4.0 Dedicated to its Members and Fans of Pokemon A Pokemon Sandbox RP
Pokémon Dubstep (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
W
elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
EPOCH uses the Manga and is built on the Original ideas suggested by our members.
We are more than just a Pokemon RP, we're a friendly community with a goal on being a memorable experience for those that look in.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If you find yourself content with being an asshole EPOCH and its members will not tolerate you.
RULES
Understand We're All Human. Respect the staffers as well as your fellow members and guests. We all have flaws, tempers and quirks. Be patient with one another, but if issues involving other members come up please don’t just grin and bear it. Contact a staff member, informing them of what's going on so they can address and resolve the situation. The staff won't know what's bothering you unless you tell them.
EPOCH is PG-13. Proboards’ Terms of Service:
Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
Violence; Do not go into extreme nauseating detail.
Cursing; This is so fucking allowed, but don't go overboard.
Suggestive Content; In avatars, signatures and templates can attract the wrong kind of attention. So be careful.
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 15, 2013 5:18:54 GMT -5
After walking through the rubble (and several patches of tall grass, thankfully no wild ‘mons emerged) Izumi finally found herself in front of the Mount Moon Pokemon Center. Wondering just what the special feature was, she didn’t notice the cordoned-off area; apparently they had built a fence around it. What are they trying to hide? She thought as she heard the doors hiss open, and walked inside. The moment the cool air met her face, she breathed in very deeply and grinned—and was not surprised to see that the Nurse Joy behind the counter gave a little scream of surprise, because Izumi looked like she’d come out of a landslide!
“Whoops, sorry,” she apologized, scratching her head and continuously patting herself down, before looking behind her to see if Claire had caught up with her. Damn, I really need a bath, she thought, running a finger through her hair. The Nurse Joy that had given the shriek of surprised suddenly asserted herself, and then began with the usual greeting, before asking if she needed any of her own ‘mons refreshed. “Here,” she began, taking out all six of the Pokeballs with her and passing them over the counter, “Take care of them, okay? Also, do you have a shower?” she asked a few moments later, hoping that she could get her clothes washed.
While her team was being rejuvenated, she overheard something about a “hot spring”, and that immediately made her homesick, if for a moment—Lavardige was the site of Hoenn’s most famous hot spring! She then grinned and nodded at the proposition, before making further inquiries… and then turning to check if Claire was with her, she remarked, “So apparently they can also take care of our clothes, get them all done and patched up as new… plus there’s a hot spring. A hot spring!” she said, excitement evident in her voice.
{Spoiler}{Discretion Advised}Since there's a hot spring, we're leaving this here, just to inform you that there will be partial nudity-- but it's all in the hot springs for the ladies, nothing else!
Claire wasn't too far behind her apprentice, her leg aching a little bit from the scrape. Appearing in her workout clothes, she kind of put her hand behind her head and rubbed it while giving a sheepish look to Nurse Joy as she jumped back a bit.
"Ahaahahahahahaha... sorry! We kind of overdid it today."
Placing her own Pokeballs in front of Nurse Joy, she didn't say another word about the matter, only giving a slight look of flushed cheeks. When Izumi went around to check to see what was new around the hot springs, she checked herself one more time and that scrape that tore her pant leg up. This was the second time that her clothes became a casualty of a Pokemon battle... and this one wasn't even near as intense as the one with Bunji. Claire looked up at Izumi upon the announcement of a hot springs and her eyes became glazed with hope and excitement.
"Oh my! ... I could really use a bath! What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"
Claire was still a lady and went with long strides to quickly walk a brisk pace instead of running to the changing area. They would likely have to shower first to get all the grime off of their backs, but it would be more than worth it! Finding the women's changing room, she found a locker and started to take off her shoes with a smile.
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 19, 2013 22:07:28 GMT -5
“I know, right? Ugh, I can now feel all the grit stuck on me,” she said with a sheepish grin as she quickly made a beeline towards the “dressing area”, which was something that the Lavaridge version of this new addition to the Pokemon Center here didn’t have (it was pretty crazy to try and take a bath with all your clothes on, in all honesty) and saw that it was practically brand new—the faint odor of paint still hung on the air; and she quickly claimed the nearest cubby for her own usage, quickly kicking off her sneakers and stuffing them in the separate shoe cubby hat was located nearest the door. Seeing that there were towels prepared and placed in each of the cubbies that were meant for keeping their clothes in, she quickly looked around and saw that there were even showers to rinse off in—and she quickly made a beeline for the nearest one, closing the door for privacy.
She then began taking off all of her filthy clothes, and hanging them up on the hooks, well out of the way of the actual shower head—and then turned it on. Soon, the sound of water splashing down onto the floor then echoed throughout the area, and she was just getting started, scrubbing off all the grit and grime that had stuck to her—her hair needed the most attention since that was where most of the fallout had gathered and was the hardest to take care of. After giving her own hair a thorough rinsing, she then began a rudimentary scrub-down of her own body, hissing at the sensation of the warm water against her skin—but she knew that the water in the hot springs was going to be much warmer than this, once she was done.
After approximately five minutes, she cautiously opened the door of the shower and quickly dashed across the area and quickly wrapped her body in the towel, before returning to the shower and grabbing her clothes and then folding them haphazardly (as she was in a hurry). She then looked and saw that there was something left out for her use—a small bucket that had something that looked like soap and what-have-yous that were very familiar to her; since she’d encountered them back home. “Claire? Let’s get in the water… I’m sure it’s great, because Lavaridge had this exact same setup…but without this part attached to it. Everyone just went in and out of the Center, not minding they were almost butt-naked…and it got to the point that the Joys over there had to set up a special divider so that the naked people wouldn’t bother the others who dropped by over there,” she said with a grin, reminiscing what she’d gotten used to while growing up back home.
Nora noticed the towels once she put all of her clothes in the locker, and took them out, heading for a b-line to the showers. Taking the shower next to Izumi, she scrubbed herself down and shampoo'ed her hair with the complimentary travel shampoo and conditioner. She stretched under the hot water, tired from her recent battle and she looked at the scrape on her leg. It wasn't bleeding much, but it was a nice scrape. Putting the soap over the scrape made it sting a little bit, but she managed to scrub away the dirt.
Once she was finished, she wrung out her hair and found Izumi once again, wrapping the towel around her body to make sure that she kept her modesty, though she didn't seem to mind if anyone saw her nude form.
"So you're from Lavaridge? I've been in Kanto almost all my life. I've been wanting to travel for some time, but my work as a Pokemon Trainer has always kept me here. I've always been trying to plot new and inventive ways to ply my trade. I used to train Pokemon for other people to help with behavior problems, particularly abused Pokemon. Some just need a gentle push to become champions."
Claire looked over to the hot springs and did everything she could not to run in and jump in. Looking around the area, she looked towards Izumi for a little direction.
"Uhm... never been to a hot spring before. Are there any bath manners that I should be aware of, or should I just plop in?"
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 23, 2013 2:37:55 GMT -5
“I’ve been going around a lot,” she began, before heading over to the entryway, and then turning around, “I’ve never left Hoenn before, to be honest—I don’t know why I decided to start my journey so late in life. You could say I just wanted to make sure that the family business is well-established before I go see the rest of the world,” she continued, stopping to get some more complimentary things and putting them in the wooden tub. “I didn’t know you were some kind of Pokémon counselor on the side,” she said, brushing the dividing curtains aside and finally finding herself facing the hot spring. What she didn’t tell Claire that it was a communal thing; but as of the moment it was pretty empty.
“As for bath manners, just go right in,” she said, quickly setting the wooden tub down on a nearby rock, before letting the towel down and slipping into the heated water. “Ahh, that feels great. Come on in, the water’s fine,” she said with a grin, sinking down up to her shoulders and leaning against the edge of the ‘pool’. “Of course, the only thing we have to watch out for are peeping toms… but I highly doubt that there are any,” she added with a chuckle, letting the steam rise off of the surface of the water and surround her exposed body.
"Oh... maybe I should have had Shade stand on watch. Ah well."
Claire dipped a toe into the waters and liked the temperature. Finding a dry seat to put her towel on, she looked around cautiously before taking it off. Slipping into the water, she smiled and slid in next to Izumi. A long, relaxed sigh was drawn from her lips and she rested her arms on the edge of the pool. Letting her hair down, she just reveled in the heat of the water for a few moments before continuing her conversation.
"Most people just take their Pokemon from the wild, not knowing the consequences of taking them. They expect loyalty to be given completely after getting caught and don't understand why some Pokemon are unruly and don't listen to their trainers right away. I try and catch mine with diplomacy unless they attack me first. Some Pokemon are like that. They just need a test of strength to see if you are worthy of being their alpha. It's another lesson that I impart to you. Understand that most Pokemon have been taken from something or someone, if nothing else, their normal lives. Sometimes it is for the better, and you can make friends with them quickly. Most times, however, they were perfectly fine with their lives before you stuffed them in that ball."
That is why stealing Pokemon is so foolish...
It was hard getting out of her mentor mode even when relaxing. Now that she had a pupil, she was responsible for her. She had to be taught the right way even if it wasn't necessarily the good way.
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 25, 2013 23:23:09 GMT -5
“I doubt that there would be anyone going around at this time of the day,” she said in a nonchalant voice as she watched Claire being all-too-careful as she slipped into the water; and then a few moments of silence passed between them. After a while, she then heard her voice, seemingly continuing on from earlier (she suspected she needed a few moments to adjust to the water’s temperature)—and then she had something to say about what Claire had talked about. “I mostly end up battling them; not because they’re naturally aggressive in the wild; but they put up a fight as much as they can. I rarely go in for captures done with friendly diplomacy… some are just way too stubborn to listen to reason,” she nodded, agreeing with everything that had been said just a few moments ago.
And besides, most of them know that I am the leader of the pack… well, Momo and I are the leaders of the group; definitely… she trailed off, before sinking in further and only having a portion of her face above the water. She then let the heat soak through her skin, and then shifted upwards some time later; letting the silence fall between them. “I recently ran into a Houndour pack, led by this nasty-looking Houndoom. I knew I had to isolate the leader; but at times you’d feel really sorry for separating them from their children… but in the end, you really need to assert yourself and show them who’s in charge of the whole program,” she ended, before looking up lazily towards the sky, and then sighing—as the tension was slowly but surely getting out of her system.
“How does it feel for you, whenever you’re catching Pokémon?” she asked quietly some time later, letting her arms rest on the rocks that made up the exterior and upper portion of the heated “pool” they were now lounging in. “I just want to know from a different standpoint; since for me it’s always a challenge of looking for the one that you really want…”
"The ones that I really want are the ones whom I can bring to their greatest potential. I really don't care much for type. One can always train a Pokemon to defeat it's opponents... even in the face of a disadvantage."
Nora could barely contain herself anymore and slunk down into the waters for a moment before bobbing her head up again. She sighed again and began to rub her legs underwater while leaning against the edge of the spring.
"Oh... man I needed this! I've just been working too hard. Anyway... it depends on the situation about how I feel about catching Pokemon. Sometimes it's out of revenge, other times I really feel sorry for the Pokemon. Each catch has its own quirks."
Finding a knot near her knee she winced and pressed down hard on the knot to loosen it up. The heat from the water made things a little easier to bear as Nora's face contorted in pain. After a moment, she slowly stretched her leg out in front of her before returning to a relaxed position.
"So... what do you plan to do with your training? Badge hunting?"
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 29, 2013 2:06:25 GMT -5
She was unable to resist as well—she then sunk down into the water as well, closing her eyes the moment she slipped beneath the surface of the water. She then let the heat permeate and soak through her skin for a while, before pulling herself up as well and taking a deep breath once she pulled herself back up. She was able to hear most of what Claire had to say, and she understood where she was coming from—who would want to deal with a difficult ‘mon? At least most of my partners are cooperative… it’s because I assert myself… she thought as she listened to the rest of what she had to say. At the mention of talking about how much she needed a break, Izumi broke out into a grin as well—it had been a while since she’d last slowed down and taken a “time-out” from the rest of the world.
She then wiggled her toes underneath the expanse of the water, and then heard another question coming from her mentor’s way. She then pondered about it for a moment, and then said her piece, “That’s one thing I’m going after, the badges. I just don’t know which region to start in… I’m leaving my home region for last, of course,” along with a nod, but then followed it up with, “Well, my training will eventually take me everywhere… I explore and train at the same time, it’s a worthwhile journey. Especially if you’ve got a Dragon-type on your team; Deinos are a handful to train, but heck it’s worth it. Well, for Dragon-types in general, they’re very difficult to train, but the rewards you’ll get sooner or later are returned ten-fold, sometimes more,” she ended.
That, and I also want to explore another region in its entirety… hopefully I don’t get too swamped to do that… she thought, rubbing her knees and legs down under the surface of the water—it truly had been a while since she’d last unwound like this.
"True... the most difficult are often times the most rewarding Pokemon."
Claire put her hands together and squeezed the water into a jet which shot across the pool of water. Resting in the relaxing waters, she looked over to Izumi for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. She'd have to tell her sometime, or at least complete her training before she found out her true nature. The lady was the first lady friend that she had in a long time, her workaholic nature often times getting the best of just sitting back and enjoying herself. Her entire psyche plotted and schemed for such a long time that having a real friend was an alien concept to her. Just to sit around and talk about nothing... it was refreshing.
"I'll probably hit Orre once all of the routes are accounted for here in Kanto. With their lack of real routes, an ATS station to teleport people in between popular places will make a lot of money. I'm just so glad that I can finally build something safe for a change."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Jan 3, 2014 1:31:13 GMT -5
“Safe?” was the first thing Izumi mentioned after their little exchange—and she had to chuckle at what Claire had done, making some of the water actually fly across the surface before it joined the rest of the contents of the spring. “What do you mean safe? Were you… were you involved with something shady?” she asked out of sheer curiosity. She really wanted to ask why this place called “Orre” would go next after the region they were in—why not go to the other regions as well. Hmm, Hoenn needs that… particularly from Lilycove to Mossdeep… because Surfing across the water is not only dangerous; you never know what’s waiting underneath the water’s surface… she thought to herself as she waited for her explanation on what had been recently happening to her mentor.
After a few moments of silence, she then asked as well, “Why Orre? How about the other regions, you don’t have any plans of setting up anything for Atlas in them or there’s just no business opportunity in the other areas?” before reaching for the bucket that was behind her and then letting it slosh down into the water—she was fully expecting it to sink, but imagine her surprise as the one she’d grabbed actually floated. Inside this bucket were some oils they could use to rub themselves down with—along with some bath salts they could add freely to the water as well, should they wish to do so.
"Let's just say that the 'family business' is what got my dad killed. I have a lot of enemies in the wrong places because of the family name. As for Orre..."
She squeezed another jet of water across the pond, her mind rolling back to business topics. She hoped that her brief explanation of her father's line of work would detour any questions of her life, and if it didn't, she would simply tell her about her mafia past, trying to detour the fact that she was "once" with Team Rocket.
"Think about a place which doesn't have specific 'routes'. Granted that the routes can sometimes be dangerous with wild Pokemon too, but in Orre, you travel of dirt paths that others have made, the wilds completely surrounding you as you go. There are no huge paved roads for people to walk on, and some of those distances are long and hard. No, they definitely need our services ASAP. It's a lot easier to get jumped on the way to the next town from what I hear. Once I make enough money there, I might actually invest in roads along the main stretches so at least they have a way to get there with a little comfort and safety."
Claire slunk down to her neck again, making sure the water was getting to her shoulders. Her long hair sprawled across the surface of the water as she enjoyed herself a bit further.
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Jan 5, 2014 3:41:06 GMT -5
“Family name…” she said, more to herself than to Claire, and then looked back up once more as she began explaining what the Orre region was like—it was nothing like she’d ever heard of; and it sounded… pretty backwards. “They don’t have roads there? How do they get around then, they hike?” she asked, still unable to completely comprehend the fact that somewhere out in the vast world, that there was an actual region that had little to nothing when it came to development. That’s a pretty backwards place if you ask me, she thought to herself as she massaged her knees, letting the hot water work out all of the built-up kinks and everything else that ached. After a while, though, she backpedaled and asked something, hoping she wasn’t intruding too much.
“I get with the rapid expansion in that area—it’s all good and noble; but you got me curious at your family name. There’s not too much I know about Kanto’s history, so if you don’t mind, would it be okay if I asked about it?” she said a few moments later, sinking in for a bit up to her nose, before pulling back up and stopping at a point around her shoulders. Plus the way you said it sounded pretty evasive if you ask me… but that may be just me… she thought once more, hoping that it wasn’t too much of an imposition on her part. Hell, if there were secrets that were going to be spilled—fair was only fair, after all—especially when it came to secrets and other dark information.
Claire knew she couldn't hide her identity now that she perked Izumi's curiosity. Sighing deeply, she inched a little closer to Izumi trying to get a little closer. Keeping her voice down, she looked around the pool to make sure that nobody else was listening.
"My... real name is Nora Usher. Before Team Rocket, there was the House of Usher... the South Kanto Mafia. Eddie Usher was my father. I was on my journey before the main raid of my house where the police gunned him down. I was 14 when that happened. Because of my time at the Pokemon Academy, my mother and I found jobs with Giovanni and Team Rocket. I trained Pokemon since then and hoped to put my life in the criminal world behind me after Giovanni left... but it always seems to find me."
Bunji did call her out at an Ex Rocket out in public... she had to 'come clean' on that respect. The rumor mill was going to be rolling and she needed an alibi. She just hoped that her dear friend wouldn't ditch her for her past.
"That's why I'm trying to make ATS... it's the first legitimate business I've been a part of."
Now that she bared her soul, she kept her head down. Sighing, she looked away from Izumi in shame.
"I... understand if this puts a damper on things between us."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Jan 5, 2014 22:24:47 GMT -5
Noticing that Claire was trying to inch closer (because there was a chance they could be overheard) she shifted around as well, trying to absorb the information—the first normal reaction was for her eyes to suddenly go wide, because that was the first—so Claire’s an alias after all? She thought to herself, very much surprised with this revelation. At the mention of the words “South Kanto Mafia”, she quickly assumed there was a Northern version of it—but decided to hold back on questioning until she was done sharing her story. The very first thing she asked right after she was done sharing her side of the story was, “So you know the red-head who caused the crater then? I know him too…”
Taking a deep breath, she began in a low voice, “Let me see… for my side of the story, let’s just say I was raised in Lavaridge, pretty as you please, living a normal life… and then he comes in. that ferocious red-head. He said that we would be travelling Hoenn together, as a ‘coming of age’ rite—but the night after he gave me my first Pokemon, he just disappeared. Three years of waiting and then he shows up much later in Lavardige again; only thing is, the whole town pretty much despises him for leaving without a word… that red-haired idiot, Bunji… got himself tangled up in some shady working…” she trailed off, before realizing that she’d dropped his name, and she covered her mouth with her free hand; before letting it splash in the water.
“So I can safely say you know him too? Most of the people I’ve encountered on this journey are seemingly getting tangled up with Team Rocket—but that means nothing to me. Sure, all of us have skeletons we don’t want to bring up… but getting it out and telling someone is much better. And besides, you’ve been such an awesome teacher so far, so why would I let this get in the way? What interested me though, is that you mentioned ‘South’ right? So there has to be a Northern division of the mafia you were a part of, but that’s just me confirming things…” she said after that brief pause, making sure to keep t down—because who knew if the walls were even listening in on their “revelations night”?
