Pokémon Gray [roleplay thread]

It was springtime, and Plumeria Town was blooming with a hundred different hues.

Simon stood on the cliff face as the sun broke over the distant horizon, the sea breezes tugging and pulling at his jacket. It almost felt like it was calling out to him. He breathed in a lungful of that salty ocean air and pulled his jacket tighter around him, wondering if this would be the last time he'd stand out here by the cape.

"Wretched child," a tired voice rasped behind him. He half-turned to look at her. Mrs. Flowers hadn't ever married, and 'Flowers' wasn't her real name, but all the kids called her that anyways. For the life of him, he couldn't remember why. He realized that he'd probably never get to ask. "Professor Pine is looking for you and the other children." She was a shrunken and wrinkled old thing who couldn't move without a cane, but she still talked to him like that, as if nothing could hurt her. Simon turned on his heel and walked past.

"Is she? Does she want to see me off with a farewell kiss?"

"Don't make me give you a farewell caning."

Simon continued on, toward where the buildings lay. Sunlight kissed the grass, turning the frost to dewdrops. The Orphanage, four stories tall and looking as rackety as ever, had its windows blackened in the dim morning light. The lights were often dimmed in the Plumeria Orphanage as of late. Mrs. Flowers said it conserved power. Professor Pine clearly wasn't having any of the same worries. Her Lab was lit up, like it'd been all last night. You had to wonder what she was doing in there all the time.

He paused in his tracks. "See ya, old bat."

She grunted. "Mother of Mew, I hope not."

That made him grin. "And thanks."

Mrs. Flowers didn't answer, or even turn her back. She only stared out across the sea, to an unknown horizon. Simon kept walking.

The world seemed alive, bright flowers littered the ground, and the sun happily shone down upon the town of Plumeria. With the weather warming itself, and the flowers blossoming left and right, one would find it hard to be down, right? Well, not this someone. For Robin, with the weather as it is, starts a new brewing season for her step father's favorite line of alcohol. He had gone and gotten some as soon as he heard that the store had stocked them. That was last night. Needless to say, names had been called. But that was per usual. What was most off about last night, was that he actually slapped her. Never had he laid a finger on her, but that night, he did. Normally she'd tolerate it, but the slap pushed her over the edge she didn't want to live her life with a drunk.

Lucky for Robin, her stepfather hadn't gotten out of bed quite yet, and she knew that when he did, he'd demand her to help take care of him 'like a good daughter'. After what he called her last night? Disgusting. Robin was sick of it. Sick of the words he calls her, things he demands of her, actually hitting her..and why he never tells her how her own mother died. Even when she tried to get help from other adults, they wouldn't offer any, saying things that dismissed her pain and loneliness. But what could she do? What way out could she have? With a blank mind that morning, she packed a bag, took her Mareep's Pokeball and made her way out the front door.

The fresh morning filled wish vibrant colors felt like a smack in the face. The drab interior of her house compared to the outside was a shock.'How can the world be so happy? How can it be happy to live and thrive?' Her lips were pressed in a thin line as she stood on the bottom step, one hand on her bag and the other limp by her side. 'These flowers are mocking me.' Why would they do that? Who knew flowers could be so mean... Sighing, she stiffly walked mindlessly toward the ocean, the gentle crashing of the waves seemed to call her.

Robin found herself standing at the edge of a rocky cliff, overlooking the ocean crashing against the jagged rocks below. Normally, one would feel weak in the knees standing this close to the edge, and with such a drop it most definitely couldn't seem safe to them. But, here stood Robin, her brown hair slipping out from under her scarf and into the sea air, dark eyes sadly watching the deadly waters below.

ooc: Enter, Brennen. 8D

1 500mg tablet, Every 24 hours.
2 200mg tablets, Every 24 hours.
1 500mg tablet, Ever 48 hours.

The prescription was scratched on a small paper pinned up on his bulletin board, yellowed and old in the poor glow of the nearby light. It was poked with as many holes as the orphanage's uninsulated walls, punctured by thumbtacks for the boy's sad amusement. He didn't have to read the words anyway, he could hardly read them if he tried. It was from years of repetition that he swallowed those pills daily, and the prescription was pinned up for novelty. That, and a picture of his parents, given to him by the orphanage staff, and also poked full of tiny pinpricks.

The boy swallowed the capsules with a gulp, with a painful grunt and without water, slapping the bottle onto the cupboard and, with a pause, into his bag. Yes, that's right, he was leaving that day. Along with the bottles, he threw in the folded up picture, the prescription, messily and carelessly. His heart beat fast, too fast, almost unwilling to stop.

A Pokemon floated up on him as he did that, sleepy and aiming to help. It flexed its stubby arms towards a pencil on the cupboard, but wasn't able to pick it up, much to its disappointment. The boy saw this and smiled. "Thanks Mei." he told it. The Pokemon was a medical Chimecho, given to him for the same reasons Growlithes catered to blind people. It was almost funny, but the boy hadn't laughed at it in years.

He lifted his sleeve to the Chimecho, revealing a dark red vein lacing through his arm. The Pokemon blinked at it, and gleefully touched his wrist, where the vein entered his fist. The boy's arm glowed in viridescence, and the vein lost its vivid color. That was the Chimecho's job. A medical Chimecho. The boy's heart beat slowed to a normal pace.
"Thanks Mei." he repeated. The Chimecho just carried on its kind smile.

When he walked outside, the Pokemon followed closely behind, the duo passing by Flowers. He glared at her, her back turned to him as she stared into the ocean. Should he say goodbye? He never liked her. Despite this, however, he called out to his caretaker for the last decade.

"Hey, Flowers. I'm leaving." he said in a low voice.

The harsh mistress of the ocean was feeling particularly melancholy today, slapping against the cliff face wearily as its song drifted up into the town. A pair of slim, pale legs dangled over the edge as their owner looked down below. A hand came up to move a few locks of his blonde hair out of his eyes before turning his attention towards his Pokémon partner standing unmovingly besides him, with the exception of a slow, rhythmic headbang. "Okay, what if you jumped off the cliff and I tried to return you to your Pokéball. Think that'd be cool, Nietzsche?" His Wooper friend did not respond with noise, instead looking over with a goofy grin on his face. "I'll have to think about how hard the fall would be, though. I just need a minute." A minute was not to be had, however, as a voice cut through his ponderings.

"Walter dear, have you packed yet?" His mother's sing-song voice entered the yard, giving her son a warm smile. "You wanted to go with the other kids to see Professor Pine, right?" Right, that was today. Standing up, the young boy walked over and nodded, his Wooper in tow. "Yes, of course. I packed yesterday." He looked back towards the cliff this town stood upon once more before saying, "If you and dad move while I'm gone, let me know. This entire place could break apart and fall into the ocean." His mother rolled her eyes and a small smirk played on her lips. "Of course, dear."

With his backpack on his back he said goodbye to his parents before walking into the town. He had always wanted to go out and see the world. This adventure would be perfect.

"'Flowers,'" she repeated, not bothering to turn around. "So formal. I suppose you think you're all grown up now?" The woman turned her head, a frown on her wizened face. "Where will you be leaving to? Do you intend to challenge the League with that bell of yours?" It wasn't a mocking question, but you could make out that tinge of disapproval. "The road isn't kind to those with fragile health."

The boy glowered, knowing she wasn't going to turn and see it. He looked down. "I'm not dead yet, Flowers." He was rather nonchalant when mentioning his own demise, as if he were weathered to his inevitably early fate. Maybe it wasn't so inevitable to him. Mei chimed as a short but heavy silence fell among the two. Finally, the boy broke it.
"Thanks again for everything." he whispered, and carried on, pack over his shoulder, towards the laboratory. He didn't expect any more distractions, but when he was almost at his destination, he came across a girl, looking over the cliffside. This wasn't uncommon in the village, but there was a different feel to her. The boy didn't know what, whether it was her sad eyes or whether she was leaning too far forward, but it caused him to speak up with a simply, "Hey." It was less of a greeting, more of an alarm, his voice an inquiry of concern. "Hey, are you from here? The cliffs are pretty dangerous, you don't know when a wind could push you off."

Despite the beautiful shower of hues littering the ground during this supposedly blessed spring season, there was little to be pleasured by a measly town such as Plumeria.

A town where adventures started, huh?

Within the wreckage of what they considered the orphanage for the homeless and parentless children, it was absolute hell. The caretaker, "Mrs." Flowers, was absolutely cantankerous and unpleasant to be around, but without her taking in Elle, the young adolescent wouldn't know where she would be. In the demolished shelter, there were so many different children, but the one thing that linked them together was that they had been orphans. For herself? She ran away from home, and it seemed to spark an immediate hatred towards her. Name-calling was what it started as, but soon, it came to being the victim of pranks and harassment. While it was better than the constant abuse that she received from her grief-stricken parents, it didn't make life any more suitable.

The minuscule village that had adopted her after her journey, always seemed to be cheerful and bright, the sun smiling down on the people. It seemed impossible to be so gloomy in a jubilant environment. Unfortunately, Elle didn't have the same thoughts. A small thought, but with the orphanage closing down, the children within it had a few choices - to leave or to stay in Plumeria.

The idea was contemplating, escaping her own self-captured prison, but it didn't seem right.

Could she really leave the town? While she had indeed prepared everything she needed, Elle didn't necessarily think the journey would be simple for her. During her time at the "haven", the pale fourteen year-old hadn't been successful in obtaining friends. In all honesty, that's most likely the reason why she would want to leave. Who would want to stay in this accursed dormitory anyway?

Adjusting her hat slightly, Elle stood up from where she had been seated, staring out the window into the cape, and beckoned her only companion to wake up with a gentle tap. The dark hound let out a whimpering yawn before stretching. A small smile etched on her and with the current wind, a salty breeze tugging at her, she had finally made up her mind.

Tossing her bag over her shoulder and pulling her midnight boots up, she started to sprint out, her Houndour following her, and with a simple wave to her caretaker, she exited the orphanage without another word.

Halting at the town's edge, Elle allowed herself to pause for a few moments. Her ruby eyes studied the waves as they tackled the rocky bluff in the distance, and with the bright colors around, it seemed as though this pathetic excuse for a town was just about ready to make her leave - even if she hadn't chose to before. The jagged peak wasn't a safe place to stop, but who would've known that the "town of beginnings" in all of its comfort were so harsh and cruel? After all, the supposed guardians of the children didn't bother safeguarding the vile area. Biting the bottom of her lips, she narrowed her eyes in slight anger, wishfully thinking to jump into the deadly tides and throwing her life away.

What purpose did life have?

Her only reason for this journey was to find that out - her purpose in life and what choices she could make. At last, she was free from the chains that bound her to Plumeria and she took her first step out of the village. And she didn't stop there.

"I miss you, Elliot... One day, I'll join you. Maybe today, tomorrow, a week, or even a month. Who knows? Let nature take its course I suppose..."

Another's voice caught Robin's attention, causing her head to slowly look to the side and take a look at the newcomer. She slightly recognized him, perhaps she saw him around town, but never as she could remember, did she talk to him. Only a moment later his words registered in her mind. Robin then looked down at her feet, wondering why she'd been standing there in the first place. "I'm from here." Was her only response. Robin knew when she was younger she loved to talk, but now talking seemed like a chore. There was so much to be able to be said, but there was no will to do so. If she wanted to, Robin could talk about how she as fairly good balance, or how the water had seemed to be calling her name. But instead she only was quiet, trading her words for silence.

More than anything it confused her. Robin didn't know why she was feeling this way, this numbness. Much like or even more than her stepfather, she hated it. Come to think of it, she hated everything. The happy sun, the joyful flowers, any such joy in the world, it gnawed on her soul. The happiness. 'I wish it would end...'

"Then you should know better, come on, get over here," The boy called, gesturing towards himself. He had an air of impatience for this stupid girl. The Chimecho behind him seemed to care more, a concerned look on the bell Pokemon's face. Perhaps it could read more into what the girl was feeling. It peeked out quietly from behind the boy, letting out quiet chimes. A light gust blew over the village.

The girl sat down on the floor, legs crossed as she looked from one hand to the other, a sizable book in each. Whatever she couldn't take with her, she knew, would be either thrown away or tossed off to a secondhand shop. She'd already made an entire stack of textbooks and novels that she believed she'd read enough and could let go of and had narrowed it down to these two options. "A History of the Ceron Region," she read the covers aloud. "Or the 'Essential Facts of Pokemon Breeding?' " Marie huffed, completely stumped, and so she glanced upwards instead at her pokemon. "What do you think, Bethy?"


The small oddish returned her puzzled look, glancing at the books as much as she had before quickly - near randomly - placing a leaf delicately on the first novel. " 'A History' it is." She smiled, stuffing the book in her bag and sealing it tight, the girl slung it over her shoulder as she turned to walk and leave the room. They only paused in the doorway, turning back to look at Marie's old room. It wasn't much, with dusty books and shelfs, crumpled papers and old posters hanging all over the walls, but it had been her home for five years. She was rather said to see it go.

But then, most kids left home when they were ten, didn't they? The ones who planned to journey, at least. She was late on the wagon as it was.

”Thank you for caring for us all these years,” Marie had said to ‘Mrs. Flowers’ with a warm smile, giving a small bow as she left the orphanage. ”I hope to repay you for it someday.” After she became a famous professor, of course.

With little else on her mind, the girl walked straight to the professors house. Others stood at the cliff edge, played around with the flowers, or stared off into the horizon. She went up to the laboratory and nowhere else, gazing up at the size of the building and admiring the bright lights. As much as she admired this place with all her being, she’d only been here herself once or twice, when she was far younger – she barely remembered it. ”Professor Pine?” she called, knocking on the door. ”Are you there?”

The voice called out again, although more impatient. However, it got through the mist of her brain and brought her thoughts out of the gutter. Suddenly a light gust of wind tipped the scales of balance. Before Robin knew it she felt her self move even farther then she would've dared. With a sharp intake of breath, Robin pushed her weight against the wind and fell to her side in the safety of the grass. Her right hand clutching the fabric over her chest in a vein attempt to still her frighteningly fast heart beat. Her brown eyes looked up in search of the teen from before. "I-I di-..." Needless to say, she was in shock. What had come over her? Was she trying to k-... 'I wouldn't try to do that...would I?'

Brennan felt the gust with a panicked intake of breath, but exhaled with sweet relief as she fell back into safety. He'd almost witnessed someone die. That would'nt have been a good eay to start his journey at all.
"Well, be more careful," he warned with irritation. "I'm leaving town, so I won't be able to save you next time."

Figuring he was already late, the boy picked up the pace and hurried the the laboratory, waving to the idiot girl as he left her. He coughed hoarsely.

"Oh! Marie?! Is that y— OW!!"

There was a loud bang and a quiet wail. A stream of loud crashes followed, and a flock of Castforms and Pidgeys erupted from the Lab chimney. Then everything was silent again. It was a troubling quiet, like the kind of hush that follows a gunshot.

"FUCK."

Professor Pine's hurried footsteps approached the door. She threw it open with an exaggerated, beaming smile on her face. "W-welcome!" she shouted, letting out some almost manic sounding giggles that might have been masking the beginning of sobs. Amber Maple Pine was a short and slim woman, with frazzled blonde hair and thick-rimmed glasses that never seemed to sit on her face right. Between the bags under her watery blue eyes and the frayed lab coat, you could say she completed the eccentric Pokémon Professor look. "Are the others with you?" She ducked her head out, looking both ways like she was searching for monsters, and then quickly ducked back in. "Oh well, I can wait. Not like I have anything else to do... ahaha... ha... ha."

She stumbled back into the Lab, walking like a zombie fresh out of the grave. Her hands were shaking. "Come in, have some coffee! Or apple juice, if you want... you like apple juice, don't you? There's some beer too, but I don't think I can give you that yet..."

The Lab was truly a wreck. The shelves of unorganized papers and textbooks turned the room into a labyrinth, and it was only by following Pine's tottering walk that Marie didn't get lost forever. When they arrived in what could only be described as the main hub of the room, being that it was the only semblance of a clearing in this maze, they found Simon leaning back in a chair, with his hands thrown back behind his head and his eyes closed. Beside him was the source of all the racket earlier: a fallen shelf, loaded with dozens of cages, strange whirring machines, and unmarked bags, now all laying strewn on the floor. There was a table too, piled high with junk. Backpacks, Pokéballs, potions and cans upon cans of Pokémon food, from kibbles to the cheap mush you only found in second-rate pet stores.

Simon opened one eye as they entered. He grinned. "Hey there, cutie."

Professor Pine went straight for her mug of coffee, her hands shaking all the more desperately as she brought it to her lips. The coffee machine, and the little mini-fridge below it, seemed to be the only orderly area in the whole room. She walked over and thrust a box of apple juice into her hands. "The others haven't left yet, have they?"

"Huh, that's odd." Walt had made his way to Professor Pine's laboratory to find the door slightly ajar. Did she mean to leave it open? Seemed like a security problem. Well, this was where he needed to be anyway, so the young blonde boy gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, making sure to close it behind him. The direction he needed to take was not immediately apparent however, as the lab looked like a hurricane had swept through it. Loose pieces of paper gently slipped off shelves packed to the brim with books and other entries and onto the floor, making a labyrinth-like area. Maybe there was a minotaur in there as well.

Having never been here before, and without a sense of direction as to where the professor could be, Walt decided that he needed a better vantage point. Heading for the shelf in front of him, he grabbed on and cautiously clambered up and onto the top, successfully seeing a break in the maze, a lit reprieve within Daedalus' home. That was as good a place as any to begin. Making sure his balance was in check, Walt stood up and begin to move, one foot after the other, across the maze of shelves that had attempted to keep him from finding where he needed to go. As he got closer, he could see the top of someone's head, and eventually bodies began to form in his vision. Land ho!

Upon reaching his destination, he moved down into a sitting position and sat atop the closest shelf he could reach that looked over the room, taking in his surroundings. It was pretty obvious who the professor was, but the other two were people he had never seen before. They seemed a bit older than he, and he wondered if they went to school, or maybe they were orphans. Did orphans go to school? He had never thought to ask. "You left your door open, professor."

Marie couldn't help but jump as the sound of crashing echoed out from inside the building, eyes growing a little wide, she glanced up - watching several pokemon flap around for cover. "A-Ah, Professor?" The young woman suddenly remembered, fairly easily, why it was that she never personally visited this lab in the first place - she could deal with Miss Amber's... well, eccentricness, weirder people than her had visited the orphanage, but the thought of being buried alive under a mountain of paperwork didn't seem appealing in the least.

Out of all people to beat her to the lab, though, the boy leaning back comfortably had to be the last person she'd expected to see. "Simon?" She called a little blandly, fixing her glasses. "When did you get here?" Being focused on him, she'd hardly noticed when the professor had rushed by again, shoving a small apple juice into her hands.

"I think that I was the last one to leave, but I saw a few people by the cliffs on my way over here." The girl muttered. Pealing the plastic off the small straw, she stuck it into the little juice box and took a sip. Too warm for her taste. She bent down and set it on the floor instead for her Oddish to enjoy.

Her gaze flickered around then, catching sight of a blonde boy. He looked familiar, as all people did in their small town, but she couldn't say she knew him.