adamantlocked - Tumblr blog

[adamantlocked]

Trophy Garden

Lucas figured maybe he should try training some of his lower-leveled Pokemon, so he’s been re-visiting some of the routes he previously went through.

This was the first time he’s been here, though. Now that he thought about it, did he even catch anything in Route 212...?

Maybe he should catch something here first, and then check his notes. 

Pixel / Female / Jolly / Capable of taking hits / Likes sweet food / Static

[adamantlocked]

Route 222

That reminded him...he never checked the stats on the Wingull he caught in Route 222, did he? Maybe he should do that while checking up on Arrow.

Jonathan / Male / Rash / Somewhat of a clown / Likes dry food / Keen Eye

[adamantlocked]

Victory Road

That was probably the most terrifying catch he’s ever gone through!

He was prepared when the Steelix started using Curse, but he hadn’t been prepared for Rock Polish! That nullified the Speed drop from Curse, and the Steelix nearly KO’d Garnet because of it!

Thankfully, the Steelix was caught before he could seriously hurt anyone, but he still had to turn back to get everyone healed up afterwards. That was annoying, hey...not every day you catch a Steelix.

Arrow / Male / Gentle / A little quick tempered / Likes bitter food / Rock Head

[adamantlocked]

Now that he has all the Badges, he should think about how he’s gonna handle Victory Road. It takes a lot of HM moves to make it through, doesn’t it? Maybe he should go with the team he used to beat Volkner. 

Marnie has Surf, Skipper has Waterfall and Kale has Rock Climb...Garnet has Strength, and is there anything else they need?

[adamantlocked]

Beacon Badge Get!

All of that training was worth it! Skipper, Marnie, and Kale all put in an equal amount of work in the fight (although Electivire did scare him when it used Fire Punch on Kale).

[adamantlocked]

Distortion

It was a whirlwind of events. First Cyrus managed to summon Dialga and Palkia, then Giratina appeared to break the Red Chains and drag Cyrus into the Distortion World. Cynthia and Lucas hopped in after them to try to calm Giratina and restore stability between the two worlds.

Then, when they finally found Cyrus, he challenged Lucas to a battle. And it was rough. The fact that none of his Pokemon fainted seemed like a miracle in itself, but Cyrus really gave him a run for his money.

All of those events led to this: it fell to him to face Giratina and try to...what? Calm them down? Battle them? He didn’t think he could do that; he didn’t know much about Giratina, but he knew enough of its siblings(?) to know that they were just as strong as Dialga and Palkia. What hopes does a trainer like him have against a primordial force?

Catching it probably wasn’t the best option either. Even with the Master Ball. If Cyrus’ theory was right, catching Giratina would create even more instability. That’d be playing into Cyrus’ hands, and he did not want to do that.

So, as he looked up at the legendary quietly watching him, Lucas made his decision.

“G-Giratina...I don’t want to fight!”

He didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t a voice piping up in his mind. Not unlike Garnet practicing telepathy with him, but it was a different voice than what he was used to. (Oh really, now? So what is your intent? Do you plan on capturing me with that purple capsule of yours?)

The response threw Lucas off for a moment (because how did she know about the Master Ball?), but he responded after a moment, “I’m not gonna do that either."

(So you do not wish to fight, and yet you will not try to capture me? Do you not wish to free yourself from this world?)

“I do, but what am I supposed to do? Fight you?! It’s not like I’ll win: not because I don’t have faith in my Pokemon, but because you’re a primordial deity! Even if I do manage to beat you, does it really solve the problem?”

(And what if I said it does? That it does not matter whether or not you fight me? Do either of you truly think that I can be brought down?) 

“Well...” Shit, Lucas didn’t think that far. So, he just said the first thing that came to mind: “W-Well...far be it from me to not want to spite the man who tried to use Dialga to create that new world of his! After everything I’ve gone through thanks to him, can you really blame me for not wanting to play into his hands?”

(...Palkia as well.)

“What?”

(Just now, you mentioned Dialga and him alone. He was not the only one that brought to Spear Pillar. Did you forget?)

“Um...” Oh...right. Did he really say that? But it was both of them that Cyrus had summoned; he could visualize it plain as day. But...how come he could visualize Dialga just as easily? 

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t realize how close Giratina had gotten until she was right there - just a breath away. She could very easily kill him if she wanted to, but Lucas didn’t find it in himself to run. 

He did cover his eyes with his hat, though. Since he did that, though, he didn’t notice that Giratina was watching him with curiosity if her eyes. He didn’t see how the legend was simply observing him, and he didn’t see how her gaze eventually landed on his arm (the one with the scar).

(Now I see. I thought it was strange that your Aura would remind me of Dialga, but now I know why. One does not witness his Roar and come out unscathed.)

That threw Lucas for a loop, and he slowly removed his hat. “What?”

(I have said too much already. Although, I would seek Dialga out if I were you. If anyone can explain this, it is he.)

And then Lucas got an idea. One that could very well convince Giratina to let them out (if she hadn’t been thinking about it already): “How am I supposed to do that? Not like I can do that here.”

A moment of silence before Giratina spoke up again. (You speak the truth. The Adamant Orb is not in this world. Very well. You and your Champion may go.)

Before Lucas could respond, he got...what he supposed was a vision. Suddenly the image of a waterfall came to mind. Before he could think about what that could mean, he felt a strong gust of wind; so strong that it nearly knocked him over.

Once the gust died down is when Lucas saw it; in Giratina’s place was a bright light. Lucas squinted, and he could see flowers and a lake. Was...Was this a portal to the outside world? 

He didn’t notice the other two approaching: Cynthia with a sense of wonder, and Cyrus with fury. 

“That shadowy creature...you quelled its rage by refusing to battle it?!”

[adamantlocked]

The last time he was in Mt. Coronet, Lucas nearly got lost. It took him the entire afternoon to make it to the other side, and the ordeal left him and his Pokemon absolutely exhausted.

This time though, he couldn’t afford to make a mistake like that. He had set the Lake Trio free, but that wouldn’t stop Cyrus from accomplishing his goal. In a strange way, he didn’t need Saturn to tell him that; the knowledge seemed to be instinctual.

So, after he set the Lake Trio free, he went straight to Mt. Coronet. He had to get to Spear Pillar. It wasn’t likely that he would reach it before Cyrus, but he could only hope that he could get there in time to stop him.

Current Team 

Garnet / Lucario / Female / Quirky / Highly curious / Steadfast

Arty / Crobat / Male / Lax / Good perseverance / Inner Focus

April / Blissey / Modest / Highly curious / Serene Grace

Bebe / Luxray / Female / Bold / Mischievous / Intimidate

Marnie / Gastrodon / Female / Quiet / Highly persistent / Sticky Hold

Kale / Torterra / Male / Serious / Strongly defiant / Overgrow

[adamantlocked]

Lake Acuity

Lucas had given his Pokemon the time to relax and take a load off. After all, it was a long and hectic day they had; Lake Valor, Lake Verity, and then chasing Barry all the way up to Lake Acuity. The Gym Battle with Candice aside, everyone was exhausted. As much as Lucas wanted to chase after Jupiter too, he knew that everyone needed to rest. He needed to rest.

So, Marnie ferried them off to a patch of land on the opposite side of the lake. Why did he ask her to do that? Well....there were a few reasons. He did want to give his Pokemon a chance to rest, but he also needed a minute to process what was happening.

I was too late. I couldn’t stop it. Why does this keep happening, why couldn’t things be different this one time, why does all of this seem SO FAMILIAR-

He didn’t even realize that he was crying. He could barely process the cries of distress coming from his Pokemon, a rustling of grass and SOMETHING VERY COLD BUMPING AGAINST HIS BACK-

He shrieked and very nearly fell into the water. Well, that was one way to get him out of his head! The Snorunt (because that’s what had approached him) shrieked as well and ran off to hide behind April. 

It seemed to be a pretty awkward conversation between the wild Snorunt and Lucas’ team.....but Snorunt seemed to want to come along with them, so........

Ophelia / Female / Naive / Likes to thrash about / Likes sweet food /  Ice Body

[adamantlocked]

Icicle Badge Get!

The fight started off pretty smoothly. Garnet OHKO’d Sneasel, and Jade held up well against the Piloswine. 

And since Blissey as a Pokemon were notorious for having a high Special Defense, Lucas got the idea to send April out against Froslass. She had Light Screen and Shock Wave, which would bypass Double Team. 

....He has no idea how he didn’t think that Candice would switch Froslass out for Abomasnow. 

It didn’t take long for the decision to be made for him; before Lucas could figure out what he wanted to do, Kale burst out of his PokeBall to face the Grass-type. It gave Lucas time to switch April out, but Kale took a beating in the process. Thank Arceus Abomasnow just used Wood Hammer; he didn’t want to think of what would’ve happened if she decided to use Avalanche. 

Roy took on Abomasnow once Kale couldn’t take anymore, and that was followed by a long standoff between April and Froslass. The Blissey eventually came out on top, and Lucas got the badge.

Kale was immediately taken to the Pokemon Center, where he was all healed up. Lucas was relieved, but that was short-lived. “Kale, buddy...please don’t do that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

[adamantlocked]

That feel when you know you have to go after your best friend before he gets hurt (or worse, killed) by Team Galactic, but you also know that you can’t do that without facing the Gym Leader.....

....And the Pokemon you need to face said Gym Leader all need at least a little leveling up.

[adamantlocked]

Acuity Lakefront

Lucas was actually hoping he would get a chance to befriend one of these! He just always thought that this Pokemon was really cute.

Dipper / Male / Bold / Likes sour food / Good perseverance / Snow Warning

[adamantlocked]

Route 217

He knew that it was practically a perpetual blizzard in Route 217, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t totally caught off-guard! It was snowing so hard that he nearly missed the Swinub he had encountered.

Nina / Female / Mild / Likes dry food / Likes to thrash about / Snow Cloak

[adamantlocked]

Route 216

Lucas must have reached this place in record time. And what a blessing that was, especially after he got lost the last time he entered Mt. Coronet. Thankfully Garnet was able to help him with getting to Lake Acuity.

...And they were almost immediately ambused by a Sneasel.

Irene / Female / Rash / Likes dry food / Very finicky / Inner Focus

[adamantlocked]

Mine Badge Get!

Finally, a Gym victory he could actually enjoy! Between Marnie and Kale, Byron’s team stood no chance. There was a bit of worry when Bastiodon turned out to have a Sitrus Berry, but Marnie’s Mud Bomb hit with just enough force for it to not matter much.

[adamantlocked]

((It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

So I’ve been thinking about what kind of direction I wanted to take with this run, especially since I recently started writing on Lucas’ blog again. Crown Tundra did as expected and inspired his muse.

What I came to was tweaking the perma-death aspect of this run. I probably won’t remove it completely (because I can totally imagine Team Galactic or Cyrus trying something), but at the very least I’ll remove it in the case of Gym Leader and normal trainer fights (meaning I’m totally retconning Carly and Arty’s deaths for the time being). I haven’t decided on Marly (the Starly that Lucas caught in the first route and lost immediately after), since her downfall was a wild Pokemon. 

I’ll still keep the first encounter and duplicate clauses, if only because that’s probably how Lucas would approach catching Pokemon anyway.

TLDR: I’m tweaking the run so it’s not a total Nuz.locke run. Just a regular IC run with like…one of the two standard rules for a Nuzlocke.))

[adamantlocked]

((It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

So I’ve been thinking about what kind of direction I wanted to take with this run, especially since I recently started writing on Lucas’ blog again. Crown Tundra did as expected and inspired his muse.

What I came to was tweaking the perma-death aspect of this run. I probably won’t remove it completely (because I can totally imagine Team Galactic or Cyrus trying something), but at the very least I’ll remove it in the case of Gym Leader and normal trainer fights (meaning I’m totally retconning Carly and Arty’s deaths for the time being). I haven’t decided on Marly (the Starly that Lucas caught in the first route and lost immediately after), since her downfall was a wild Pokemon. 

I’ll still keep the first encounter and duplicate clauses, if only because that’s probably how Lucas would approach catching Pokemon anyway.

TLDR: I’m tweaking the run so it’s not a total Nuz.locke run. Just a regular IC run with like...one of the two standard rules for a Nuzlocke.))

[adamantlocked]

She is not allowed to die. I won’t let it happen.