challenge for her Ice Hall and children would not offer up much of a challenge. There was also a dark thought growing in the back of her mind, if they were children, who would obsess over her? Her ego would not allow fifteen year old, hormonal boys to be her suitors. No, she needed older, more mature men to fall head over heals for her gorgeous looks.
It was in the morning that she dressed herself in a bright white sundress with a silk scarf wrapped around her neck that she entered Yayli Town. The town looked seemingly normal from Route 12. A small cluster of buildings, people wandering about but most of the population occupied the lab or the fishing boats that lingered not far from the shore. On the long beach, the story was a little different. Route 12 just barely grazed the path that went to route 1, but in that small patch of land to Yayli, Melia could see just what kind of people were coming from the ferries. They were young children. Occasionally there was someone older, in their late teens and just entering adulthood. Most of them were the average ten year old set off to conquer the world. Most of them wouldn't make it farther than Crystal City and its surrounding routes before they would head home. She could feel it in her soul.
Sighing, she pushed further into the town where a ferry was pulling up with a fresh batch of trainers. At least the small town would benefit from the traffic and perhaps even grow into a thriving metropolis. She scoffed at the thought. Yayli would never be more than a small fishing town that got lucky enough to host a Pokemon Lab before dying off. The League Member walked slowly to where the ferry was about to dock and unload. She sat down on a nearby bench and watched as child after child entered into the Rakuen region for the first time in their life. Some of the faces were in awe while others had been watching the region come into view for hours and were eager to enjoy the slice of paradise that the region had to offer.
She leaned back on her bench seat. Then she saw him. He looked like the kind of man who knew something about Pokemon. He had with him a Grovyle as a sign that he was better than the rest. Melia straightened her back and adjusted the scarf to look more professional. She was hoping to grab his attention and perhaps even a conversation. After all, this would be one of the last times she saw someone close to her own age before she was run over with preteens and tweens in her Contest Hall.
Post by Ryusuke Ugumi on Aug 21, 2015 18:03:16 GMT -5
Scenes come to life Showing a day Of a wandering Misfit like me
Cramped an uncomfortable were probably the best words used to describe the next several minutes as passengers took to the two or three stairwells leading down to the departure deck. Pressed shoulder to shoulder with the other people present, there were really only two things about the situation that Ryusuke could be thankful for. First and foremost being how much he had grown in the last couple of years - no longer was he the height of many trainers nearly a decade younger than he was, nor was he dealing with the hell that Grovyle was stuck in, forced to navigate through the forest of legs and bags. The second, honestly, that Grovyle wasn't trying to do what he'd always done as a Treecko, hitching rides on peoples' shoulders and heads. The Grass type had rather quickly learned that wouldn't fly after he'd initially evolved, but Ryusuke still wouldn't have put it past the Wood Gecko to attempt it out of sheer frustration just the same.
With the arrival to the then empty vehicle bay, however, a wide open space as the cars and trucks that had been stowed there earlier had departed first, came much needed relief from the cramped space, and following that their first steps outside and into the sun. Whatever Ryusuke had been expecting, though, wasn't at all what he got. Rather than the heavily developed port cities he'd been to in the past, his own home of Lilycove included, the town that the ferry had deposited them in was almost rural by comparison - not that it was a bad thing. With the other passengers quickly dispersing, by the time that Ryusuke and Grovyle had stepped out onto the receiving dock they were nearly alone, with only the few other straggling trainers who had paused to get their bearings present.
Grovyle, taking the initiative, would be the first to begin continuing ahead, one arm raised up and the other gripping the elbow to forcibly stretch it as Ryusuke paused to pull his PokeNav out of his pocket, thumbing the device on. As expected, the thing had already updated and knew where they were, the small screen complete with a small map of the region as well as the Nav's current location in it. Rakuen wasn't nearly as large as most of the others Ryusuke had visited, but it certainly wasn't lacking by comparison - between the weather and what Ryusuke was seeing on the map, he had a feeling that he was going to feel right at home.
The region was startlingly similar to Hoenn in a number of ways, and it was a pleasant change of pace after spending such a long time in colder regions like Unova. Turning the device off, Ryusuke would pause again just long enough to catch a look at the ocean just off of the dock, as well as the numerous small local boats and constantly shifting cloud of Wingull that seemed to hover over them. This was a quiet place, a good one, and while Ryusuke wasn't sure when he'd be leaving the region he would have to make a point of visiting this town in a proper sense before it happened. Hefting the suitcase in his hand, still not entirely used to the ability to feel things again in his right hand, Ryusuke turned to begin following Grovyle's path before stopping again after the first step.
Not too much further down the dock the Wood Gecko had likewise paused, although not for the same reasons Ryusuke had initially. Rather, the Grass type had stopped mid stretch and was still in the process of lowering his arms... and staring rather pointedly at a woman on a bench, who had begun to shift in her seat. While Ryusuke himself hadn't noticed her before the Wood Gecko had been content to ignore the woman as well, at least up to the point where her demeanor had changed on spotting his human half, and a glance back at Ryusuke from Grovyle made it rather clear that he wanted to continue moving on. Ryusuke himself still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but Grovyle didn't typically stop for other people unless curious or unless something absolutely required his attention. Best to get through whatever this was before the Wood Gecko got impatient.
In an attempt to try and give casual glances at the man to make sure that he was headed in her direction, Melia noticed something. The Grovyle that was with him was looking straight at her. This caused her to stare harder than ever as they made their way over to her. Had the gecko noticed her glancing and intrigue in them or was there something else that was attracting him over? It was clear that the trainer himself had no real interest in interacting with her, it was simply because of the Pokemon that he was approaching. She felt her heart beat rising as the Pokemon got closer, there was something very strange about the creature. It was far different from any of the Pokemon she had raised or even seen challenge her.
That was when the man arrived, asking if he could help with anything. She narrowed her eyes at him. That was a strange question to start with. While she had been staring in those last moments, it was the Grovyle that had started it. Besides, he was new to the region and she had been born there. The only thing that he could help her with was information about the trip if she desired to leave, which she did not. Her head gave an involuntary tilt as she tried to respond. Somehow the question had thrown her so much that she could not think of a logical response. That was until she remembered the Pokemon that had started her staring.
"Your Grovyle there, I don't see many trainers entering with an evolved Pokemon, let alone one outside of its Pokeball." She paused for a moment, trying to think of what else to say. She wanted to know how good the trainer was. She wanted to know what was so different about the Pokemon itself. Most importantly, she wanted another member added to her 'fan club'.
Melia leaned forward, pushing her arms against her sides to create even more cleavage than necessary. "How did you train that Grovyle? It seems so different from any Pokemon I have ever raised or that walked through my doors to challenge me. I must know your secrets." She put her hand gingerly to her mouth and giggled. She leaned back on the bench once again, inspecting the Pokemon for what it was. It was strong, that was a given, but it was not that air that it was producing. There was something that came with its strength, perhaps a rogue fighting style that was not league official or maybe...
Her thoughts suddenly stopped as she remember something horrible. In her attempt to learn more about the Grovyle, she had forgotten herself. Firstly, she had yet to introduce herself or her accomplishments. Second, she had already spent all of the words and thoughts she could on something that was not herself. With the decision to make amends to her ego, she stood up. "I am so sorry, where are my manners? I have completely forgotten to introduce myself. The name is Melia, and I am one of the Contest Hall Leaders who takes on simple coordinators and deems them worthy of a ribbon. I cannot believe that I did not tell you my name right away." She laughed gently before sitting back down. Her eyes softened as she looked up at the trainer, hoping that last bit would steer the conversation towards her.
Post by Ryusuke Ugumi on Aug 30, 2015 17:44:37 GMT -5
Scenes come to life Showing a day Of a wandering Misfit like me
Ah, people. Right. In his general isolation over the last few months and with the handful of individuals Ryusuke had come to tolerate - no, who was he kidding, he actually liked some of them - the trainer had forgotten his luck with people in general. By and large, neither he nor them got along, and it was a trend that had carried ever since middle school. Exactly how Ryusuke had forgotten that he had no idea- again, wrong. He'd been making a deliberate effort, and truth was that the last few years had mellowed him out considerably from someone willing to get into a fist fight with the proper provocation into a person more likely to just ignore annoyances. Still, as the woman's eyes narrowed from her seat on the bench at his question the trainer couldn't help but bristle a bit himself in response. Unless Grovyle had stopped him just for shits and giggles the woman had either done something in relation to one of them, or had intended to speak to him, but even if that wasn't the case Ryusuke couldn't help but feel a moment of hostility and, following it, a sudden, inexplicable desire himself to simply stop caring about whatever it was she wanted. If she wanted something. Regardless, civility would've been greatly appreciated over dirty looks, at least until Ryusuke began to wonder if woman simply didn't know how to respond going off the tilt of her head and momentary silence.
What wasn't expected, though, was the woman suddenly turning the focus onto Grovyle instead. To be honest, Ryusuke had expected to get a lot of that when he'd first left home, for the same reasons he typically wore long sleeves to cover his right arm - thing out of the norm tended to attract attention, and while Pokemon themselves were a common enough sight in day to day life, the sight of one freely roaming about despite being partnered with a trainer wasn't. Most people kept their companions in Pokeballs for ease of use and transportation, and most Pokemon didn't seem to mind it at all. Grovyle, though... as Ryusuke slowly looked over the the Wood Gecko for a moment, the Pokemon returning the glance and shrugging in response, the trainer saw no real harm in answering at least that much.
"He never really had one to begin with, and by the time he evolved there really wasn't much point." Ryusuke responded, albeit half truthfully as his gaze returned to the woman he was speaking to. There was a very, very brief time when the Wood Gecko had been in a ball and "tagged" to one, but that... hadn't ended well. To be completely honest it was meant just to get the Pokemon across region very quickly the one time, but on coming out at the other end and the person opening the Pokeball, well, first thing Grovyle had apparently done was take the orb and drop it into a blender. Lack of context aside, Ryusuke had figured that trying it again from that point on would be a bad idea, especially in light of the fact that the little jackass had up and disappeared for a full year before finding Ryusuke again in Hoenn. That said, though...
Grovyle had definitely picked up on the woman's wording just as much as Ryusuke had, particularly the bit about "challengers". Was she a trainer as well? More to the point, a Gym Leader? It wasn't all that common for Leaders to travel so freely - Ryusuke knew there was no Gym in Yayli, he'd checked before even getting off the ferry, so where was she from? More to the point, why was she here, in this small port town? The only thing there aside from a few local fishers and the Pokemon Center were rookie trainers and the ferry who brought over foreigners like himself from outside the region. Unless that was the point? Assuming this woman had the same general mindset that his mother and all the higher level trainers seemed to share in common, Ryusuke could see people in their position making a habit of stopping by in towns like this. Get a look at the new trainers arriving, pick out which ones they believed to have potential for growth or who might make for good challengers one day. If that was the case, though, Ryusuke wasn't so sure he wanted to answer the next part of her question, particularly if he'd be battling her at some point later on. What she said next, though, dispelled much of that notion, and honestly filled Ryusuke with a fair degree of disappointment. It did, however, explain a lot about his earlier reaction to her look.
"Ryusuke Ugumi, trainer." The blonde answered, although Grovyle's reaction was far more telling - rather than stay and see how things played out, the Pokemon would immediately lose interest and begin to wander further up the dock and towards the street beyond it. A coordinator, figures. Ryusuke had never been a fan of them growing up in Hoenn, and honestly that had arguably been his biggest reason for spending most of his time either at home or in the wilderness west of the city as a kid. The few run ins he had with them growing up had not been pleasant ones, and while many of them were decent enough people... the very nature of their profession trained them to judge others by appearances. Ryusuke had never been a fan of such judgement to begin with, and people who did it for a living, well, the idea had never rubbed him the right way, particularly after the accident that had resulted in his artificial limbs.
Yack, yack, yack. That was all the other man seemed to be able to do. He mustered up what seemed to be an entire monologue in Melia's mind. She had long forgotten what she had even said to him and her words did not seem to interest him much either. She cocked an eyebrow at the man when he mentioned his name and occupation of trainer. Just as she went to log his information in her brain for future reference the strangest thing happened. The Pokemon that she had started the conversation for began to walk away. Her eyes widened as they followed the Pokemon leaving. Why would a Pokemon leave his trainer in the first place and secondly, why would anything leave her presence? Was she not good enough for the stuck-up gecko. He probably evolved from a Treecko after getting tired of putting his twig somewhere unpleasant. If he still was his little baby Pokemon Melia surely would have put the twig there herself.
The coordinator shifted her gaze to the trainer before her. Her eyes were suddenly cold and void of all life. "It seems that your Pokemon is not the social type," her voice came out barely louder than a whisper. "First he has problems with staring, at least you seem to have gotten him to not point at things. Second he has issues with interacting with people. Have you considered going to a Pokemon therapist? He might need some help." Her eyes narrowed as she stepped towards the trainer. The words were already out in the air, now she just needed a reason to leave and in a hurry. She did not want to stick around for the consequences of the words she had said. At least it would leave her in the mind of the trainer and probably stir herself into a few topics later down the road. Her outing being a success in that sense that it generated more stir of her name.
The woman glanced at her watch for a moment and remembered the perfect excuse. "If you would please, I have a meeting with another member of the Pokemon League. I cannot afford to be late." She stepped passed the trainer, throwing an irritated glance at the man before slipping into the crowd. There was no real competition coming in from the ferries. The only thing that had appeared to be something was a rude little jerk whose name she would share to the ends of the earth so that none of the gym leaders would let him pass. Now, what had he said his name was? It was something along the lines of... R... Ryan? No... She shook her head, it was pointless. She would just have to remember the Pokemon. A Grovyle. They were not very common so that would set him apart a little bit. Surely the gym leader from Crystal city would be able to recognize him and spread the name. After all, not many trainers had an evolved Pokemon on the first stop to becoming Champion.
The Grovyle had chosen the wrong person to walk away from, and Melia was about to make him pay for his mistakes.
