The Grand Opening

[driftingmods]

[A large WELCOME sign is hanging from the buildings when you walk into Levanta Town, but that seems to be the only sign that today is any different than any other day. The villagers are simply going about their daily business. However, if they are approached they are more than happy to explain the region as well as they can to any new arrivals.

Welcome to Levanta Town in The Drifting Land!]

Comments

[pkmntrainer]

[It's not the first time Red has wandered to unfamiliar lands, but normally he had some idea of how he got there. He stands at the entrance of Levanta Town looking around at the city, its buildings, and people coming in and out. Pikachu sitting on his shoulder looks just as lost. Realizing there's nothing he could do but move forward, he pulls his cap down a little and starts on his way towards the Pokecenter while keeping an eye out for familiar faces.]

[feelsgoldman]

[Ethan emerges from the Pokécenter, having given his team a cursory check-up. He's been here for several hours now, but he still hasn't run into anyone he knows besides Juggler Irwin. You can imagine his excitement when he catches the flash of yellow and red approaching the building, and he's quick to readjust his hat and run over.]

Hey! Red!

[He comes to a stop just in front of him, puffing slightly from the sprint.]

Man, am I glad to see you. Did you just show up?

[pkmntrainer]

[Red stops and tenses from seeing someone approach him so quickly, but slightly relaxes after realizing it is the boy who challenged him (and won) not too long ago on Mt Silver. Red notices that Pikachu is crouching a little more defensively on his shoulder waiting for his response. As much as Red loves a good battle, this is not the best time. He hopes that isn't what the younger trainer came to him for.]

Uh... Yeah... It's been a while... [Well, nuts, Red was never good with names. Now that he thinks back on it, he also used an Escape Rope before asking who it was that defeated him.] This might sound weird, but what's your name?

[feelsgoldman]

[Red might notice that this Ethan looks a fair bit older than he did when they battled the last time. The oddities don't stop there, however, as he frowns mightily at Red's question.]

What? It's me, Ethan! You don't remember?

[COME ON RED you're harshing his buzz. ;; How could one of his heroes not remember him sob]

[pkmntrainer]

Sorry, I'm not good with names... [Ah right, the trainer might have said something like that before they had fought, but it was kind of hard to hear over the sound of a blizzard. Oh well, Red will remember it now. He feels a little bad that Ethan seems offended but maybe he'll cheer up if Red buys a soda later or something.]

Hey, uh, Ethan, how did you get here? This island, I mean. [He points down to the ground.]

[feelsgoldman]

[Ethan shakes his head, accepting the apology for now. A soda later would be nice though, just sayin. He stands back and crosses his arms thoughtfully.]

Me? I kinda just... fell. One minute I was back in Johto, the next I'm way up here. Pretty neat, huh? Wonder what this region's like! I can't wait to go exploring.

[pkmntrainer]

[Whoa, looks like Ethan had the same experience. As much as Red feels unsettled with the forceful transport, he has to give the other trainer credit for seeing this situation as an opportunity. The boy's energy is contagious and Red could feel his adventurous side tugging at him.]

Yeah... guess if they have a center here, there's probably other trainers to battle. Oh... where's your Pokemon? Are they still inside? [He looks from Ethan to the center.]

[feelsgoldman]

[Ethan pats his belt, where his Pokéballs sit comfortably clipped.]

Nope, right here! I just finished checking them out when I saw you. D'you have your team with you? I met someone earlier who ended up losing his Pokémon all over, the poor kid. He had Pokémon from Unova though, isn't that awesome? Seems like there's a lot of people from Unova here, actually!

[Which he knows from lurking around the center and listening to people. Totally not eavesdropping if they're speaking loudly okay.]

[pkmntrainer]

Uh... they're all here. [Red reaches back to feel them just in case. Pikachu chirps once to confirm his own presence. Sounds like Red is fortunate compared to whoever lost their friends. As for Unova, that would make things interesting; Red has never met anyone from that far away. Wait, does that mean they're close to Unova then? Red realizes he still has many questions nd maybe the center may know... or if not he can at least let his team rest.]

I should get my Pokemon checked... hey, do you have to leave or... [He tilts his head towards the center.]

[feelsgoldman]

Nope, my schedule's wide open. [Ethan laughs, scratching the back of his neck. He seems pleased at the invitation, and casually walks with Red towards the center.]

Kind of a nice change, to be honest. I haven't had my 'gear go off in hours--usually it's a battle call, or the Safari Zone's got some kind of emergency, or my mom's spending my money...

[verdurous]

You look lost.

[ Red may have failed to notice Leaf was standing right next to the Pokecenter. She was looking rather nondescript, though, just lazily sitting on a bench with her Wigglytuff to her side, using it as a pillow so she could play with her DS. ]

[pkmntrainer]

[Red turns quickly at the voice. Apparently, he had focused so much on his inner thoughts of trying to make sense of things that he practically misses Leaf. Pikachu pipes up cheerfully and waves to Wigglytuff. Red sighs, relaxing his shoulders from his initial surprise and comes over to sit down next to her.]

Yeah... Normally I know where I'm going, so I don't know how I came here... wherever 'here' is. [He leans his head back while still looking at her.] How did you get here?

[verdurous]

[ Leaf closes her DS, puts it in her bag, and sits up so Red will have room. Despite her initial confusion (and anger), she's rather cheerful now. Back to her usual self, at least. ]

You and me both. I just.. ended up here, not that I care all that much. It might be cool here! You never know.

[pkmntrainer]

[Red feels a conflicted mixture of worry and relief at Leaf's response. Then again, she's gotten this far, so he has to give her credit that her lack of contemplating as much as he does may be more beneficial. He reaches up to take off his hat to feel the breeze in his hair. Pikachu looks like it is communicating with Wigglytuff over the recent events.]

Yeah... it was weird, like I was blown here... You're right though. If there's a center here, there's gotta be trainers to battle... Hey, how are your Pokemon doing?

[typeadvantage]

[you are a Trainer and that is a Pokemon he's never seen in person. It might be a new place and all, but excuse him, he needs to register Pikachu in his Pokedex. This is a normal thing, right? Just as normal as his Serperior trailing behind him. You've seen those before, haven't you, Red?]

[pkmntrainer]

[Red feels Pikachu patting the side of his face to get his attention. He turns in the direction his partner is pointing to only to face a stranger and a very large... green... serpent creature behind him. It takes a moment for Red to find his voice because said creature is incredibly fascinating with its different colors and exotic presence but oh right, its trainer. Red looks back down to the other boy holding out a device. Ah that makes a lot of sense. Assuming that the device is a Pokedex, Red reaches into his pocket to take out his own. It pings as it records the information, but it sadly gives Red a screen of 'No Data'.]

Looks like I'll need an upgrade... [He puts his dex away.] Uh, hey, I'm Red... What Pokemon is that?

[typeadvantage]

[It's kind of funny, since even though Pikachu is still a rather popular Pokemon in Unova for advertisements and the like, this is the first time Cheren's ever actually seen one in person. After getting the data for Pikachu, Cheren puts his Pokedex away, and turns his attention toward Red. Serperior, meanwhile, doesn't seem too concerned either way; he's not that interested in all the new people around here, he just wants to chill, really.]

Red? [that name is vaguely familiar for some reason Cheren can't quite recall, but oh well.]

I'm Cheren, and this is Serperior. I take it you're not from Unova, are you?