1 | Route 29 -> Cherrygrove

[tangorines]

[The feed begins with a normal sight: a pokémon tinkering with the pokégear. It's a ledyba, which is strange considering how cold the weather has been these last few weeks days. Stranger still are its surroundings. No warm rooms for this little buggy, it's exploring the great outdoors! ...A bug-type? Wandering in the snowy outdoors? Without its trainer? From the lopsided view of the camera, the ledyba seems only steps outside of Cherrygrove City. It continues wandering until it comes towards the city's entrance.]

Ledyba. [The small pokémon hurries towards the voice and calls back with its own name. From its position on the ground, only so much of the world around it can be seen. The lower half of a young boy approaches it, his steps lithe even in thick snow. From the waist up he cannot be seen but a smile can still be heard in his voice.] Ledyba. What are you doing here?

[The pokémon and its camera hobble towards the boy, only to meet with a swift kick of his boot. The camera spirals backward and the ledyba with it.] I said go back to the old man! Get out of here, stupid!

[The boy doesn't kick it again. He kneels down beside it, his face easily seen now. He seems almost remorseful, as he reaches down to touch the ledyba. He picks up the pokémon by two of its limbs and stands up.] You know I don't like doing things like this, ledyba, but if you don't become stronger how am I supposed to have you follow me? You couldn't even fight against that rat. Maybe you're no better than bait. Is that it, ladybird?

[Ledyba shakes its head which entices a laugh from its trainer. Satisfied, Alois starts to walk back towards the city only to stop in his tracks. The pokégear was directly underfoot. With a smile, he picks it up and shuts off the feed.]

Comments

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

...Really? It's no wonder I can't recall.

Show her to me. Can't you, through this odd device? [The description does nothing for him.]

[video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

[He remembers, but he's surprised that Alois doesn't.]

[He nods his head.] Yes, I can.

[He takes Lien-Hua's pokeball from his pants pocket and releases her. The red light forms her long-serpentine body and she has her head up high. He pets her front, which has a long scar on it. A memento from Articuno.]

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

[He wishes that he had remembered this dragon. It was amazing to look at, especially that scar.]

She's quite lovely.

[video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

[He smiles a little.]

Yes, she is, aru.

[Lien-Hua leans her head down so China can stroke her behind one of the fins on her face, which is her favorite spot to be petted. She closes her eyes and a pleasant growl rumbles in her throat.]

She used to be such a tiny thing.

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

[That's quite the smile China's got. Alois returns with one of his own.]

What sort of thing? A smaller dragon?

[video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

No, more like a small red fish actually, aru.

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

[Never mind that it doesn't seem possible.]

That's fantastic! To think something as dumb as a fish could grow into a dragon... you'd think everyone would have one of those.

[He's not so interested in owning his own dragon. Seeing them was enough.]

[video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

Most people don't have the patience to deal with them while they're still Magikarp, since they don't know any attack moves, aru.

But I knew Lien-Hua had an inner strength all along, plus she was, and still is, quite bright.

[Which was why she was his precious "lotus flower" as her name implies.]

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

Oh. You must have a lot of patience, Wang Yao. [China's name sounds clumsy in Alois' English. He seems unaware of the fact.]

How bright? I've never heard many stories with dragons, but they never seem to be intelligent. [He seems ready to listen to a story.]

[...That is absolutely precious.]

[video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

[China's heard England prounounce his name before, so he was used to hearing it in such a way.]

[He looks surprised.] Really? In China, or Asia in general, there are all sorts of stories about dragons. Good, evil, wise, powerful, humble, all sorts of types, aru.

Although, I'm aware that in Western culture, dragons are depicted as monsters with no heart or brain, aru. [He frowns slightly at this.]

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

[As much as he would like to demand a story, Alois composes himself before speaking. He knew what to say to get what he wanted.] May you share a story with me, sir?

Those are the dragons I'm more familiar with. They steal and horde and breathe fire-- or so they say. [He speaks of dragons as if they were more than just fairy tales in a story.]

[video 1:2]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

I don't see why not, aru.

A popular tale that I was always hearing as a child was called the Four Dragons, aru. The story says that in the early days there was no other body of water in China, except for the Eastern Sea. Four dragons lived in the sea: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon, and the Pearl Dragon.

One day, while they were visiting the skies, they noticed that the people were starving and miserable because there had been no rain to make their crops grow. The dragons felt sorry for the people and pleaded to the Jade Emperor to bring down rain. The Jade Emperor said he would and told the dragons to return to the sea, which they did.

[video 2:2]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

However, ten days past and still no rain fell. People began to eat bark and grass roots, and when they ran out of those things they forced themselves to eat white clay. The dragons noticed this and decided to take things into their own hands. They knew the Jade Emperor would punish them for their actions, but they did not fear. They took water from the Eastern Sea numerous times and sprayed the water out over the earth.

The sea water became rain and the crops began to grow healthy again, and the people were happy. However, once the Jade Emperor found out about this, he had each dragon have a mountain laid on top of them so they wouldn't be able to move. The four dragons had no regrets and they were still determined to help the people, so they each turned themselves into a river. Each flows throughout the land before finally emptying into the sea. So China's four great rivers were born: the Heilongjian in the north, the Huanghe in the center, the Yangtze in the far south, and the Zhujiang in the very far south.

[video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

[It was an impressive story. Alois wasn't entirely thrilled by it, but it had him thinking of dragons and mountains and the sort of things in between them all.]

And you believe such a tale?

[video] *HUGS* Welcome back!

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

When I was a child, aru.

Now, I like to think of the story as the part of my childhood that was actually relaxed and not tense.

[Video] *snugs* Thanks!

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

I see.

[Video]

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

Still, I remember back in those times I often prayed every night to those dragons, thanking them for their sacrifice.

That's one of the few things I remember from my childhood, aru.

[Video]

[fauxearl.livejournal.com]

Right, right. You prayed to dragons. [Not judging him, he hadn't exactly asked for anything more far-fetched.]

Have you ever seen one? A real dragon?