#//THAT IRIS WAS ZINNIA ALL ALONG BOI

[skypxllar]

[ANTI-DIMENSION] THE SURPRISE

And thus, the final Tapu falls asleep.

Darkrai exited Tapu Fini’s domain. Now with the Tapu unable to interfere, Dialga, Palkia, Hoopa, and Darkrai gathered around in Poni Meadow, with the crystal in Palkia’s arms.

“Brother. The time has come.”

“Sister. The place is here.”

Hoopa nodded. “[Hoopa ready!]”

Dialga turned to Darkrai.

“Are the preparations ready, Darkrai?” 

Darkrai grabbed the crystal from Palkia and turned to them all. “Indeed. The Tapu are asleep, and Kyogre seems to be nowhere to be found. The day of reckoning is upon us.” Darkrai began to ascend further and further to the skies.

“Soon, this region shall turn into nothing--”

“--and the world will be saved from those treacherous humans who disregard the timeline--”

Darkrai reached a point before stopping. He focused all of his energy on the crystal. “Dialga. Palkia. Allow me to show you my… latest creation--”

As he focused his Dark-type energy, an orb began to form around the crystal. It began to grow and grow before even enveloping the crystal itself--

“--BLACK VOID ECLIPSE!”

However, before long, the orb began to shrink. Darkrai’s eyes widened as he hastily attempted to insert more and more Dark-type energy into the crystal. “Wait. No-- NO!” Within seconds, the crystal retained its original shape, not to be disturbed.

Dialga growled before barking at the Pitch-Black Pokémon.

“Darkrai! I gave you A WEEK to prepare like you requested! Where is that black hole!?”

Darkrai shook his head. “I DID PREPARE! I--I do not understand. It was as if my progress was reset--”

A sudden voice called out from the distance. “That’s because it was--”

Izanagi used Moongeist Beam!

The attack went straight for the crystal, forcing Darkrai to jump in front of it.

Darkrai used Protect! Darkrai Protected itself!

Iris and Izanagi approached. The champion jumped off before landing to the ground.

“Dialga... Palkia... Hoopa... Darkrai. It’s time that you all gave up.”

“Surrender!? Pah! I do not take orders from a human, let alone a child--”

“Indeed! This entire region is about to be destroyed using the power of the crystal!”

“...Then you should have made sure you’ve gotten the right crystal.”

“...What are you talking about, child?”

Iris chuckled herself. She reached back in her back and pulled out an almost identical crystal. It was pulsing in Z-energy. “Looking for this? Maybe you should have thought about it when you saw the Bunnelby that you killed!” An Ultra Wormhole opened up, allowing her to toss it inside, never to be seen again.

Dialga was fuming.

“Stupid girl! You have no idea what you are dealing with! Give that crystal back or else there shalt be consequences--”

“THEN GIVE VIOLET’S LIFE BACK AND MAYBE I’LL THINK ABOUT IT--” 

She grit her teeth.

“The Beast’s and Lorekeeper’s deaths were justified. I feel no remorse. Hoopa! Get that crystal--”

Hoopa opened a ring.

“...Oh no you don’t! Tyranitar. NOW!”

A Tyranitar arrived from the back of the meadow. 

Tyranitar used Dark Pulse! 

It’s super effective! Hoopa flinched!

Dialga was even angrier. 

“Grrr! How DARE you interfere with a god’s work! Perhaps you should join that Lorekeeper and her dastardly beast in the afterlife!”

....

....

...Iris huffed.

“...The Lorekeeper that you speak of is not in the afterlife, Dialga.”

Palkia scoffed.

“She has fallen from the heights of the Coronet Mountain, having already been bloodied and broken. No human could have survived that fall.”

“Oh? Is that so, huh?”

Iris grabbed her face and the top of her hair before ripping them off and showing--

ZINNIA!?

“Then, you could really use some imagination--”

“LOREKEEPER!?”

“But you-- you perished! We were sure of it!”

“Oh, I know. Though, I’m guessin’ ya wasn’t expect a Lunala savin’ me, either?”

Izanagi let out a roar.

“ Ya know, I’ve been watching y’all. Iza here has been by my side since y’all released him. I was there when y’all gave Darkrai that crystal. I was watchin’ Hoopa while he was using his crystal... an’ what have I been doin’ in return?”

Izanagi let out another roar--

Before long, a large crowd of Pokémon began to enter into Poni Meadow, led by--

Rayquaza--

and Hera!?

“Been one step ahead o’ ya, every step o’ da way. Alright guys! Let’s do this! FOR VIOLET, AND FOR THE SAFETY OF THE REGION!”

A large cheer was yelled as everyone ran to attack.

[liquidstar]

whenever you are ready, I would LOVE to hear about why each roommate pair was chosen :3c

im SO SORRY this is like a week late but when it comes to typing long stuff it can take me a while to jump past that bridge even if i REALLY want to, its just the adhdyslexic way... BUT i finally typed it all and im glad i did :) im going to put it under the cut of course

 I should preface this by also saying something I didn’t say before, the roommate pair system likes to follow a pretty strong “opposites attract” type model, it plays into the theme of duality and completion and “other halves” especially in regards to Iris and Crocus (The former of which having founded the school and set this system to begin with lol) so that’s something you’re gonna see a lot here. Anyway,

Amary and Rue are kind of a special case because since Amary was admitted into the school late and Rue was the only person without a roommate there was no one else to pair her with to begin with. But Rue is also special here, because there’s hardly ever been a student without a roommate from the get-go (Some people might drop out) but the crystal ball was ADAMANT about not pairing her up with anyone. At first Plumeria assumed it was because she’d be some type of problem child given her whole punk-rock thing, but in reality the crystal ball just knew that Amary would be admitted into the school later on. It can tell the future, it was looking ahead. Amary and Rue both needed each other to force the other to be better whether they wanted to or not.

Sorrel and Aloe also force the good out of each other, but rather than rivalry it’s the fact that both of them have a really strong genuine desire to become better people for each other and both feel a sense of obligation and protection to the other, so they really do help each other out a lot. They’re not perfect at it by any means because they’re still both dumb teenage boys but they make each other want to try

Carnation and Pine were paired together because their magic types are complementary and so are their ways of approaching them, they need to learn from each other. While Pine’s magic is all about innovation and the future, Carnation’s is very rooted in tradition and is seemingly set in stone. Carnation needs to adapt Pine’s sense of innovation to make something new with her magic, something only she can do. And in order for Pine to find constant inspiration sometimes they have to look back on the past. 

Geran and Fennel seem to have opposite problems that could cancel each other out if they actually cooperated. Geran doesn’t let himself express his feelings while Fennel is overemotional, basically they just need to learn a middle ground from each other and become… A stable current. That’s a water pun AND electricity pun.

Musk and Gallica should seem obvious, beyond being siblings and they literally need to be touching in some way to use their magic in major ways. Not pairing them up together would have just been a dumb move. Not to mention the fact that the only reason Gallica was even admitted into the school to begin with is because of Musk.

Daisy and Protea were just both good fits for each other, their magic types seem unrelated but compliment each other well, one is incredibly passive and the other very active, which also reflects their personalities. They basically have what the other lacks in that regard, but unlike certain others they both get along incredibly well.

Maggie and Tam are childhood friends, so like Gallica and Musk it’s pretty much a no-brainer that they got paired together. But aside from that they can both be pretty hard to have as roommates for one reason or another, but since they’ve already known each other so long they already work really well together and make an incredibly dynamic team. 

Hyacinth and Holly got paired together because no matter what Hyacinth says, Holly will always try to push them to be better, and no matter what Holly says Hyacinth will always stop her from doing something stupid. Together they can be competent wizards against their own wills.

Sun and Moon also got paired up together because the fact that they’ve known each other for so long makes them a better team, but also because they would have probably been too resistant to other roommates.

Cherry and Camellia got paired up together because Cherry has literally not felt fear in years so she’d have no problem rooming with someone who has basically ghost magic, and Camellia needs Cherry around as an example of how to be nicer and less gloomy all the time.

Zinnia and Pansy absolutely need each other to encourage the others jackassery, this MIGHT sound like a bad thing on paper but if you take their magic types into consideration it’s actually something that’ll help them both improve. That being said though, Pansy is the more responsible one with more chill vibes that wouldn’t let things to TOO far, and Zinnia needs that.

Bluebell and Heliotrope are partners because even though Heliotrope is very smart and capable, they’re also kind of an airhead that doesn’t work all too hard. So they need Bluebell there to boss them around and make them do work, and Bluebell needs Heliotrope around to show him how to relax for a bit and not burn out.

Fungus and Cactus got paired up together because Cactus has the most sort of parental personality, basically a “mom friend”, and that something Fungus needs since he’s younger and more socially isolated than most of his classmates, and Cactus is the other person who can look past his weirdness and just kind of laugh at it.

Violet and Cori are roommates for a similar reason, Cori can be very nice and supportive side, but she’s also a lot more laid back and it was important for Violet to have someone like that with her who isn’t completely overbearing like her brother. 

Almond and Primrose got paired up together because Almond sort of lacks creativity while Primrose has an abundance of it, and stuff like that can be important when you’re a wizard and really affect the way you use magic, he basically has to follow her lead until he gets it himself. Meanwhile he’s also around to talk her out of her overly eccentric or complex ideas, sometimes simple problems need simple solutions. 

Jonquil and Lavender got paired up together because Jonquil is easily a lot more athletic while Lavender is a lot smarter, they basically both have those qualities the other lacks. Jonquil isn’t the smartest and outside of his magic Lavender isn’t the most physical guy, in fact his magic requires very minimal movement despite being active, but they’re also both incredibly willing to help the other out. 

Lotus and Bamboo are a good fit because Bamboo is someone who is simultaneously very active and vigorous but still very soft in nature, she’d need a roommate that can match that tempo, while at the same time Lotus needs a roommate who’d inspire him to be more active himself instead of just thinking: being a healer=being passive

Celosia and Heather were paired up because Celosia is pretty much one of the only people who wouldn’t give into Heather’s bossyness no matter what but still wouldn’t care enough to actually start any serious drama. She’s just indifferent, which is good for Celosia and also good for Heather, because she needs someone like that to keep her from getting a big head.

Delphi and Lisia were paired up together because Delphi really needs a partner who would keep her from going too far while also having strong enough magic to stop her if she does. And Lisia needs someone who will force her to be more assertive if needed, even if the need to be assertive stemmed from them. 

Clove and Hazel are partners because Clove is someone who can talk Hazel down from being too eccentric about stuff while still not being too soft or too shy to deal with their antics, and Hazel is someone who can put Clove in situations that he hasn’t been in before, good and bad.

Nep and Buttercup are roommates because Buttercup has a need to be a “one of a kind” while Nep is a straight-up copycat, they basically are both incredibly annoyed with the other because of this but Nep has to learn that she’s her own person and Buttercup has to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around her, they just both force each other into that.

Cowslip and Ginger were a very obvious choice because they compliment each other very very well, both have southern themes and animal-related magic, they’re both two people that can just relate to each other and build functioning teamwork off that. 

Viscaria and Arum are paired up together because Arum can help Viscaria take it easy while Viscaria can help Arum have more energy, both pumping each other up and calming each other down depending on what the situation entails. 

Mint and Snowdrop are partners because both of their problems cancel each other out. Mint is overly paranoid and Snowdrop is kind of a jerk at first, neither of them would get along with ANY roommate. But because Mint steers clear of Snowdrop, Snowdrop leaves him alone, which in turn makes Mint less paranoid. They both have to learn to overcome these issues if they want to be a real team though. 

[sceptlle]

(i typed out a long post but tumblr fucking deleted the upload so here we go i'll try to write it again) @petalsdancing @ash--greninja

plot-wise, team flare is a consistent issue, rather than something only introduced in xyz. they're introduced much earlier, and are seen as much more of a threat than they are in the anime. they take inspiration from other game villains (including cipher and team dim sun). also, game characters, like az and his floette, appear and are an active part of the plot. floette, in particular, has strong ties to clemont's family. his mother was murdered defending it, and it leads clemont to want to push ash away from legendary encounters, and he struggles to balance whether letting the world suffer is better than letting his friends suffer. also, zinnia and aster are major characters (both aster the human and aster the whismur. my human aster goes off of the one interview that described her as the former lorekeeper with special powers. in this, she was an aura adept with a deep relationship with zinnia). zinnia and ash both face similar struggles. they both struggle with being the "chosen" of their people, trying to defend them- and the world- the best they can. but while zinnia has to mourn the loss of aster, ash has to work through his personal demons he didn't give himself the time to recover from before kalos. some characterization is also taken from the games.

serena, in particular, was most heavily influenced by her game counterpart, both playable and rival versions. while i did enjoy her as a performer, her character felt like a walking stereotype- in a bad way. while serena is still a performer in this, she is also a good battler, and has a full team (the only new member of which i'll reveal is a vivillon). serena also questions herself a lot throughout the story, especially when she thinks about her decisions in life (becoming a trainer to follow her childhood friend and becoming a performer to follow her crush), and she wonders if any of her decisions she actually wanted to make. she also questions how strong her bonds with her pokemon are, since ash goes about nearly everything pokemon differently than her, and she pushed herself into being a trainer. her attraction to ash, she realizes pretty early on, wasn't actually attraction at all. her intense desire to reunite with her childhood friend, along with the strange feeling of not seeing him for years, her intense admiration of his battling and training skills, and the fact that she'd never experienced a crush before led her to think her feelings were more than platonic. i also explore her "failed" rhyhorn racing talents, and mega evolution.

ash, oh boy. i love writing his character. a lot of information about him is really spoilery. but, i'll say a bit. ash's past, including his father and life growing up, is explored a lot, and will continue to be discussed. ash's experiences in unova (particularly the events with victini) have not healed, not even a little. in a similar fashion, ash has a really unique bond with yveltal in this, rather than xerneas. ash's role as the chosen one is a struggle for him, especially after everything. kalos is really overwhelming for him at first, though it's comforting to know zinnia understands his struggle. ash is largely helped through a series of writings by a past kalosian chosen one, who ash begins to realize is closer to him than he thought.

clemont's issues, besides his pretty low self-esteem, are caused largely by flare. he sees a dark side of himself in them. some of those scientists truly believed the evil technology they were creating was the best thing for pokemon and the world. could he ever stoop so low and think it was right? flare scientists are also very interested in clemont as a possible recruit. if not, they have methods to gain his skill and creativity on their side. while also working on trying to become a better trainer (yes, he fills out his team a bit more as well), clemont struggles with his feelings towards ash.

bonnie, what a sweet kid. bonnie and iris immediately hit it off, and zinnia finds a source of positivity and optimism in her. her easy bonds with pokemon are no coincidence, and her song for squishy isn't just her own creation. she was inspired by ash's lullaby to his baby noibat. bonnie and ash, in particular, have a strong bond in this. bonnie knows better than anyone what ash is feeling, due to her extreme empathy. she forms a sisterhood with serena, and considers her a sister. but if you were to ask her about her family, she'd immediately think of her two big brothers.

and yes, iris is a major character in this. she's challenging the kalos league and completing the gyms. she wants to form strategies around fairy types, and hopefully get guidance under drasna of the elite four. her and zinnia travel together. iris, in this, understands a lot of what ash is going through, even if she didn't experience it first-hand. when ash is on his way to snowbelle and arrives there, iris calls him or messages him every night due to his feelings at the time. iris is absolutely fascinated by mega evolution, and admires zinnia's ability to mega evolve her salamence. so, as such, zinnia is involved with korrina's mega evolution arc.

long story short everyone is gay and it's a little more like the games with a ton of my lore in there. it's great.