Lakeside Research

Dive into the world of Karud and explore Pokémon like you've (maybe) never seen them before! This RP is currently headed by our resident hitogoroshi with assistance from the typical Kaome and Rising_Dusk.
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VZhitogoroshi
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Lakeside Research

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:35 am

Only a few crumbling walls and some docking infrastructure mark that there was a building here. The tide covers much of what once was indoors, and the rest is in a mass of choked dirt and trees. Those traveling overland must walk over the crest of a hill to go down - making them prime targets for any pokemon that are waiting. And a few furtive rustles in the detritus make it clear that something down there is moving...

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VZBushkiller20
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Re: Lakeside Research

Post by VZBushkiller20 » Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:04 pm

The other three members of their group watched as Skywings landed in front of them. Lawrence spoke not a word as he helped Sophia off the bird before leaping off himself. "Where's Tomas?" The other girl, Jane, asked. Sophia pushed the hair that had been blown in front of her face back. "Orders are to continue. I'm assuming command until he arrives." There were no murmurs or complaints to this declaration.

Lawrence silently recalled his pokemon. The ride with Sophia had been pleasant enough, yet it still brought bad memories to the surface. He had not been alone with another woman since his wife, even for that brief of a time. It was...uncomfortable. She had asked him about his past, while constantly dragging him to the present. He couldn't help it. She was beautiful, even if she was not his wife. No...it's too soon.

"Lawrence?"

He turned around. There she stood. "We're moving. Let's go." Sophia said, before adding a bit more softly, "You are a great guy, Lawrence, but you have to stop living in the past if you want to survive in this world." Only he had heard that second part. All he did was nod. She walked back to the group, and he followed.
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Scarlet
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Re: Lakeside Research

Post by Scarlet » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:38 pm

The sundress was a problem. A minor one, true, but still a problem. Amelia knew it would be before she bought it, way back in Seital. Dresses aren't meant for lengthy travel, and they certainly aren't the most optimal gear for hiking through any sort of wilderness. Especially sundresses. They're too loose. Too easy to lose track of the fringes of the dress and get all sorts of rips and tears, over time. But that didn't bother her. For some reason, the dress reminded her of the days before the Collapse. It was a plain, unadorned thing, just some other woman's dress, but it struck a note with Amelia. So she chose to buy it.

So far she'd gotten by without much trouble. Hiking through the plains and hills of Karud on her way to Yarin had been easy, though it had taken some time. Avoiding the feral Pokemon that infested Karud had been more a matter of patience than skill. Moving by night was usually the best option. Silent, her Ninetales, was used to the dark. He and Surge had long since grown accustomed to serving as scouts. They were far better trackers than Amelia herself, and she was far from lacking in that department. So travel had been relatively easy, despite the fact that she was surrounded by hostiles. Deliberate care and patience went a long way in making up for the fact she was a lone trainer in such dangerous territory.

But now she was at the edge of a forest. She'd decided to traverse it by daylight, despite the added danger. Amelia didn't know the lay of the land very well, but from her time in Seital she'd learned there would be a light forest near Yarin's lake. She assumed this was it. It certainly looked like it was. She focused hard and thought she could smell the nearby lake, dirt and mud and water and... she couldn't quite tell what else. Sulfur, maybe. An odd tinge that felt out of place, somehow, that was for sure. Amelia figured it belonged to the facility she'd heard about. She hadn't managed to get many details on it, save that the building was last occupied by forces from Yarin, so it didn't worry her as much as it could have.

Silent came back and, true to his namesake, Amelia never heard him coming. One second she was alone - breathing in deep, trying to categorize the strange odor - the next, Silent was standing there next to her, his handsome fox face looking up at Amelia, his head tilted slightly to the side in an obvious gesture of curiosity. "Smell anything out of the ordinary?", she asked him.

The Pokemon could not speak, but the link they shared allowed him to communicate without words. His response came as an odd pattern of sorts in her mind. Not exactly words she could see or hear. They were a weaving of feelings and thoughts, pulsing into her head. The weave came out as "Too much. This place has seen much activity recently. We should seek a different route to Yarin. The ferals here seem more active than the others we've encountered.""

"Duly noted," replied Amelia "but we have to go through this forest. That plea for help was sent weeks ago, and this is the fastest route there. Let's get moving. I'm sending Surge to help you. Scout in circles, no more than fifteen yards from me. You go clockwise, Surge will go counterclockwise. Take care." Silent nodded slightly in acknowledgment and turned, heading back into the forest.

Tossing her hat to the floor - another indulgence she'd allowed herself - Amelia stretched her arms up towards the sky and stood on the tips of her toes. Then she stripped her dress off. Folded it neatly and stuffed it into her pack, leaving her in khaki shorts and a simple tank top in a similar dull color which she'd kept on beneath the dress, easily hidden. Swung her pack onto her back and took Surge's Pokeball out from one of the pockets. Let him out and nodded, silently wishing her old friend luck. Surge let out a small crackle of electricity from his cheeks and bounded off in the opposite direction Silent had gone, eager to start. Amelia smiled to herself and headed into the forest, wary as always.

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Scarlet
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Re: Lakeside Research

Post by Scarlet » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:01 pm

The forest canopy overhead was dense, which was odd. Amelia had been traversing the woods for a while, but even so she hadn't been expecting the treetops to be so close-knit. It wasn't a very big forest. A few persistent shafts of light pierced the thick cover, setting whatever they touched alight, almost garish, with their brightness. The leaves that floated lazily through the slanted beams dappled in alternating shades of gloom and sun, murk and light. Amelia could see the forest's edge in the distance, yet still all signs of the lake or Yarin's facility eluded her. She walked on at a slow pace, keeping low, avoiding the leaves and branches underfoot. Leaning on the thick bole of a tree, Amelia stopped yet again, focused hard, and listened.

She heard nothing out of place, which worried her. No people, no Pokemon, no ferals, no kind of activity at all. A forest this small should have had all sorts of commotion going on. People and Pokemon flocking to the lake for a drink, for instance. Or to get clean. Maybe some ferals fighting each other or gathering to converge on the facility nearby. Nothing doing, so far. Running this through her head, Amelia arrived at the safest conclusion she could come up with: The Yarin facility had been overrun. Had to be. How else could the area be so quiet, so empty? The ferals must have taken up residence in the facility. Only explanation, she thought. But why are they so quiet? An ambush?

It was possible. She knew from experience that some feral Pokemon were more than intelligent enough to set up an ambush. If one such feral had led the raid against the facility by the lake, and successfully overran the place, it was entirely within reason to assume he'd set up camp there for a while. No sense turning back now, she thought to herself. Even if they're not gone by now, they can be avoided, same as the rest of them. Amelia kept moving, stopping every few yards to scrutinize the area anew, patient and vigilant as ever.

Silent came back as she reached the forest's edge, leaping over a low-hanging branch. "There is little left here, save for the ruins of the facility you spoke of," he reported. "I did not approach them. So much water sits ill with me, and this lot more than most." Amelia nodded and withdrew Silent's Pokeball from her pack, allowing him to return. After he rejoined with the ball Amelia walked on toward the lake, taking in her surroundings. She would have to wait for Surge to return before she crossed the lake, but she thought she could hear voices far off. She stood and stretched her arms up, tilting her head towards the sky, waiting for her Pikachu to return.

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VZBushkiller20
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Re: Lakeside Research

Post by VZBushkiller20 » Fri May 01, 2009 8:49 am

Lawrence turned around. He thought he had heard a rustling in the forest over the others' conversation. "Ember," he held the pokeball in his hand."Run a little mission, ok?" Lawrence felt the flareon's excitement through the metal container. In a red show of fire, the dog burst out of the pokeball and began to run around Lawrence. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN His collar was easily seen. Good, no chance someone will mistake him for a feral. "Easy boy...here is what you have to do. Scout out those bushes over there and tell me what you find, ok?" Ember barked and ran off. "Skywings, follow him, make sure he doesn't get lost." The Staraptor squawked in amusement before taking to the air.

Lawrence returned to the others and pulled Sophia aside. "Sophia...Ma'am...I don't think we're alone. I've sent my pokemon out to scout, but I think I should be there if anything goes wrong. Do I have your okay to leave?" Sophia nodded. "Report to the facility when you are done. The rest of us are moving on."

Lawrence nodded and dashed in the direction of his flareon.
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