#Pika is her Exploration Team partner

[portalwalker]

Pokemon Team Builder

Pokemon: "name," gender, nature Ninetales: "Flare," female, serious Pikachu: "Pika," male, serious Lucario: "Luke," male, brave Swampert: "Bog," male, relaxed Absol: "Sense," female, careful Gardevoir: "Gwen," female, mild

First Pokemon: Pika

Hardest to catch: Sense

Easiest to catch: Gwen

Hardest to train: Bog

Easiest to train: Flare

Team powerhouse: Luke&Bog

yoinked from @valiant-au-save-slot-a

Tagging...I don't have a lot of followers atm so I'm leaving this one up for being stolen I guess?

[somniadelapsis]

The dangers of  flying on pokemon

 Warnings: blood, injury, vomiting

Fandom: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Friede, Molly, the rest is barely there

The Explorers had found them. Again. Friede needed to figure out how they keep doing it. It’s becoming a problem. This time it wasn’t Amethio’s team. Friede was curious about the reason. Unfortunately he didn’t have much time to think. They attacked them soon after they were noticed. He and Charizard tried to chase them away but a woman had managed to land. Captain engaged her Lycanroc. Liko’s Sprigatito would be a better type match but he doubted that her Leafage however strong it was would be enough to beat that opponent. His Charizard was a good match for the other Explorer’s Skarmory. Technically. His opponent was also riding his Pokémon so Friede didn't really want to hit him. This left him with the option of ordering ranged attacks. He on the other hand was very adamant in trying to hit Friede. The rest of the team was making sure that everything was alright with the ship and the pokemon. In conclusion he was in quite a tight spot.

The kids tried to help. The cover provided by leafage did help quite a lot but he didn't want to endanger since these explorers seemed to have nothing against hitting trainers.

"Get inside! I got it!" He really hoped he did got it. The kids looked hesitant but listened when Charizard launched a powerful flamethrower. 

"Rock throw!" Shouted Lycanroc's trainer.

Friede looked over to Captain and shouted.

 "Thunder-" 

Rocks flied in his direction. Pikachu wasn't the target. Charizard batted his wings and twisted midair. Friede shifted with him. Charizard cried out in pain. Something hit Fiede’s head. He lost his grip on Charizard's wing. Then he was falling. Charizard flung his tail and hit Friede. Succeeded in flinging him onto the deck. And knocking the breath out of him. He rolled around a few times, stopped at his hands and knees. His head was ringing, his ribs hurt. He didn't have time for this. He got up to his feet. Swayed. He touched his head. His fingers came away wet. He looked. Red. 

"Pi pika chu!" Captain called alarmed.

Charizard roared in reply.

"I'm fine, buddy." He assured. 

Charizard's tail sported a brilliant flame. He was angry. His roar shook the ship. He attacked. He wouldn't listen to Friede when he raged like that. He hoped the sky borne explorer had enough self preservation to flee. He focused on the Lycanroc. 

"Double team." He ordered.

Pikachu gave him a last worried glance and followed the command. 

"Cranch!"

He easily evaded the attack

“Thunder Punch!” The hit sent Lycanroc back.

“Get up!” The woman shouted. “Rock throw!”

Pikachu dodged gracefully. Friede had to not so gracefully skirt to the side. He cringed at the noise the rocks made when they hit the ship. Did the Explorers have to be so adamant about damaging the ship?

“Double team!”

“This is getting boring! Tackle!” She shouted.

“We’re gonna see about that.” Friede muttered. “Volt tackle!”

The Lycanroc did not get up after that attack. “No!” The woman cried out. She send Friede a glare while she called back her Pokemon. Looked around to search for her partner. He was nowhere to be seen.

“This is not the end.” She hissed and called her own Skarmory. Friede observed as she headed away.

“Good job, cap!” He crouched to give him a fist bump.

“Pika” He said as if to ask if he was expecting any other outcome. “Pika pi?” Worry sounded in his voice. His ears and tail dropped

“I’m fine. Really.” He added after Cap gave him a doubtful look.

“Should have Molly check it out either way.” The pokemon nodded at that. They walked back inside. 

"Friede!" Liko and Roy shouted.

"Everything's taken care of." He grinned.

Roy's smile fell. "Is that blood?"

"Oh." He went to touch his wound again but decided that it wouldn't do it any good. "Yeah, got a bit beaten-up but you don't have to wo-" he didn't finish because Liko chose this moment to faint. Sprigatito called out in alarm. He lunged to catch her. His balance wasn't the best at the moment so he ended up half falling half sitting on the floor with Liko against his chest. Roy stood frozen, hands outstretched not sure if he should touch her or not.

And that's how Molly and Murdock found them.

"Oh, here you all are!" Murdock stopped in his tracks.

"Help!" Friede called in panic.

"What happened?" Molly rushed to them 

"Liko fainted when she saw the blood." He explained. They all looked at him. 

"You're bleeding!" Murdock cried out.

"Ah, yeah, got hit while fighting." He said still looking at Liko. 

"Did she hit anything while falling?" Molly asked.

She tapped Liko's cheek. Her eyelids fluttered and she murmured something.

"No, I caught her." 

He had to look at Molly when she put a hand on his chin and twisted his head.

"Hey!" She assessed his wound. "Liko-"

"Will be fine." She sighed. "You on the other hand." She frowned. "Murdock can you get Liko to the infirmary? Can you stand?" She directed the latter part at Friede.

"Yeah."

Murdock lifted Liko like she didn't weight anything. Molly pulled Friede to his feet. He was steady but his hand hovered close to the wall. They headed to the infirmary.

"Should Liko really be in the infirmary?" Murdock asked.

"I think she fainted on the sight of blood." Friede reminded.

"Then I will carry her to her room. Do you want to wait with me until she wakes up, Roy?" The boy was trailing silently after them until now.

"Y-yeah."

"Then come on."

They split up. 

Friede sat on the cot. His hair and one side of his face was stained red. 

"Molly-" he started.

She grabbed his chin and titled his head to get a better look. Gently this time. Her hand shook lightly.

"Calm down. I'm fine." He assured.

"I am calm." She shot. "Are you dizzy or nauseous?"

He opened his mouth.

"Don't act tough. This can be serious." She said. 

"I was a bit dizzy earlier." He admitted.

"And now?"

"Not dizzy but" He played with the edge of his jacket. "Kinda unsteady?" He wasn't sure himself how to put it. Fortunately Molly was satisfied with the answer. She started to gather things from various cabinets and shelves.

"Did you lose consciousness?"

"I don't think so. Maybe for a few seconds?"

"You did or you didn't?" She looked him in the eye. 

"I-" He swallowed. "My vision kinda flickered out for a moment but I was aware of the rest of things." He shrugged "If that makes sense."

She nodded. She wet a cloth in a bowl and started to wipe the blood. Then she stopped.

"Are your goggles whole?"

He raised his hand to his forehead. They weren’t here. He frowned. Then he relaxed his face since it was probably making Molly's work harder.

"Don’t know. Must have dropped them somewhere." 

Molly didn’t miss that he seemed to only now realize that. She clicked her tongue. He gave her a questioning look. "I have to check out if any glass got stuck in your skin." He hadn't thought about it. Even if there was he wouldn't felt it with the sharper pain of the wound. And the headache that had started to pulse with his heartbeat. 

"My head hurts."

"I would be surprised if it wasn't." She jibed. She pulled on his skin a bit and squinted. "Does it hurt much?" He wanted to answer but she cut him out. "From a scale from 1 to 10. One being it's noticeable but not bothering you. Ten being unbearable." She rinsed the cloth and got back to cleaning the wound.

"Uh, six?" 

She set her lips.

"I will give you some painkillers when I finish with it."

"Thanks."

She put the cloth down. Titled his head a bit.

"There was no glass and you won't need stitches."

"That's a relief. Can't ruin my pretty face." He tried to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

Molly reached for a bottle and wet some gauze with its contents. "This will sting."

"Mhm."

He still hissed when she touched the cut.

"Don't be a baby."

"I'm not." He pouted. She opened a box of band aids and started to look for the right size.

"How did you get hurt?" She asked.

"I got hit when Charizard couldn't dodge all the rocks thrown at us."

She had a feeling that he left something important off.

"Were you flying on him?"

He squirmed. "Yeah." It did not bode well.

"Did you fall?"

He looked at the floor. "Yeah." 

She expected that but still her blood run cold.

"Charizard managed to get me on the platform though, so everything's fine." He raised his hands in a placatory gesture

This was definitely not fine.

"Anything else I should know about?" Her tone was as flat as it could get. He winced.

"You probably could look over my ribs too."

"When did you get hit there?" She asked exasperated with him.

"Charizard kinda threw me on the deck with his tail." He grimaced. That meant he hadn’t even been over the deck when he fell. She turned her back to him and leaned on a cabinet. Took a few deep breaths. Counted to ten.

"Molly?" He sounded like a little kid expecting to be scolded. Good. Because they will be having a conversation about this. Just not now.

"Take off your jacket and shirt." She still didn't look at him. She heard the rustling of material. Next it scraped against the cot. More rustling. He hissed. She whipped around. He had his shirt halfway over his head. She could already see the problem. His left side was bruised. He couldn't lift his left arm enough. She watched him struggle for a moment. She touched his arm. He stilled. She helped him get the shirt off the rest of the way. He emerged from the material with a pained frown. She finally put the plaster on his cut.

"Thanks." 

She sighed. Why did he have to be so difficult?

She extended her arm to touch him. Looked him in the eye. He nodded. She started prodding his ribs. He inhaled sharply. She glanced at his face. Checked his pallor. She didn't need two people fainting in one day. Continued to test the give of the bones. He breathed shallowly, hissed now and then. Nothing seemed broken. She could safely assume that nothing was cracked either. She reached for a jar and handed it to him.

"You can spread it over your ribs yourself." She was pissed that he got himself in this situation. He should have called one of them for help. She made the mistake of looking at him. He looked like a kicked puppy. She had to look away. She wanted to stay angry at him. When she was angry she wasn't scared. She didn't like being scared. She started putting everything back in its place. She heard him put the bottle on a nearby table. 

"Molly?" His tone urgent. "Could you pass me the bucket?" She grabbed it quickly and gave it to him. He was paler than a moment ago. He put the bucket on his knees and curled over it.

"Going to throw up?" She asked concerned.

He swallowed. "Dunno." He swallowed again. Grimaced. Licked his lips. Sweat gathered at his temples. He heaved. She needed to revisit the possibility of a concussion. She pulled his hair out of his eyes. He moaned. One hand flew to his ribs. 

Ah, right, this was doubly unpleasant.

He ended up losing his dinner. He stayed curled up over the bucket a good while after he finished.

"You good?" She asked.

"Mhm."

"Do you want to lie down?"

"Mmm" He shook his head lightly.

"Then let's sit you up against the wall and I will take care of the bucket, ok?" She whispered.

"Mhm." She guided him back. "Sorry." 

She bit her lip. "It's alright." She took the bucket.

Looked back at him leaning against the wall, pale, with half-lidded eyes and hair in disarray. 

"Tell me again what happened."

"Why?" He frowned.

"Just do what I say." He told her the same story. With some more details this time. That was good. He got back some of his color. 

"Good that you didn't give me painkillers yet." He smiled faintly. 

"About that" she reached for the package "Think you can stomach them?"

"Maybe? Wouldn't hurt to try." He snorted on his choice of words. Then he grimaced.

"Is your sense of humor normally that bad or is it the concussion?" She shot. 

"Ah, so I am concussed?"

"Lightly." 

He nodded and swallowed the pill. He closed his eyes. She patted his leg.

"No sleeping."

He made a sound very close to a whine.

"Let's get you dressed."

He looked at his shirt like it would bite him.

Molly's phone rang. 

"Hey, how is he?" Murdock asked.

"Whining."

"I am not!" Friede protested.

Murdock laughed. Tension vanished from his face.

"He's got a light concussion and bruised ribs." Molly informed.

Murdock frowned. "He will be alright." Molly added. "How's Liko?"

"Awake and wanting to see Friede."

She looked over at him. "He's not decent at the moment." Murdock raised his brows. 

"His shirt was in the way of checking his ribs." She informed flatly. "Could you go to his room and bring a shirt?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"It should be on a hanger in the closet next to my bed!" Friede shouted.

"Will get it to you in a minute." 

Molly ended the call.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Good."

A knock sounded.

"Come in." Molly called. Murdock walked in making sure that the kids couldn't have a look inside when he entered. He looked Friede up and down. 

"You look terrible." He said while passing Friede his shirt.

"I do?"

"Yep. Will be getting an impressive bruise I think."

Friede looked at Molly in horror.

"You will." She agreed. The professor groaned. He put on the shirt.

"You should freshen up if the kids will be seeing you." Murdock said.

Friede got to his feet and washed his face in the sink. He used paper towels to dry odd. He run his hands through his hair.

"Better?" 

They eyed him critically. Molly fixed his hair some more. "Not going to look any better."

Friede sighed. "Are you up for it?" Molly asked.

"Sure." He said.

When the kids entered they were met with his wide grin.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Blair Plays: Legends Arceus (Phase 4)

...Oh my good gracious. His voice.

Sweet Lord Arceus above, I wish there was a way to record audio on the Switch because you have no idea what just happened. (Actually you do, if you've played this game or seen any footage.) Pikachu...just used his classic cry. The traditional one, from the bygone age of Gen 5 and earlier. Before they made his cry into "Pika pika!" In all the main series games. I don't know why this makes me so happy. Maybe it's because I raised a Pikachu on my first ever team in Fire-Red, so the sound is nostalgic for me? Maybe, by getting the old sound byte back, I'm realizing retroactively how silly the change was? It never bothered me before, I just kind of shrugged it off. But now...oh, please don't change it back in Gen 9.

Surprise, fools. Check out Sybil's awesome new mask. I didn't even remember this was a thing, I think I vaguely recall hearing about it months ago but I was mostly just playing around, exploring all of the options when I went into Mystery Gift. Figured it wouldn't even matter because I don't have Nintendo Online anymore. But turns out I could get the mask anyway, and thank goodness for that. I want. A Hisuian. Zoroark. I want one so badly. He looks so freaking boss, and he's normal/ghost type! It's been my dream type for a pokemon for the past, like, three generations!

What was it Seamus said about Madam Maxime in the fourth move?

"Blimey, that's one big woman."

Or maybe I'm just incredibly short. Going off the history of Pokemon protagonists, it's most likely the latter. Either way, color me intrigued about these new types of moves, these new "styles." I doubt they'll captivate me as much as Z moves did, but hey, nothing will ever be as cool as Z moves, and Agile Style certainly has my attention. Two moves in one turn? That sounds stupidly overpowered. I can't wait to try it out. But apparently I have to "master" my moves first. Time to get training.

He was aiming to, apparently. Dude, just...why.

Y’know what, I don’t like this guy. There’s just something very creepy about him. I wonder if his group is going to be the antagonist of this game? I dunno, the more obvious twist is that The Survey Corps are secretly evil, and the start of Team Galactic, etc… but…I dunno. Cyllene just doesn’t trigger my “Secret Villain” alarms, and Volo kind of does? Not since Looker have I irrationally disliked a character this much.

...What in the ever loving fuck is that.

No, seriously, what the hell is that thing? Why are his eyes red? I want to get closer and check him out, but I'm also terrified. No, you know what, screw it, a true Pokemon Master (or Survey Corps member) has to show courage, right? If I die, I die.

...

I died.

He was like, LV45. Poor Runaway and all of the other expendables partners on my team stood no chance. Clearly, I'm not meant to fight him until later in the game.

We have now come to meet the Diamond Clan. More specifically, Mai, and I have just two things to say to her. 1) Your outfit looks amazing, if I join your squad can I have one too? And 2) Are you a Faller from the ATLA universe, or is it a coincidence that you're called "Mai" and look...exactly like Zuko's girlfriend? In any case, she judges me for using Poke-balls, which is hardly fair considering they have yet to make a game that entirely abolishes them, and is also blasphemy in a game where one can craft their own steampunk poke-balls. Like, I'm sorry Mai, but if steampunk poke-balls are involved, you will always be wrong.

"Do you have a minute to talk about our Lord and Savior, #493 Arceus?"

All jokes aside...y’know what, I did not see this coming, and I have no clue what it means. I mean, something tells me that “Sinnoh” is the Hisuians archaic name for Arceus, but...he introduced himself as “Arceus” at the beginning of the game, so…is that his real name? Or is it just because he was talking to a time traveler?

Wait, never mind, they worship Dialga and Palkia respectively…and they both seem to think their tribal god is the main one. Which begs the question, is there a clan for Giratina? Or is Team Galaxy the “Platinum” Clan of this game? Damn it, you’ve got me interested. Please, oh please say that I can visit The Distortion World in this game...

Oh lawd he comin-

No but seriously, Laventon is such a sweetheart and I'm not over it? Look at that smile, look at how excited he is to be supportive. I had to get this particular moment on screenshot because just, oof. What a cutie. I was thinking about giving all of the characters goofy little nicknames but I'm not sure I could keep up with calling this dude "Lavender" or something similar, just imagine how Celery and Velcro would take it?

..They...they didn't. No way they actually did it. There's no way-

Oh my god, they did it. Ascended fanon, here we come. I genuinely can't believe what I'm seeing, but I'm so happy that I'm seeing it. This is the kind of meta-joke that will never, ever bother me. They really acknowledged Kricketune and his infamous cry. Oh heck yes, heck yes and a half.

Oh and as it turns out, he is what's known as an "Alpha" Pokemon which, judging by the Red Eye, is the same condition afflicting that Rapidash I fought earlier. Which does make me a little nervous for the fights to come, both against this melodious monster and against whatever "Kleavor" is. Well, I can report that the first battle went well. Snagged and bagged the Alpha, so now I have a really, really big bug if I want to train him. But I don't think I want to. Someday, though. Someday I will capture that Rapidash.

[midnight-marimba]

Mar’s DQXI Fic OCs

It’s Dragon Quest OC And NPC Week, and I’m going to approach it from the other direction than what’s described in the event proposal, because I rarely end up inventing a detailed character without context, but I often find a specific need for a character in a piece of fanfiction and build them up out of that prompt into something better than a footnote. So I’m going to take the opportunity to talk about some of my fics and the original characters and NPCs who wandered into them and made themselves interesting enough that I’m eager to share a little extra detail or commentary about them.  (Under the cut)

Hair Tie That Binds

A comedic story about Hendrik recruiting Erik for a heist to help fix his own mistake. (9k words)

I needed a minor villain, so I invented Lady Druzy (named off of an obscure corner of a gem list, so as to suit a minor Heliodoran noble).  She is petty, spiteful, vengeful, and apparently my favorite archetype of OC to write.  She is awful and I loved writing her.

After Rain, The Sun Will Shine

A Sylv/Hendrik one-shot involving Hendrik’s memories of Sylv’s mother. (8k words)

When I wrote this, I had not yet heard the detail from the voice drama (please somebody translate the whole thing?? <3) that Sylv's mom's given name was Gerbera and her stage name was Sylvia (that is, exactly the same stage name Sylv took in the Japanese version of the game).  I had only heard a broader rumor about the drama and Sylv choosing a stage name in honor of their mother.

So when I went to write a story about her, I looked at a list of Dutch names (to match Arnout and Hendrik — Zwaardsrust is Dutch) and hunted for one a name with a "Syl" sound.  I landed on Silke, which is also satisfying from a word association perspective (since it looks like "silk" which sounds highly appropriate for a "famous Zwaardsrustian beauty" — one of the few canon details we get for her).

I tried to make her stubborn and determined, inspiring and willfully optimistic for the sake of the people she had under her leadership.  Sylv-like, but with a slightly more intense philosophical flavor than canon Sylv, as she’s walking out of an arguably even greater tragedy (or at least more personal at a larger scale?)

Silk and Swagger

Faris/Reader, from the point of view of a Heliodor guard. (1.7k words)

The guard is nameless and the fic is relatively short, but my goodness it was fun inventing someone who is instantly smitten with Faris and believes the best of him at all times.

When Home Isn't Marked on the Map

A Sylv/Erik longfic set a couple years after the end of the game, in which Erik is coming out of a period of self-imposed isolation after a disastrous attempt at confessing his one-sided romantic feelings for the Luminary, and he begins by going looking for Sylv, the one old companion he dares hope won’t yell at him for his absence.  (74k words)

Since the ultimate seed of the idea behind this fic was "Erik would be protective towards orphans and Sylv would like that about him" I needed some kids to put in the story.  There are two sets of four that I named and included. 

First is the group from the rural area near Puerto Valor, and thus they have Spanish names: Isabella, Serafito, Paz, Ana.  I'm pretty sure I named the younger ones with shorter names to help myself keep them straight.  In my head, they have a darker complexion than the rest of the kids in the story, since I always wish the DQ world was a little more diverse on that front, but I fear that I forgot to actually write that detail in.  (Room for improvement...)

The second group is an expansion of the four child NPCs you can find playing hide-and-seek in downtown Heliodor.  I could only find a canon name for Cammo (the King of Hide-and-Seek) so I gave the rest of them stone related names, figuring the pattern from Cobblestone might extend around Heliodor into the poorer and less formal areas of the kingdom (Ruby the innkeeper notwithstanding). So they are Flint, Crystal, and Mica.

There are so many of them that it was tough to give all of them a lot of characterization, but I tried to distinguish each of them at least a little.  Isabella, the leader of her group, blunt in a way that reminds Erik of Mia and Veronica.  Serafito, a little bit of a self-sacrificing caretaker. Paz, young but outgoing, and Ana, even younger and a little shy.  Flint, the canny, cautious, and slightly manipulative leader of the Heliodor gang.  Cammo, sneaky and adventurous and clever.  Crystal, strong and brave and protective.  Mica unfortunately ended up being most notable for the ordeals he goes through.

My favorite among them ended up being Crystal, from the instant she decided she was after Hendrik's job.

Diamond

A Sylv/Serena and Sylv/Dave fic, from Serena’s point of view.  Set after Act 3 as Serena chooses a mission to research and perform healing around the world, travels alongside Sylv’s new circus troupe, and they both get to pursue some missing character development.  (118k words, technically 1 chapter short of an intended ending but may not be continued.)

Mind the tags and content advisory if you go into the fic itself, because (1) for reasons of 2020, a story about a doctor-hero was simply not an ideal story to begin in the year 2019, and (2) it is NOT a utopian style world — many characters have prejudices, others are closeted in some major ways, and not all of that is gone by the end of the story.  I 100% understand many folks not wanting to go roll around in that kind of fiction, and while there’s a discussion about Representation I could shoehorn in here, I’m going to set it aside for the sake of on-topic rambling about fun OC development.

For this fic, I wanted Sylv and Serena to be traveling the world together.  Serena was to be motivated in part by the allure of getting to meet more new people, and also, I think it’s useful for her personal growth to spend a little time away from her blood family and most of the people from whom she would naturally take direction.  I also wanted to explore Sylv as a leader in a way that’s not so easy within the canon party, and in general, I imagine Sylv both being friendly to every stranger and also having old friends pop up everywhere he goes.

Between the two of them, I ended up needing to plop in OC's left and right, both for Sylv’s new Act 3 circus troupe, and in every town they visited.  Because I’m a nerd, I expanded lore for some of the regions too, and I will mention some of those details here with the characters.

Sylv’s troupe:

Chill, a contortionist from Sniflheim, where people get kind of uncomfy about magic, especially when it looks too close to evil witchery.  Like, say, Zing.

Samir, a short, round bard from Gallopolis who can do amazing things with a variety of instruments, and his partner Grey, once a guard from Heliodor until he decided that job was even more bland than his name, and he ran off to Gallopolis to join the circus.

Maria and Mateo, a couple of quiet, short and slender dancers from Puerto Valor (in my head, Mateo is about 5 feet and Maria’s a couple inches shorter, though I keep gravitating away from talking in Modern Earth units of measurement when writing for this fandom).  Their kids, teenaged Leo and toddler Lena, aren’t (yet) performers, but are present because I thought it was interesting to plug some kids into a story about a traveling circus troupe, and because I wanted to give Sylv an excuse to interact with kids.

Francine. A classically beautiful acrobat from Octagonia, where the only work she could find was being a bunny girl handing out flyers.  She’s had a crush on Sylv, which didn’t work out, and in the aftermath she’s a little bitter and is predisposed to dislike anyone else getting too close to Sylv.  She is rude and spiteful when she does not like someone (though she may do so in an overly-sweet tone), and she awkwardly overcompensates when she wants to prove she’s moved on from something, and she ended up being my favorite OC here.

Some other notable OCs in the world:

In Sniflheim: Healer Heather, the doctor who would really rather not have any magic in her house, so she doesn’t get a mob coming after her next time the tide of public opinion turns against witches.

In Lonalulu: Nohea, the charming and handsome hula dancer who isn’t quite as nice as he seems, and Pika, the shy, plain, and clumsy but kind-hearted net weaver.  Both are there as potential love interests for Serena (and for contrast against Sylv, of course).

In the Inner Sea: Coral the mermaid, a singer.  She's here for advancing Serena's character development, but it was fun to have other OCs react to a mermaid, and trying to write plot-advancing mermaid dialogue raised my respect for the localization team 1000%.

In Gallopolis: Doctor Zel, who is very scientific and good at her job, never makes eye contact, and lacks a comforting bedside presence.  (Happily they have Faris to help with public relations during a health crisis…?)

This is only about half of the OCs and NPCs named in the story, but they’re most of the ones with the most screen time, and most of the ones that stand out in my mind.  But the outgoing and friendly Sylv and Serena I was trying to write, both of whom wanted to engage with the people of the world at large, just spawned new characters around them as they went.  You know those stories about mythical people where flowers bloom after them everywhere they go?  This pair was like that, only with OC’s instead of flowers.

[lins-fandom-hub]

Welcome to Pasio! (possible Nanowrimo concept)

A sleek red Poryphone rested in her palm, the tail of her Pikachu softly grazing against her leg as she glanced at the woman at the reception counter--Trista, she heard her name was. Her feet fidgeted slightly on the carpet in slight agitation, ears registering somewhat the advice she gave her. MockingjayStar was just another Pokemon trainer, after all, looking to compete to become the best at the Pokemon Master League--a new competition where elite trainers from all over came to the artificial island of Pasio to compete, forming teams to battle along the way. One trainer, one Pokemon, and a long road ahead of her only brought a blank slate to the girl’s journey--and who knew where it could lead her?

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu suddenly squealed, running over to two strangers suddenly before MockingjayStar could open her mouth to satisfy Trista’s question about questions.

“Pikachu!” Mockingjay ran after Pikachu, clipping the Poryphone to her belt. She remembered the woman saying something about a sync stone and sync moves? She wasn’t sure what it all meant. Maybe they could help her out?

It was hard to say. They seemed to be much seasoned trainers, one with a Starmie and one with an Onix looking curiously at the PIkachu running toward them. Chances were that they already knew what they were doing. But chances were, also, that they were looking for more sync pairs to team up with on this long journey to the PML.

“Oh, hey!” the male trainer with the Onix greeted her with a cheery wave. “Heard you looking for a team, too?”

“Um.” MockingjayStar glanced over at the two, her eyes raking over their physical features. The female trainer with the Starmie had spiky light brown hair tied up in a ponytail, her green eyes shining like an emerald sea. Her white crop top and blue shorts made her look more like a girl from a summer region. The male had a long-sleeved orange shirt and green track pants, sturdy brown boots donning over his feet. His brown hair spiked up over his head in every which way.

“Great. You look ready to go, yeah? Why not we pair up together--sound good, Misty?” the male asked his partner.

The female--Misty--nodded. “Yes, why not? She looks like she got some fire in her eyes,” she agreed. Then she laughed and smiled kindly at the girl. “I’m Misty, by the way--one of Kanto’s champions. Most people know me as the Tomboyish Mermaid. Let’s give this our best shot!”

“And I’m Brock,” the other trainer introduced himself. “I’m a Gym Leader of Kanto, and I specialize in rock-type Pokemon.”

“Wow. That’s cool,” MockingjayStar nodded. “I’m so glad my Pikachu ran into you! I have a feeling we’ll work really well together.”

“And we will--most absolutely!” Misty agreed. “Hopefully we can find more to recruit to our team. I heard most sync pairs are congregating in the city.”

“Lots of trainers like to gather outside the Pokemon Centre,” Brock explained. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find teammates there.” He saw her look of slight worry and laughed. “Don’t stress out. You’ve got the fire and will to learn. I know you got this!”

“Shall we get going, then?” MockingjayStar asked them, tilting her head slightly. “Hopefully we can recruit a few for the team before we compete in the big leagues.”

Misty and Brock nodded. “Yeah, let’s go!”

And together, they marched out of the centre to explore the artificial island of Pasio.

[satoshi-mochida]

The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have released a new video, information, and a trailer for Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! introducing secret techniques, partner-exclusive moves, partner interaction, Celadon City, and special Switch bundle.

Get the details below.

Secret Techniques

On any journey, you’re sure to run into obstacles. Maybe your path will be blocked, or maybe you’ll have to cross the sea to get where you need to go.

Thankfully, your partner can learn handy Secret Techniques to help you!

Exclusive Moves

Your partner can learn some exclusive moves that no other Pokemon can learn. Because it’s going to be by your side throughout your journey, your partner needs some reliable moves to make sure you’re ready to face any challenge!

As you shower your partner with love, it’ll sometimes send you a sign during battle. Wave your detached Joy-Con when the partner sign appears to have your partner use its special partner power.

Your partner may even send you a sign when it’s not the one battling. If you respond, it’ll cheer on the Pokemon in battle by boosting its stats!

—Pikachu

When you see the partner sign in battle, your partner Pikachu will be able to use Pika Papow. The power of this move will increase based on how good of friends you and your Pikachu are.

Pikachu can also learn the Water-type move Splishy Splash. This move has a chance to paralyze opponents!

—Eevee

When you see the partner sign in battle, your partner Eevee will be able to use Veevee Volley. The power of this move will increase based on how good of friends you and your Eevee are.

Your Eevee also has a Water-type move it can learn—Bouncy Bubble. This move will heal Eevee for half the damage it deals to the opponent.

The Electric-type move Buzzy Buzz will leave the opponent paralyzed after the move hits.

Make good use of the Fire-type move Sizzly Slide. This move will always leave the opponent with the burned status condition!

Play with Your Partner

In between exploring and battling, it’s a good idea to relax with your Pokemon buddies. Enjoy a little playtime with Pikachu or Eevee in order to strengthen your bond with it. It will sit on your arm, allowing you to pet, feed, and even tickle it. Good things might happen as the two of you become closer.

You can play with your partner Pikachu or Eevee when you’re not in battle by selecting the Pikachu or Eevee icon on your main menu. The more time you spend with your partner, the more it’ll grow to love you! As you become closer, it’ll give you high fives or even find gifts for you as you travel. Lots of good things can happen if you’re friends with your partner!

Interact with your partner Pokemon by controlling the cursor with a detached Joy-Con. You can pet and play with your partner, and it may even grow closer to you as you become friendlier with it. In handheld mode, you’ll be able to play with your partner directly by using the touch screen.

Dress Up Your Partner Pokemon

You can feel closer to your partner Pokemon by dressing alike! Yes, you can dress up your partner Pokemon in various outfits, give it accessories, and change its hairstyle. Coordinate your wardrobes by matching their outfit to yours, or mix and match different items to give your partner its own style.

While playing with your partner, you can give it a quick makeover by ruffling its hair using the touch screen. Its hairstyle will change depending on your actions. Try out different things until you get a hairstyle you like. Find a good outfit to go with your favorite hairstyle to make your partner truly your own!

Celadon City

There’s a lot to see and do in Celadon City! This large city, known as the “City of Rainbow Dreams,” has loads of places to explore, including an arcade and a department store. Just watch out—Team Rocket seems to have a presence here. What could they be up to?

Erika, sometimes called the Nature-Loving Princess, is the Gym Leader of the Celadon City Gym. She specializes in Grass-type Pokemon, so make sure your team is ready to counter her Pokemon’s attacks.

Special Nintendo Switch Bundle

A special bundle that includes a Nintendo Switch system will be released on Friday, November 16, 2018, complete with Pikachu- and Eevee-themed Joy-Con controllers, a digital copy of Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, and a Poké Ball Plus!

The front of the Nintendo Switch dock features Pikachu and Eevee gazing at you in a most adorable fashion.

As for the system itself, it includes Pikachu- and Eevee-themed Joy-Con controllers.

The back side of the console has Pikachu and Eevee silhouettes drawn on it!

Pre-order the special Nintendo Switch bundle.

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are due out for Switch on November 16. View the screenshots at the gallery.

Watch the trailers below.

“Personalize Your Adventure” Trailer

Nintendo Switch Pikachu & Eevee Edition Trailer

Japanese Trailer

[teampogostix]

RATING THE GAMES

Having played all the PMD games, I thought I’d rate them all based on how I think they stack up to each other, for no reason other than I wanted to! (I actually started doing this in a chat with a friend but I think he was getting bored...) Anyway, I’m ranking them based on a few criteria: Writing/Story content (without going into too many spoilers), Post-credits content, Bonus content (if any exists), and Mechanics, pointing out particular gripes I have along the way. Keep in mind that this is my opinion; I’m allowed to post it, and you’re allowed to think it’s stupid. Without further ado...

RED RESCUE TEAM/BLUE RESCUE TEAM

Writing/Story Content: Compared to later generations of PMD games, the story feels a bit rushed and oddly paced. That said, it’s not entirely fair to compare it to the games that came after; this was the first go, the experimental first game, and they didn’t know if it would be a success or a flop, so they probably didn’t have as many writers and programmers on board. Nevertheless, it’s charming, and definitely worth a replay one of these days. This was the first game to bring me to tears with feels, something all the subsequent PMD games would inherit. Post-Credits Content: To be entirely fair, I’ve never gotten through all the post-cred stuff in this generation. Shame on me! I do remember that the one thing that made me kind of sad, is that your partner stops following you around through town :C Post-cred you get much more freedom, but very little guidance on what you’re supposed to do, which led a young Pogo into a bit of a dead-end before her game of RRT mysteriously vanished, never to be seen again... Bonus Content: To the best of my knowledge, Red/Blue Rescue Team have no bonus content. Mechanics: As stated earlier, this was the first generation of games, and it set all the major mechanics in place. That being said, there were definitely things that could’ve worked better: - Recruitment/Friend Areas. I was always running out of room to recruit Pokemon, and it was improbably hard to recruit certain Pokemon (Mew being the big offender here.) - Inventory Issues: You only get 2 “pages” of 8 items (for a total of 16 items) that you can hold in your bag... which is for some reason a Toolbox in this generation? I guess you could count one extra inventory slot for each team member, as this generation had each Pokemon have a separate 1 item inventory... Anyway, it was hardly enough sometimes. Another thing that could’ve been better: if you selected a consumable and chose “eat” or “ingest,” it would automatically be used by you/the player; the only way that I found to feed an Oran Berry to my partner was to literally throw it at him and hope he didn’t catch it instead. The graphics and sounds were a bit rudimentary compared to later games, but again, it gets a pass on this because it’s the first generation of games. Rescue mechanics left something to be desired; dual-slot communication between Red and Blue only worked half the time if memory serves, and it was a complicated and confusing process of sending/receiving mail. Overall Rating: ★★☆ The white star is a consolation star, because it’s the first generation of games and it’s not really fair to compare it to later games in that sense.

EXPLORERS OF TIME/DARKNESS

Story: The Explorers series has, by far, one of my favorite stories of the entire series. There’s Adventure! Betrayal! Escape! Laughter! Tears! It’s a wonderful sucker-punch to the feels, and remains one of my Top 10 games of all time. If you’re looking to get into PMD, I highly recommend these games, or even better, Explorers of Sky (which has so much extra crap it gets it’s own review).The pacing and dialogue are much improved, and the characters are much more memorable; even the ever obnoxious Chatot became lovable after enough time.  Post-Credits Content: The Explorers series has so much post-credit story that it’s basically an entire other storyline, every bit as good as the first. You’ve saved the world once, think you can do it again? Bonus Content: No bonus content for these games, alas! Sky more than makes up for that though... Mechanics: The major differences that I noticed was an over-all smoothing of the inventory system. Now you can choose who eats what, and as your team’s rank increases, your bag gets bigger. Minor inventory tweaks include the team’s held items now being counted in the main inventory, and a change to Kangaskahn storage; instead of being able to deposit up to 99 of one item, which were all collapsed into one stack, the storage system here acts more like a very, very large bag, with each item taking up 1 slot. Again, like the bag, it gets bigger as your team rank increases, but it is finite. About the only gripe here is I’m a notorious hoarder and kept running out of room. Another system they changed a bit was the recruitment system. Actually recruiting Pokemon works the same, you beat them and hope you get lucky, but you’re no longer restricted by Friend Areas. Further, you can send new recruits back to the guild, and they’ll stay in your team even if you fail the dungeon. The rescue system is much improved, taking full advantage of the DS system’s wireless functions; you can even send items and team members to other people. Lots of new mechanics were introduced in this generation: - Treasure Boxes: What’s inside? You won’t know until you open it, but there’s a good chance it’s going to be.... - Exclusive Items: A.k.a. those blue-worded ones you get from treasure boxes, named such things as “Pika-Hair” or “Char-Fang.” These are items that give a passive stat boost for their specific evolution line; they could be traded at the Swap Cauldron for upgraded versions, which is a fun little thing to play with if you’re a crazy completionist like I am. - Different types of missions: True to their names, Red and Blue Rescue Team are all about rescue missions; unfortunately they don’t have any other mission types, and it could get really boring, really quickly. The Explorers series adds lots of different types of missions, including taking down criminals and delivering/recovering items. You’re no longer just a rescue team, you’re an exploration team! - Eggs: Sometimes you receive an egg as a reward for a mission. Chancy will take care of it until it hatches, after which you can chose to have the newly hatched Pokemon join your team (although I find it kind of morbid that people are giving away unborn young as rewards...) - Sentry Duty: A fun little minigame, which can net you some nice rewards if you’re good at it. Some people find it annoying, since you have to play it for a few plot sequences, but I enjoy it! It gives me Reviver Seeds - More options for player/partner characters: Much wider selection of Pokemon you can play as, and choose for your partner.

Overall Rating: ★★★★

EXPLORERS OF SKY

Story: The core story of Explorers of Sky is identical to that of Time/Darkness, with some additional chapters that aren’t in the other two games, namely Sky Mountain and the Shaymin Village. Again, if you’re looking to get into the series, Explorers of Sky is the one I would recommend the most! Post-Credits Content: As with the main story, Sky is more-or-less identical to it’s predecessors. Bonus Content: Aside from additional chapters in the main storyline, Sky has additional “Bonus Episodes,” smaller, separate plot lines that explore the background of the other characters in the game. Most of them revolve around the other guild members, where you play as them and see events that occurred before, but are related to, your arrival at the guild. One episode, however, deals with with a certain grass-type Pokemon, far in the future, and offered some solace to my aching feels. All told, the Bonus Episodes add a significant chunk of extra plot for you to enjoy! Mechanics: Further small refinements to the inventory system; you can give items to a team member out of a dungeon now. Exclusive Items have had the rarity/swap system slightly reworked, so if you exchange an exclusive item via wireless from Time or Darkness to Sky, it might have more rarity stars. Now you can save your game at the small watering hole at the crossroads instead of having to trek all the way back to your bed, which is very nice. Sometimes you can find bottles washed up on the beach, with a rescue request tucked inside, which can help beef up your job list. The graphics are much better looking, and the soundtrack is one of my favorites from any game. The number-one big change, however, is the Spinda Juice Bar: - Juice/Reworked Gummi System: Instead of taking them into a dungeon and stuffing your face, you can take them to Spinda, who will turn them into a delicious beverage. This grants the same IQ boost as a gummi normally would, along with the occasional additional stat boost. If Spinda makes a particularly amazing drink, you could get more than one boost. You can make juice out of most any food item, although only gummies have effects. Word of Warning: Do not make juice from grimy food. It will only end in tears! - Random Juice Prizes: Sometimes you’ll find a piece of paper tapped to the bottom of your glass. These often reveal a new dungeon, which often have treasure boxes on the furthest floors. Other times a Pokemon from across the room will ask to join your team, or give you an egg. - Extra Missions: Sometimes you’ll find a Pokemon waiting near the entrance of the Juice Bar, who will give you a mission request personally. - Your extra team members will wait inside the Juice Bar instead of out by the watering hole. You can buy them drinks too. - Recycle Shop: If you have spare items hanging around in your storage that you’re never gonna use, you can trade them in for other items or prize tickets at the Recycle Shop. Prize tickets can be used in a raffle, and come in three tiers: Normal, Silver, and Gold. The higher the tier the more items you have to recycle to get the ticket, but the better the prizes are. There’s a rather special surprise if you get a Big Win... If enough items are recycled, eventually it will unlock new dungeons. - You can evolve! Hooray! Overall Rating: ★★★★★ Seriously one of my favorite games ever, cannot recommend enough.

GATES TO INFINITY

Story: The story for Gates to Infinity is solid and enjoyable, with many a good plot twist. One I saw coming, the others, I did not! It has just as much feels-punching goodness as the other games, however... Post-Credits Content: ... the story is rather short, particularly when compared to the Explorers series. There’s a brief bit of post-credit story, but it’s short and rather predictable. After it ends, you’re given free rein, but there’s no further achievements to go for; no rare treasure, not much for completionists to aspire to. I’m afraid it got boring rather quickly. There are only a few super-challenging dungeons, and the “hardest” dungeon was not worth it at all, loot-wise which I’m still a little bit salty about. Bonus Content: DLC exists for Gates to Infinity, but what I bought didn’t add much. It also takes space on your SD card, which is bad news if your card is small. Mechanics Here’s the good: - Fancy new 3D graphics! Ooh! - Storage is back to being unlimited - AR Dungeons: You can point the 3DS camera at a circular-looking thing and find a randomly generated dungeon there. - V Wave: Every day a different type of Pokemon will get stat and XP boosts in dungeons; i.e. when the V Wave is Fire, Fire Pokemon will get more XP. You can play a minigame to change the V Wave, but it costs Poke. - Shared Team XP: Everyone on your team roster, even the ones who aren’t in the dungeon, will get XP from each exploration. - Evolution: Evolution is now much easier, not requiring any specific area, but now your enemies can evolve too! - Move Levels: As you use a move, it will get better and better. Every time it levels, it gets more Power, Accuracy, or PP, or any combination of those things. Much like how XP is shared across all team members, move levels are shared as well; if you’re a Pikachu who knows Electro Ball IV, your Emolga team member will also know Electro Ball IV. - Glorious Gold: Occasionally you find a gold bar on your explorations. These are useless on their own, but you can trade them to Cofagrigus for money and rare items! GLORIOUS! SPARKLIES! - Paradise: You basically build half the town. Outside of the Kecleon Shop and a few other core stores, you can buy and clear land to build new facilities. Some of these are shops that specialize in one thing and will buy that at a higher price (For instance, you can open an Oodles of Orbs or a Berries and Seeds), some are Dojos where you can improve your moves (see Move Levels above), one shop is a recycle shop (now named the Swap Shop), and some are minigames. - You can now save from the menu anywhere in town. - You can pick which Pokemon you want to be from the get-go, no more resetting and taking the stupid quiz 24 times to get the one you want! - New recruitment method: You can give gifts, either found in dungeons or purchased from Cinccino in town, to a specific Pokemon to befriend them. Super useful with legendaries! - Dungeon Distortions: After the main game, dungeons will receive a level of Mysteriousness. The higher the level, the more likely something weird will happen. Sometimes you’ll find a floor that only has one kind of item or enemy, or is made entirely of corridors. Sometimes you’ll wind up in a completely different area for a bit, such as the Gilded Hall... - IQ skills are now party-wide, and can be found in treasure boxes, getting rid of the Gummi system. - Multiplayer Dungeons: I never experimented with this? I don’t know anyone else who owns the game. - Rampardos opens boxes by literally smashing them to pieces with his head. This isn’t actually a new feature but I think it’s funny. Here’s the bad: - Almost all Pokemon from anything but Gen 5 are conspicuously absent. - Kangaskahn and the Bank are gone, now both storage and banking are handled by a Deposit Box. - Purple Kecleon is also gone :C - No Exclusive Items And the ugly: - There are only 5 options for the Pokemon you play as and your partner. The 3 Gen 5 starters, Pikachu, and Axew. - They removed Job Stacking, which is the term I use for doing multiple missions in one dungeon run. Why they did this, I have no idea, but it drives me up the freaking wall. Biggest gripe right there. - Completely overhauled the rescue system, now it relies on Street Pass. You have to hope someone else has the game, and has a Reviver Seed in their Passerby Post. This worked well for me on campus but sucks if you don’t live in an area with many other Pokemon fans. Overall Rating: ★★★ Overall, I feel like this game was rushed; it had a lot of potential, but some critical mistakes were made. The only thing saving it from being worse than Red and Blue Rescue Team is the plot.

SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON

Story: The storyline of Super is very reminiscent of the Explorers series, for reasons that are spoilery so I won’t get into them, you’ll just have to play it and see for yourself! And prepare to have your feels hit hard by the twist at the end! Definitely one of my favorite games of the series. Post-Credits Content: Super is also somewhat lacking in the post-credits storyline, but what there is is longer and put together much better than what Gates had to offer. Also, a certain legendary joins your team... After the storyline is over, there are plenty of achievements to strive for, such as map completion, and a list of rare treasures to collect. Bonus Content: As far as I know there’s no DLC for Super Mystery Dungeon. Mechanics: Things that are new/changed: - Party size: Decreased from 4 to 3. Not a super huge deal. Client Pokemon who accompany you are now additional and won’t take a party slot. - Completely overhauled mission/recruitment systems: The Connection Orb replaces the old mission system, and while it’s very similar, once a mission is completed, the client becomes Connected, meaning they are now in your team roster. You can get all 720 Pokemon this way. No more delving into a 99 floor dungeon to try and find that one legendary! As connections spread, more missions will be unlocked. Sadly this means missions are finite, as far as I can tell... - Kangaskahn now runs the Connection Cafe. Talk to her to receive any rewards you get from missions. - Job Stacking is back THANK ARCEUS! - Motivation: This replaces the V Wave system. Every day or so 3 random Pokemon on your team roster will become Motivated. Motivated Pokemon get triple XP for the day. If an Unown is Motivated, and you bring it along, it doubles everyone’s XP, motivated or not; this means Motivated Pokemon will get six times the normal XP, which, let’s be honest, is the only time you’d ever bring an Unown in the party. - Many, many more options for the player/partner characters: All starters from gen 1 to 6, along with Pikachu and Riolu. The quiz is back, but if you don’t like the result, you can just pick which one you want. - Lucha Tokens: After the credits roll you can take a Lucha Token to Hawlucha to change a Pokemon’s ability, assuming their species can know more than one. - Looplets and Emeras: These replace both the scarves and IQ system; Looplets are bracelets with notches for gems called Emeras. Emeras come in many varieties, and when placed in a Looplet, they give the holder certain effects. Some of these are immunity to traps or bad status conditions, some are like the IQ skills from older generations (finding the stairs, knowing where shops are, etc.) and some are passive stat buffs. One Emera, Awakening, is how Mega Evolution is used; placing an Awakening Emera into a looplet will either Mega-Evolve the holder, or give the holder the Awakened status, which greatly boosts attack power and makes you immune to attacks from the front. Sadly Awakening only lasts a short time and will burst afterwards. - Progress Device: Replaces the Quick Save function. It’s an item that can be placed on the ground in a dungeon, allowing you to save your game there. Unlike Quick Save, this save data won’t be cleared after reloading, so you can reload there multiple times. - World Map: In a radical new step, you can now travel to 5 different continents, each with their own towns and dungeons! After comparing many, many different maps from all the games, I can safely say that these continents (aside from the Water and Sand continents) are, in fact, the worlds from the previous games; the Air Continent is where Red/Blue Rescue Team take place, the Grass Continent is where the Explorers Series took place, and the Mist Continent is where Gates to Infinity took place. (no idea where the Sand Continent is from though, possibly those PMD games that were only in Japan?) In addition to that there are CAMEOS. CHARACTER CAMEOS, EVERYWHERE! Made my inner fan super happy! - Wonder Mail is back. In addition, you can now attempt to rescue yourself, using a team built from your roster. Things that are removed: - No more building of dojos and shops. Sadly this means no recycle shop, but most core shops are readily available. - No AR dungeons and no multiplayer dungeons (did anyone even use those...?) Overall Rating: ★★★★★ Right up there with Explorers of Sky. Another game I would reccomend if you’re looking to get into the series.