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talesofsonicasura · 3 years

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Stone Novas

Ch 4: Exposition

Astra's secret is revealed to Team Monkie Kid much to her dismay! A challenge is wagered, plots are formed and soon wills shall be tested. CH3 CH5

Megapolis' Docks, Secret Base

To say Astra was upset would be an understatement. She was thoroughly pissed off for one good reason. Sun Wukong, Monkey King and 'Great Sage Equal To Heaven' didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. And the feeling to flay him grew as Mei poked at the Frontier Brain.

All of them had hustled back to the Secret Base after MK had blurted out her otherworldly origins. Luckily, no one else was there to hear it. When the young man had accidentally sent himself flying out of the Weather Station, not only did Wukong appear to take away his invulnerability but also told him about her Battle Observatory.

He didn't mention Macaque oddly enough or her taking his clothes, no doubt to keep some of his pride. The reactions from Sandy, Pigsy, Tang and Mei were expected once they got back into the base after a silent ride. Dumbfounded disbelief from MK's boss, curiosity from Tang, awe and wonderment from Sandy, as for Mei…

"Are you human or is this a disguise?! Wouldn't that make Bao Chang, Lupe, Mars, and that giant bird Siegfried alien animals?! Are there any dragon Pokemon where you're from?" A thousand questions alongside her wild poking and prodding. Astra didn't mind someone being curious but this was aggravating.

Having enough with the mildly rude treatment, the redhead grabbed Mei's hand tightly. "I would love to talk if you stop scrutinizing me like a Noctowl pellet." Astra let the raven quickly scoot away, slightly embarrassed but still had that same vigor. The Frontier Brain massaged her head, carefully picking her next words before speaking.

"I am human but from an alternate Earth. Instead of demons, we have Pokemon that can be found everywhere whether it be land, sea, sky and even space itself. During my free time, I usually explore various worlds by traveling through Ultra Space but I am actually the Frontier Brain for the Battle Observatory."

Mk had heard about the facility Astra owned from the Monkey King although neither of them knew what it really meant. Picking up on the young man's confusion, the ginger continued her explanation. "Where I'm from we have something called Pokemon Battles."

Mars connected his tail into the base's computer, the screen switching to display a battle between two trainers and their respective Pokemon: a bipedal rhinoceros covered in orange stone plates and a smaller bipedal chinchilla with large white fur that curled like locks of hair.

"Trainers bring out their Pokemon to battle and give them instructions. When all Pokemon on the opponent's team is unable to battle, the Trainer whose team is left standing wins. No Pokemon are forced to battle without their consent and no killing is allowed." The chinchilla-like Pokemon took down the much larger opponent with a strong blow to the head, spirals appearing on the eyes of the knocked out rhinoceros Pokemon.

Mars then changed the screen to display six different buildings, one of them being the Battle Observatory. A picture of Astra stood in front of the observatory as a shadow silhouette stood at the other 5 facilities. "There are tournaments that test the mettle of both Trainers and their Pokemon, the Pokemon League but we'll be discussing my domain, the Battle Frontier."

Battle Frontier, just two words that sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the room. MK, unlike the rest of his companions, had a look of determination but also hope in his eyes. Something that made the redhead smile brightly.

"Trainers have to face the Frontier Brains, powerful trainers and their Pokemon that can rival the strength of the Champion for each respective region. Those who defeat a Frontier Brain, earn a symbol of their success, a badge for that gym. If someone manages to collect 5 of these badges, then they can become a Frontier Brain for their own facility. This is my badge, the Nova Badge!"

Astra then took something out of her pocket. It was a metal badge that resembled a fiery meteor from the red flame locale surrounding the yellow star shape and the center was a gray X bearing sharpened edges similar to a stake.

"Only those with conviction to face the burning flames of tribulation and strife can earn this badge. One of the reasons many trainers call me the Battle Frontier's Shooting Star." The redhead didn't even flinch when MK and his companions had suddenly gotten into personal space.

"Woah! That is the coolest thing I have ever seen. It looks really well made too! I wish I had my own badge but I really don't like fighting." Sandy stated with mild disappointment. Astra patted the big aquatic demon on the side and gave him a kind grin. "I can make you a custom badge if you want, Sandy. Send me a design and I'll have it ready in a few days."

The redhead chuckled at the sudden bone crushing hug she had gotten from a very happy Sandy. Pigsy was a bit indifferent to the whole otherworld thing. "As long as you come in peace then I don't really care about your origins. Plus you have a good head on your shoulders considering what happened back at the Weather Station."

Every member of the Monkie Kid team knew where the restaurant owner was getting at. All of them would've been captured by Red Son after MK got taken out of the fight. They couldn't forget about the people that might have been hurt or worse without Astra's intervention.

Something that raised a question for a certain bandana wearing young man. "Hey Astra, can I talk with you outside for a moment?" The Frontier Brain gave MK a confused look before nodding. Mars could fill in any questions the rest of the group had anyway. Neither of them said a word until the two adults were back on the boat.

It was here that Astra saw the brunette's carefree attitude dissolve into disappointment and shame. She had a bad feeling about this. "Do you think I'm worthy enough to be the Monkie Kid?" Now the Frontier Brain really hated where this was going.

"Back at the Weather Station, I was practically useless during the whole thing. I hurt Sandy with the staff and nearly got everyone captured because of my invulnerability ego. I even flung myself out of the building with my own weapon! Sometimes I feel like being able to pick up the Monkey King's Staff was a huge fluke. I…"

MK didn't get to finish when Astra gently caressed his cheek, a warm motherly expression on her face. "It's ok to feel like this, MK. You are new to this whole experience but I know for damn sure that your achievements aren't fake! I read about you saving the city from that huge Demon Bull King fiasco some time ago."

She pulled him into a side hug and turned to the open ocean. "When I first started out as a trainer, sometimes I doubted if I could even become a Frontier Brain. There were times that I wanted to give up but my friends and my Pokemon gave me the courage to keep trying. Look at me now, I achieved my goal alongside my faithful partners. Remember that 'the strongest mountain started as a stone.'"

MK then felt something metallic in his hand and stared down in shock to see a colorless Nova Badge sitting on his open palm. "I want you to hold onto this badge, little Kubfu. When you have found and mastered your full potential, face my team to fully complete that badge. If the Monkey King's training isn't sufficient, I won't mind stepping in for some proper training."

Astra's grin sharpened, the sun making her apple green eyes glow like emeralds and her flaming red hair burn like fire. "I might not have magical powers but I definitely can teach you how to wield a staff. A lot of my Pokemon would also love to help you master your newfound magic. What do you say MK? Want to take your training to the next level?"

The young man looked at the Frontier Brain. His uncertainty became hardened determination. "Please teach me how to become stronger!" MK bowed his head in respect, a sign of a student ready to learn under their master. Astra's smile grew from the young man's response. Now she had a few things to do before she started training MK.

Flower Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave

Siegfried let out a mighty caw as he soared through the air. The Frontier Brain was currently seated on the Raven's Pokemon back with her goggles keeping any volcanic ash away from her eyes. All of the monkeys who saw the large Steel/Flying Type quickly scattered or watched Siegfried fly through the curtain of a waterfall.

This particular waterfall was shielding a cavern that held a small wooden shack within its stone walls, Sun Wukong's home. Once Siegfried landed and was recalled to his Pokeball, Astra went over to the house. She had spotted a large ancient mural to the side depicting Wukong alongside three other people.

A pig demon, fish demon, and a human monk riding on the back of a horse as Wukong sat on top of his cloud with a fillet on his head. It was quite eerie but not for the soft golden glow that lined the characters. No, it was the fact that they looked too much like Pigsy, Sandy and Tang that unnerved the redhead.

Astra walked up to the door of the small home and gave it a hard knock. The door opened to show a disgruntled looking Monkey King who was probably asleep earlier from the yellow pjs decorated in peaches. The demon quickly straightened himself upon seeing those apple green eyes glare into his own ambers. "Fancy seeing you here, Astra. Want to come in?" Wukong nervously laughed, he knew he was in hot water.

"You told MK about my origins WITHOUT my permission, jackass! What in the absolute Distortion World were you thinking?!" The redhead harshly poked the monkey's chest, every word burning with rage. The Monkey King raised his hands innocently despite Astra looking ready to skin his hide.

"I can't keep such information from my successor! MK had the right to know and I trust the kid to keep a secret." Wukong took a step back when the Frontier Brain snarled and dragged him down by his pajama shirt so they were at eye level.

"You are an idiot of the highest caliber and a poor teacher! I read the story about MK fighting that giant bull demon and saw him recklessly using your staff back at the Weather Station. Have you even given him proper training at all?!" Astra hissed, glaring daggers into the demon's fiery amber eyes.

Wukong nervously smiled at the accusation which didn't help with what he said next. "The kid did defeat Demon Bull King and came out of both fights completely fine. We've been practicing some hand to hand combat too. MK just needs to believe in himself, even just a tiny smidge." The Monkey King's world turned upside down in seconds as he hit the ground.

Astra sat on top of him, her legs straddled between his so he couldn't move while she held him up to her face with an iron grip. "You are an incompetent fool that clearly doesn't know what he's doing! Did you know MK asked me if he was even worthy of being your successor? That he thought of his achievements as a mere fluke, you insufferable Stunfisk?!"

Wukong's smile dissolved into a shameful frown. Did he really make his student believe that he was a failure? The mere thought made his heart sink. "I'll be taking over MK's training from now on since it's clear you are ill suited for the task." He instantly froze. Did she really just…?

"What do you mean you're taking over?" A look of anger and shock crossed Sun Wukong from the Frontier Brain's words. Astra didn't seem to care about the Monkey King's growing temper. "You heard me. Unless you start taking MK's training seriously, then my Pokemon and I will do it instead. I may not have powers but I can teach him to wield a staff. My team can handle the magic part since you're shit for this job."

Rage boiled underneath the demon's skin. What gave this human the right to say he was an unsuitable teacher? It's his powers and his staff! Who did she think she was to say that to the Monkey King, Great Sage Equal To Heaven, Sun Wukong?!! He'd- The monkey demon immediately stamped that thought before it could continue and instead turned his head away.

This wasn't about him. It was about his student MK. Astra had a point, the young man wasn't ready at all and if a tougher opponent came along… The look of remorse on Wukong's face was enough for the redhead's rage to slowly simmer down.

"How about a compromise? If you are that serious about helping MK, then battle Bao Chang." Sun Wukong immediately looked at the human woman in surprise. "It is said that someone's true intentions can be revealed in the heat of battle. Clash with my darling Monferno at the Battle Observatory on the morning of next week and show me how far you will truly go for your disciple."

The redhead got off the Monkey King so he could get back onto his feet. He could see in those apple green eyes that Astra wasn't fooling around. His only chance. "Alright. I'll accept your challenge. Where do we meet up since we're going back to your world?" Wukong's question only got him a chuckle from the Frontier Brain.

"Ask your apprentice, he'll tell you." With that said, Astra walked away from his home leaving the Monkey King to his thoughts.

Megapolis, Astra's House

The sound of a hammer hitting steel echoed across the small forest. It was from Bao Chang who was fastening a brand new windowsill to the upper floor of the old house, a paintbrush wrapped around his tail too. Astra and some of her Pokemon decided to fix up their brand new home after returning from Flower Fruit Mountain.

Bao Chang worked on replacing the windows, Lupe disposed of any garbage he found, Mars scanned for any issues with the infrastructure and Siegfried helped transport any of the heavy goods such as furniture or any stuff that can be exchanged for extra cash. Aniani kept watch in case of an accident or intruder, as for Astra…

"Sticky Web, Arachne!" A large blob of webbing struck the worn pillar. The substance slipped it into the cracks with the wood, Astra then placed a large metal sheet onto the sticky goo. "El Dorado, melt that metal a bit with Incinerate!" Quickly stepping back as a stream of fire hit the steel plate.

The intense flame caused the alloy to slowly curl around the pillar's surface until it was fully enveloped. Another stream of fire went down where the two ends to the sheet metal converged, sealing it together. With a short inspection of the plating, Astra gave a thumbs up to the two Pokemon responsible.

One Pokemon was a shockingly large black spider around 12'3 in size, six long yellow legs with the bottom half black that had medium sized water bubbles on each joint, a big water bubble that encased their head, two large blue eyes bearing light blue horizontal wave shaped pupils with three smaller triangle blue eyes on the forehead, four large fangs at the bottom of the head, a vertical tannish brown streak with two horizontal ones on the top of the abdomen and a small yellow stinger on their rear.

The other one was a 1'3 dark gold gremlin, eyes were light gold diamonds cut in an hexagon shape, two fin like ears bearing two points on each side of their head, a small emerald on their chest alongside a small jade and light gold crystals on the back, three fingered claws, three fur like spikes on the elbows and three toed bearing sharp claws. On their left arm was a dark violet wristband that held a black, red and violet jewel inside.

"Looks pretty stable. Got a few more support pillars to go, think you can handle it Arachne and El Dorado?" Astra first looked at the large spider then to the small gremlin Pokemon. The large spider Pokemon named Arachne did a small nod while the little gremlin El Dorado gave a thumbs up.

The Frontier Brain shortly paused as a serious expression overtook her face. Her focus was on the corner of the room that was unnaturally darker than the others. "Arachne, Bubblebeam over there!" The large spider took a deep breath before letting loose a rapid stream of dark blue bubbles.

In seconds, a purple outlined shadow cudgel emerges and promptly bursts every single bubble with a single swing. Macaque took a step out of the shadows, clearly impressed from the fang filled grin on his face. Astra only sighed at the sight of the shadow demon.

"I guess you do have some decent senses to detect me. Nice improvement on this dumpster pile by the way." The Frontier Brain rolled her eyes at the intruding monkey, both Pokemon beside her had their guard up. A sight that made Macaque chuckle.

"Usually I am not that defensive unless near a potential threat. I just didn't know that you used to eat humans before we met." Astra spoke, her arms crossed and an offensive edge to her voice. Dismissing the shadow cudgel from his hands, the demon gave the redhead a mischievous look.

"I knew you overheard me and Sun Wukong the other night instead of going to your room. Had me surprised when you still treated my wounds while keeping calm from your steady heartbeat. Pretty brave and bold, Apple." Macaque walked closer until he was standing in front of the Frontier Brain.

The demon could still hear her heart remain steady despite their close proximity, a thought that made his tail wag happily. "What do you want, Macaque? Because I'm pretty sure spying on someone isn't a proper visit." Astra didn't feel like playing around at the moment. One demon had already gotten on her nerves, she didn't need two.

"Straight to the point I see! What I want is to train under your tutelage." Astra looked at the shadow demon like he was crazy. She let Macaque continue with his explanation. "My clash with the Monkey King proved my training methods are ineffective, training dummies can only do so much. What's a better sparring partner other than a Frontier Brain?"

The redhead kept her eyes on the monkey as he circled around her, Arachne and El Dorado stayed silent. Both Pokemon were waiting for any sign of a threat. "So how about a deal? I help around your observatory and you let me battle your Pokemon in exchange. I can even help fix up this rusty junk heap as a bonus." Macaque offered, a calm yet manic grin etched on his face.

Astra mulled over the proposition in her head. She wasn't stupid or naive. Macaque and Wukong had a nasty history paired with a mile wide grudge. There was also the chance of manipulation for the Frontier Brain since the monkey demon might have abandonment issues, inferiority complex and probably low esteem.

Taking his offer could lead to two scenarios. He'll end up taking revenge on Sun Wukong, possibly dragging anyone associated with the Monkey King into it. Or two, she could learn their history and might be able to help both demons before their sour relationship leads to a much bigger problem down the road.

Whatever the case, these two needed help. "Fine but you must listen to what I say and respect any rules that I make. By the way, if you try to use whatever you learn against some innocent soul…" Astra's eyes sharpened, her teeth on full display from the huge snarl and a dark aura came off the redhead in waves.

The sudden malice was enough for Macaque to take a step back in instinctual fright. "I won't hesitate to show you why I'm the most feared amongst my peers in the Battle Frontier. Angels, demons or gods, nothing will save you from my wrath. Got it, little Alolan Rattata?" The shadow demon quickly nodded at the Frontier Brain's threat.

In seconds the frightening aura quickly vanished as Astra clapped her hands happily. "Splendid. For now, you'll be helping El Dorado and Arachne with enforcing the support beams. Arachne is my dear Araquanid while El Dorado is my sweet Sableye." Both Pokemon waved a hand or leg in Arachne's case in greeting to the demon monkey.

Macaque was about to say something when the redhead threw two small cards at him. Quickly catching them, dark amber slightly widened to see they were Pokedex Entries for the two Pokemon before him. Although the one for El Dorado looked different since the Sableye in that picture was violet instead of gold.

"'Araquanid, the Water Bubble Pokemon. Bug/Water Type. The water bubble around Araquanid's head can be used to carry Pokemon they consider as friends to safety or drown potential prey. It has a habit of storing things it likes in its water bubble so their trainers have to be extra careful to not get dragged in. This Pokemon likes to savor its meal and can also launch the bubbles from its legs as another way to capture live prey.'" Macaque looked warily at the giant spider before reading the other card.

"'Sableye, the Darkness Pokemon. A Ghost/Dark Type-'" The demon monkey went silent for a few seconds. 'What in the absolute hell?' Macaque shoved the thought in the back of his head before continuing his low mutters.

"'-It digs up gems with its sharp claws then uses its sharp teeth to devour them in the deep darkness of caverns. This diet caused Sableye's eyes to become gemstones and some of that material to float to the surface of their bodies. It's feared for the misconception that these Pokemon can steal the souls of people when their eyes glow a sinister color in the dark.'"

The shadow demon paused to look at the card then the small Darkness Pokemon. He blinked a few times before pocketing the Pokedex entries into his jeans. Macaque had a feeling this won't be the only time Astra decides to make him feel uneasy. Shrugging his shoulders, the monkey resigned himself to his fate and got to work with the repairs.

Megapolis, Flaming Foundry

Deep underneath Megapolis, there laid a massive factory unknown to others. This facility was the Flaming Foundry, where every mechanical creation was manufactured to assist the Demon Bull Family. A family of three who seeked to rule the world in an age of darkness and fire: Princess Iron Fan, her husband Demon Bull King and their child Red Son.

Standing in front of a large screen was Red Son alongside two others. One was a huge minotaur type bull demon around 15 in size, powerful bulging muscles to red violet fur that seemed to almost synthetic, bottom jaw covered in a heavy steel plate with similar steel under burning yellow eyes, a gold bull nose ring, gear similar to that of a barbarian: steel pauldrons, multiple straps on the chest that held a gold furnace like slot at the center, dark grey pelt around the waist similar to a barbarian's, slightly long tail, sharp clawed fingers, large fangs and strong gray hooved feet.

The other was a woman about a ft taller than Red Son, soft tan complexion, two large black horns on both sides of her head, long raven hair, red lipstick on full lips, thin but buxom form hidden under a beautiful red traditional Chinese dress, and heeled sandals. They were Red Son's parents, Princess Iron Fan and Demon Bull King. Red Son seemed mostly healed from his encounter with Team Monkie Kid minus a few bandages.

All three of them were watching the large monitor, it was on the news which covered the Weather Station. The broadcast was about none other than two of Astra's Pokemon rescuing civilians who were trapped inside. "-No one knows what these strange creatures were but the families of those who were trapped inside are truly grateful for their assistance."

Red Son then changed the feed to camera footage from the Weather Station, most of the audio was fried courtesy of Mars' hacking the mainframe earlier. "I can see why your plan went asunder, my dear son. You said this woman's name was Astra?" PIF questioned, looking at her only child.

The red haired demon did a short nod before answering. "Yes from what Noodle Boy called her during our battle. All those creatures appear to follow her command; unlike Noodle Boy's group, she's very competent in both strategy and execution. The marks of a tactician."

DBK looked inquisitively at the footage. His attention darted from Bao Chang tearing apart their soldiers using various elements, to Lupe destroying his troops with powerful acid then blasting his son away in a giant laser, Mars stealthily hack into the Weather Station's mainframe and finally Astra's conversion of a broom handle into a weapon that melted through titanium steel. He's seen that type of cleverness before, it got him trapped underneath a mountain for 500 years.

"It appears the little thief has made a powerful and dangerous ally. Get as much information on this 'Shooting Star Astra' and 'Battle Frontier'. Even better if you somehow manage to capture her." DBK glared at the Frontier Brain's picture, a dark grimace on his face.

"This human woman could change everything."

And that's it! Sun Wukong has been challenged by Astra while Macaque and MK are accepted for training as things slowly begin to change in the background with some of the LMK villains.

Astra isn't someone who would beat around the bush when seeing a possible problem. Especially considering her status as a Frontier Brain and just how dangerous this new world is proving to be.

She is the type who wants to be prepared for the worst. To her, Sun Wukong and Macaque's 'relationship' is an issue just as bad as MK's current training routine.

Moving onto Astra's Pokemon, her team is the Pokemon she had caught during her journey to become a Frontier Brain, not exclusively just six Pokemon. Her Pokemon has two different movesets which is reserved for either exploration or gym battles. I'm bringing this up now to not only clear up any confusion but especially for upcoming chapters.

And for anyone questioning why Astra didn't do anything to Sandy for hugging her, it's because only touches with any romantic sort of sense are a trigger. Stuff like hugs don't bother Astra.

Next chapter is the battle with Sun Wukong! Before I go, I am currently working on a story for my Broken Toys AU! Someone asked if I was going to release all the information first before writing it.

The answer is actually no. I will be posting some stuff for the au like the monsters MK has and his relationship to them but the really juicy ones will be coming once a few chapters are posted.

Until next time folks, see you back in Megapolis.

New Pokemon added! El Dorado the Sableye and Arachne the Araquanid

Astra's team: Bao Chang (Monferno), Siegfried (Corviknight), Lupe (Garbodor), Aniani (Necrozma), Arachne (Araquanid), Mukasa (Zarude), El Dorado (Shiny!Sableye).

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stillchaoticlogic · 5 years

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Stumbling: Chapter 4

Pairing: Raihan X Reader X Leon

Your life hadn’t gone exactly as you planned…

Which is why when an old rival walks into the coffee shop you work at he gives you an offer you just can’t refuse. Finally, a chance at the League. Suddenly you are thrust into the spot light and a world you thought you had left behind. Dreams aren’t always what they are cracked up to be though, especially when you find yourself the tangled up with the champion and a certain gym leader.

Has all your dreams come true?

Or is this your worst nightmare?

Read the First Chapter Here!

Read the Second Chapter Here!

Read the Third Chapter Here!

**Masterlist Coming Soon!**

The Journey Begins!

The next morning you end up running around Motostoke attempting to get everything you need. The last of your savings is spent on a Flash phone and luckily your able to get the Pokedex on there along with a map of the region and all your trainer and Pokemon information. You then head to the center and stock up on medical equipment and pokeballs before going to the department store and getting a set of camping gear.

“How?” you ask as you gaze down at your pack which is already bursting at the seams.

“That’s a little full…” you yelp not expecting anyone to be standing behind you.

You whip around and are met with sight of Sonia and Nessa.

“Oh hey!” you exclaim as you smile at the duo.

“Getting ready to head out?” asks Nessa with a small smile.

“Yeah… I had to stock up on some things before I left but this seems excessive…”

“I’ll help you sort through your pack! But first, how do you feel about lunch to catch up?”

“That would be great but….”

“It’s on me! That equipment is expensive!”

“No! Sonia I can’t let you do that!”

“It’s okay! I want to catch up! You can just get mine next time OR after you take Leon for all he’s worth. That prize money is nothing to shake a stick at!”

“Alright deal…”

“Well if she wasn’t… I was… I heard you took care of some asshole pokemon abuser yesterday and that deserves a free lunch at the least!” says Nessa.

“Oh! Yeah… I guess the guys told you about that?”

“Nope! You’re all over the news and social media. Everyone is talking about the gym challenger who saved a Jangmo-o!”

“What? Really? Why?”

They laugh before each wrapping an arm through one of yours.

“Because your badass babe!” exclaims Nessa.

“Yeah! All the leaders and media outlets now have their eyes on you! You’re going to dominate this competition!” Sonia interjects.

Despite not having seen Sonia in years, time just simply got away from the two of you, and having never met Nessa before, the three of you sit down like old friends at the local cafe.

“So you’re going to have to tell me what happened…” Sonia starts after you all get your food.

“With what?”

“All of this! You just disappeared! And now out of the blue Leon is endorsing you in the League! What happened?!”

“Well… I couldn’t find a sponsor…”

“That makes no sense… you were one of the best!”

“That’s what Leon said… no one was looking for what I had to offer I guess. I also got some bullshit reasoning too. I wasn’t pretty, cute, sweet or sexy enough. I was too smart… I didn’t have the right look… You name it, they said it… I tried for several years, the last one when I was eighteen… At that point I had someone tell me I was too old…”

“Seriously?” huffs out Nessa in anger.

“Yep...So I moved to a small town that I could afford rent in and got a job at a cafe. That’s where Leon found me. He got lost and ended up at the cafe to get out of a storm. A week later I had a letter of endorsement.”

“I’m glad you’re finally getting your chance.”

“Thanks… I just hope he didn’t put his faith in me for no reason.”

“Oh stop that! You’re amazing. You’ve always been amazing. You’re going to kill this competition,” Sonia exclaims as she looks you in the eyes.

“Thanks Sonia…”

“Of course! Besides at least you have a direction… I feel like a magikarp out of water sometimes…”

“Aren’t you working with your grandma?”

“Yeah… but I’m not sure if it’s what I want…”

“Why is that?”

“It’s overwhelming sometimes… plus that’s a pretty big pair of shoes to fill…”

“Ehh… you’re doing great! You’re just too hard on yourself,” argues Nessa.

“She does great work, she just gets stressed out sometimes, mostly for no reason…”

“Oh hush!” Sonia exclaims in embarrassment at her friends praise.

The three of you end up chatting for the next hour before you all say your goodbyes.

“I can’t wait to see you at my gym! Go crush Milo for me girl!” Nessa yells as they watch you head down the steps into the Wild Area.

“Oh don’t worry! He’s mine!” you yell back with a laugh. The lunch having significantly lifted your spirits and they helped you go through your pack, making it much lighter than before.

“Oh boy…” you mutter as you gaze around the vast area before you. With a sigh you head off into the wild in search of your first new team member.

“Now… If I was a Bounsweet...where would I be hiding?” You gaze around the field before heading into the tall grass. You had never seen so many different types of pokemon in one place. Serenity took over most of the battling and after many run ins with several different types of pokemon that aren’t the one you’re looking for you find a...combee?”

You gaze in abject excitement at the honey bee pokemon with the little red dot. “A female combee…” you mutter as you approach her. She continues to buzz around a flower and you know that after the beating that Serenity has taken today you couldn’t risk sending her out. Gazing down at the only other pokemon you currently have with you, you pull it from your belt.

“Davine!” you call as she pops out and looks up at you, “I have a favor to ask of you…”

Her Amber eyes are large and full of uncertainty, “Can you help me catch that combee?”

She gazes over at the pokemon idly hovering over a flower before she hesitantly nods.

“Alright! Can you use headbutt on her?”

Nodding the tiny dragon approaches the combee, who doesn’t look perturbed in the least, in fact she looked more interested than anything. Gliding over she buzzes around Davine’s head and it’s almost amusing when Davine panics and just boops her on the head instead of using headbutt. The combee blinks in surprise before it almost looks as if she laughs before gently booping Davine back. The dragon flinches back but opens her eyes slowly as the bee just buzzes around her laughing as if she wants to play.

“Whelp…this is my life now…” you say in exasperation as you pull a pokeball out of your pack and throw it at the combee. It shakes a few times before the red dot turns green and you pick it up from the ground. Letting the tiny bee out she blinks up at you in slight confusion before happily buzzing around your head.

“Yeah… You’re going to be a great addition to the team,” you say with a laugh as the bee lands on your head.

“We’re going to have to work on your confidence… but good job!” you say as you hand Davine a berry to eat. She gazes up at you in confused awe before hesitantly taking the treat from you. Holding up another berry you hold it while the bee, who has gotten quite comfortable on your head, nibbles on the berry. Calling out Serenity you hand her a berry as well and introduce her to the newest member of your team.

“This is...hmm… we’re going to have to figure out a name for you…” you say indicating the tiny bee before you. She just buzzes happily around investigating her new friends. The three seem to have interesting personalities, but you think they will get along. Serenity is pretty calm, if not stubborn, whereas Davine is timid, but you have a feeling that there is so much more to her. Jangmo-o are proud by nature and you can’t wait to bring her confidence in herself back. The newest member of your party, your little combee, is cheerful but very curious. You have a feeling she’s going to get herself into a lot of trouble.

The sun is setting on the wild area when you find a little alcove of rocks away from the wild pokemon roaming as well shelter from the wind. Glaring down at your tent you heave a sigh and pull out the instructions.

“I should have been trying to figure this out an hour ago… I’m going to lose light!” you grumble as you begin struggling with the tent.

“Hold this,” you say as you hand Serenity one of the poles for the tent, “I thought they said it was a pop up!”

“Need some help?” questions a voice from behind you. “Ouch! Hey!”

You let out a scream of surprise as you whip around to face the dragon gym leader now doubled over in pain. Davine looking somewhere between terrified and remorseful after her surprise assault on him.

You can’t hold it in and start to laugh, “Are you okay?” you ask between fits of laughter.

“Are you really laughing at me after your pokemon just attacked me?!” he exclaims, but the smile on his face says he isn’t mad.

“You scared her! And me! You deserve what you get!” you exclaim as you walk over to Davine and pick her up. You press her into your chest and gently run your fingers over her head to soothe her.

“Tell her you're okay, she’s upset that she hurt you,” you say indicating the baby dragon in your arms.

He just smiles down at her, “You didn’t hurt me, I’ve gotten accidently hit by my friends way too many times for that to even leave a scratch! I know you didn’t mean it.” He takes her gently from your arms and holds her to his chest. He begins to scratch her under her chin and before you know it, she has relaxed against him.

“Is that a Drager Tamer trick?” you ask as you regard the two.

“I can’t reveal all my secrets but yeah that’s one of them. Think of dragons like giant cats.”

“Huh… good to know… How did you find me by the way?”

“Nessa said that she saw you off into the wild area, and I decided I wanted to head to the Lake of Outrage to pick up a new partner. Then I decided to see if I could find you...besides I’m not Leon you know? I know how to find my way around.”

You just laugh at his explanation, “So does that mean you know how to set up a tent?”

“So you think you’re going to beat me and you can’t even set up a tent?” he teases.

“Beating you and setting up a tent are two different life skills, do not mock me!”

He laughs at your explanation before he puts Davine down and walks over to you.

“Come on, I’m teaching you how to put up a tent, but you cook dinner alright?”

“Demanding aren’t we?”

“Oh come on! If you cook for me, I get to rub it in Leon’s face that you did! Besides I bet you’re amazing,” he says with a wink.

“Fine… teach me how to set up the tent and I’ll cook you dinner.”

Raihan walks over to the tent, putting a couple of poles in the corresponding pockets and then just pulls. The tent springs up practically on it’s own and you can only sit and stare with an open mouth.

“That was so easy…”

“Yep…” he says with a shit eating grin.

You just huff before you grab the pot out of your bag and set it on the makeshift fire pit you’ve already got set up. He just laughs at your annoyance before he calls his team out consisting of Flygon, Goodra and Duraludon.

“Don’t forget my boys okay?” he says as he walks over to you and bumping into your side as you sort through all your ingredients. Holding up a pack of sausage, “How do you like spicy food?”

“Love it!” he says with a smile.

You just nod as you watch Davine scurry over to you and hide near you, she’s watching the dragon’s carefully.

“Why don’t you go say ‘hi?’” you ask gazing down at the tiny dragon.

She clinks her scales together nervously as she regards them.

“Okay, that’s fine… you can when you are ready.”

She ends up staying glued to your side while you work, whereas combee and Serenity walked up to Goodra and they seemed to be fast friends.

“So how did today go? I see you caught a combee?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t your conventional catch, but I think she’ll make a great addition.”

“So you want a Vespiquen?”

“She’ll be super helpful against Milo since I may or may not be able to find a fire type.”

“Vulpix are pretty common around here…”

“I’ve always wanted a ninetails! They are so majestic!” you say with a laugh.

“You would look good with one too. I can just see you posing for some magazine, Ninetails looking all haughty!”

You laugh as you think about being in a magazine, “Yeah...we’ll see… I’m trying to find a bounsweet so I can start training her up to take on Nessa.”

“Thought about Kabu yet? He’s tough when you’re first getting started.”

“I’ll figure something out…”

“Yeah you will!”

You raise your brow as you watch Davine walk towards the other pokemon. Goodra notices her first and approaches slowly, obviously happy she wanted to join in. He cooed at her softly and slowly she joins the others.

“She’ll be okay…” he says noticing the way you watched the interaction.

You turn and gaze at him, “I know… I just can’t help but worry…” you mutter as you add the chopped ingredients and put the rice on to cook.

“Dragon’s are resilient, she’s going to bounce back, all she needs is you, princess,” he says as he winks at you.

“Are we really back to the princess stuff?” you ask as you try to hide your smile.

He shrugs, “What’s so wrong with wanting to call you princess? After all, there’s going to come a time when you are.”

“When I’m what?”

“My princess,” he says with a lazy grin.

You roll your eyes and throw a berry at him, “Chop that up for me will you, Romeo?”

“See you already have a pet name for me too! It’s like we’re meant to be!”

He laughs as you throw another berry at him, “That one tooo!”

“Alright! Alright! So violent! Looks like you like things a little rough… I-”

“Raihan!” you interrupt him and he just bursts out laughing, but helps you chop up the berries anyway.

“I thought you were going to make me dinner… Here I am helping you…”

“You want to eat tonight or not? Then chop the vegetables!” you ask as you add the sausage into pot and start stirring it.

“Yes Ma’am! I love it when you take charge,” he growls out.

You huff, but take the berries that’s he’s chopped and endeavor to hide your blush as you add them to the pot.

You glance up at him and he’s watching you with a lazy smile, “Hey…” he muttered suddenly.

“Yes?” you ask softly.

“You made it through your first day.”

You smile at the thought, “I did…”

“Come on Princess… Let’s eat,” he says as he grabs plates and bowls out of his own pack and helps you divy up the food for the pokemon as well as yourselves.

“Damn this might be the best curry I’ve ever had!” he exclaims as he takes his first bite.

“You’re exaggerating it’s not that great!”

“What are you talking about? This is the best!”

You laugh quietly and thank him as you dig in yourself. You have to admit it’s really good and your pokemon seem to be enjoying it as well. You notice that Davine seems to be sticking pretty close to Goodra as the dragon chatters to it happily.

“So you’re looking for a Bounsweet?”

“Yeah! I spent all day today looking for one, but had no luck…”

“They are usually in the Rolling Fields, check there tomorrow and I’m sure you’ll find one! Maybe even a vulpix!.”

“Thanks Raihan…”

“Yeah no problem...let me know if you need help finding another type-”

“No- I mean… thank you for that as well, but I mean, thank you for being here tonight. I can hardly believe I’m here, but it’s nice to not be alone out here.”

He chuckles, “No problem… do you want me to camp out here with you tonight? I can sleep out here if you don’t feel comfortable sharing the tent.”

“I don’t want to hold you up…”

“It’ll be fun! Like when I was on my journey, except now I get to play the hero if something happens.”

You shake your head and laugh at him, “thanks, and you can sleep in the tent if you want, it’s cold out here and I trust you.”

“Whatever you say princess…” he says with a smile.

Notes:

I hope you all like this chapter! I chose the nickname @narees17 entered! I thought it fit so well! But thank you for everyone who submitted! Now we need to name the combee! Tell me your thoughts! Also if you would like to be tagged send me an ask! I love hearing from you all!

Taglist: @ichigokage

#champion leon #leon x reader #Leon x Reader X Raihan #pokemon leon x reader #pokemon leon #raihan x reader #pokemon raihan #pokemon raihan x reader #gym leader raihan #pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon swsh #pokemon imagines #pokemon fanfiction

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cutiepasta-thewriter · 4 years

Text

My Idea for the Galar region anime

(Me and a friend came up with this last night and it doesn't apply to the show’s canon at all.)

Ash gets a letter from his older brother with nothing but a few photos and a plane ticket. One of the photos is of the Galar map, the other is of a house, and the last is of red, green/blue and leaf.

Ash immediately knew what Red is trying to say:

"Come to visit Galar. I have a place to stay and you can see me and my friends."

For once Ash is conflicted about going to a new region. Sure, the chance to meet new people and new Pokemon is great but this was his brother.

His brother was one of the youngest regional champions in Kanto history. He left home shortly before Ash was born and only visited for holidays so Ash barely knew him. They never really had a conversation really but mostly because Red was a selective mute. When they did communicate which was rare it's was all pictures and symbols and a lot of guessing.

It was frustrating. This was one of the reasons he never talked to red during his journey. That and he didn't like bringing up his brother. Red was a natural trainer, never made mistakes, never failed, never settled for less than a clean win. He gave up his title of regional champion to travel the world and never looked back. It's hard not to compare yourself to someone like that even if you aren't related to them. Not to mention Red is just intimidating.

Delia was quick to encourage Ash to visit Galar. She wanted her sons to interact more since they never grew up in the same house but she knew with time they'd be inseparable.

She was quick to remind Ash that Red cared about him a lot, after all those hats where all gifts from his brother and all those postcards he sent was to help encourage Ash to see the world.

Slightly unsure Ash does take a plane to Galar to meet Red at the airport. Almost immediately he's intimated by his much larger and more muscular big brother. But suddenly Red pulled something out of his bag. It was a red and white baseball hat with a few personalized pens attached to it and he gave it to Ash.

Red wore one just it but with a few different colored pens. Ash smiled as he put on his new hat and walked with his brother to the place he was renting on the edge of Wedgehurst.

Ash is immediately greeted by Red's Pikachu who was helping green and leaf set up Ash's room. Unlike Ash's, Pikachu was very meticulous and he wanted the room perfect for Ash. The bedspread had to have 3 more pillows, the bookshelf had to have just enough books but not too many, and the bed for Ash's Pikachu most be up to his standards.

When the brothers arrived Green and leaf we're quick to marvel about how much Ash had grown and how small he looked compared to his pictures. They talk about what he was like when he was still a baby when they first met him.

They all eat dinner together with their Pokemon and tell Ash they were taking him to the research center tomorrow to get his first Galar starter.

Ash is uncomfortable that for once he was being talked over not too. Right after he was sent to bed, something else he wasn't used to. In the past, he had set his own hours and while he usually did sleep around this time being told to was different.

The next day Red's Pikachu who was named Raijin or Rai (Thunder in Japanese) for short woke him up with a slap on the nose. After eating the breakfast Leaf cooked and changing clothes Ash met with Red at the door bit Red just pointed him back upstairs.

After a few moments of confusion, Green responded.

What he's trying to say is; "change your shoes it's to wet outside to walk around in sneakers and put on a raincoat."

Ash did as told but even more, he felt like he was just being ordered around. So what if it's wet, usually if it rains he'd be fine.

As the group walked around town they stopped to talk to locals ask about goods spots for rare Pokemon Ash spotted something running around the corner and immediately tried to run after it only to Red grab him by the collar and scolded for running off of his own.

Time and time again he would be instructed what not to do or treated like a toddler. It was: "Ash please don't run into the fog." or "Ash, why don't you go play with your Scorbunny but don't run to far from the house."

Green was the worst because he was bossy and never let Ash out of his sight and Red always agreed with him. Leaf was more hands-off but she didn't care one way or the other.

"Stop treating me like a kid!" He yelled finally. It was right after they went left a battle tournament and told Ash he couldn't enter.

Red gave him a stern look before pulling Ash away from the crowd of people exiting the match. He sighed and gave Ash an irritated look, he wasn't used to finding the right words but he tried his best to get it across.

"Ash, you are a child." He said simply with that same expressionless face.

"I can take care of myself! I know what I'm doing! I've done it before, I didn't need you before and I don't need you now!" He yelled before running off to sulk.

This is why he didn't want to see Red. He traveled across many regions, fought his own battles and learned his skills the hard way. He didn't have his brother hanging over his shoulder telling him what to do or teaching him anything. Just when he became the Alolan champion suddenly he was important enough to see, but not when he sent Red a letter a few months before he left home to travel across Kanto. Where was he then, where was the brother who seems to care so much?

Ash hid in a nearby park in the base of a tree. His eyes stung and the more Pikachu and Scorbunny tried to cheer him up the worse he got.

He was found by a boy his age who was training with his Grookey. It turned out they had something in common, their brothers were both league champions. Hop wanted to get strong enough to challenge his brother one day and take his place as champion. He wondered if should challenge his brother. Would Red finally take him seriously

That night after Red found him sulking and dragged him home, Ash hatched a plan.

He packed a few outfits and other necessities. The next morning he was gone without even a note. In the most childish sense of the word, he ran away from home.

In the following weeks' Ash, Hop, and Marnie made their way across Galar. Each of them trained hard to make it to the championship all the while going on adventures. Overtime Ash felt a bit of jealousy towards his companions, at every competition their families were there. Their brothers were so supportive and called every day without fail. Ash barely glanced at the crowds because if Red was there and he lost...he didn't want to face that.

It wasn’t like his friends knew that he was a runaway, he pretended that this was what Red wanted and he lied whenever they asked where his family is.

Deep down Ash hoped that Red did go to one of his battles and that when he won, he’d be proud. He wanted his brother to see him as an equal and for once understand him. He wanted to have a real conversation.

In the end, Ash didn’t make it to the final battle against Leon. The honor was reserved for Hop, who earned the right face his brother. Still, this didn’t lift the weight in his chest. Yes, he had been here before but not when he had so much on the line. He knew he should be out there cheering his friend on instead of hiding out in the locker room but he was going through something right now. Ash was doing everything he could keep it together when he heard the door open. He turned to see Red who was as stoned face as ever. Ash could feel the lecture coming and the disappointed glare that would be aimed at him. Only it never came.

Red closed the distance between them slowly as though Ash would runaway at any sudden movements. He pulled Ash into a hug, it was so nice, so soft and so gentle. Ash didn’t realize how much he missed this, he missed this feeling. But why? Why was he here hugging him when he messed up? Ash had run away, disobeyed him and in the end, lost the league. Unaware Ash had begun crying.

“It’s okay. You did your best and you did so well.” Red said softly, running a hand through the 10-year-old’s hair.

“But...I lost. You were right, I couldn’t do it.” He sobbed into Red’s shirt.

“No, don't say that. I never thought for a moment you couldn't win, and I don’t care if you lose a battle. I’m proud of you. No matter what. Look I'm not good with words or conversations but I'm trying to get better. I realized I messed up when you left. I need to explain. I didn’t want you here because I don’t want you to be like me. I took battling so serious back then, I cut myself off from the world to focus on training. I forgot how to talk to people after years of isolation. When I returned I had missed so much especially your birth and had hurt mom so much. I want you to live your life Ash, for you to be a kid for once and explore life outside of battles. But I understand now, you aren't me and battling is how you explore.” It was the longest Ash had ever heard Red talk for and every word was sincere.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left. I should have listened.” Ash buried his head in Red’s arms “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. But I was also worried. Next time, please rely on me more. It’s a dangerous world and I need to protect you whether it’s a wild pokemon or cold weather.”

After Ash wiped his tears and calmed down they went to their seats back in the stadium were Blue and Leaf were waiting. it was then Ash noticed the red jerseys they were wearing with his number printed on them. Whether he knew it or not they were always cheering for him.

#long as fuck #galar #8th gen #originalshipping #pokemon red #pokemon blue #blue oak #red oak #leaf green #ash ketchum #red ketchum #palletshipping #you can pry this headcanon from my cold dead hands #namelessshipping

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bubble-tea-bunny · 5 years

Text

another way to fly

[leon x reader]

author’s note: i made a character named lucy to be your bff in this and she may or may not be inspired by lucy heartfilia cuz i've been watching fairy tail while i work out. hope you enjoy <3

word count: 9,182

The sunny morning is a familiar sight no matter where you find yourself in Galar this time of year, but what is a change of pace is the lack of that salty sea breeze hitting your nose the moment you step out of the house. Of course, this is only one of multiple differences you’re confronted with, being further south, but you appreciate the variety in scenery. As you descend the porch steps and walk to the main road, you’re greeted not with the loud horns of ships arriving at the docks, but with the bleats of wild Wooloo grazing.

A quick glance at the clock on your way out of the house indicated it was mid-morning. Lucy hadn’t woken you up due to how late you arrived last night, having taken the last possible train out of Hulbury. Your lack of forward planning had mostly been responsible for your post-midnight arrival, since you'd waved off her suggestions at buying a ticket earlier. In your prior experiences, the trains heading south were never fully booked.

Well, at least, not until yesterday. And you apologized profusely, you had, and you would’ve talked Lucy’s ear right off with sorry’s and you-were-right’s and confused remarks about why the trains were busy out of the blue, if she hadn’t stopped you, settling for a teasing I told you so before informing you where she kept the spare key (beneath the potted plant by the shed), in case she was asleep when you got here. You hadn’t bothered to call her when you approached the front gate of her house, not wanting to accidentally wake her up, so you’d fished out the spare key and let yourself in to learn you were correct: Lucy was fast asleep, all lights switched off save for the softly glowing lamp by the front door to provide you with some illumination as you toed off your boots and got settled. The note she’d left you on the end table informed you where the guest room and bathroom were, and a post script encouraging you to help yourself to any food in the kitchen.

Lucy had work today, which meant you weren’t surprised, nor offended, to receive no greeting at the door. You know she would have loved to stay up and wait and that was enough for you. However, she had also left early this morning because she was in charge of opening the cafe, and you still haven’t had the chance to see her. That’s where you’re headed to now, intent on finally saying hello and also grabbing a bite to eat. You hadn’t eaten since you left Hulbury, as you were too tired to have a snack last night, and you’re starving.

This is the first instance you have traveled to Wedgehurst to visit Lucy, as she moved from Turffield and hasn’t lived here long, but you have been here a couple of times in the past, and you consider those prior visits to be mostly sufficient for navigating your way around town. Your steps slow every so often as you observe your surroundings, searching for familiar landmarks to tell you you’re going in the right direction. But pretty soon you think you’ve made a couple of circles, passing no cafes, and you’re prepared to ask a local for directions.

Your eyes are aimed upward at the various signs on all the buildings, and your pace had been sluggish to give you the opportunity to look them over carefully. With your focus elsewhere, you fail to notice there is anything in front of you blocking your path, and you only do when you collide none-too-gently with something hard. The force of impact with what felt very much like a brick wall knocks you off your feet, and you fall to the ground, a small oof! leaving your mouth as your butt hits the cobblestone pavement.

“Ow…” You reach back to rub gingerly at your tailbone, which stings slightly, and cringe in pain. This might’ve hurt less if it hadn’t been on stone.

Once the pain starts to subside, you look up to see what you’d run into, and your eyes widen when you register the orange scales and wings whose span you can easily envision even while they are drawn close to the Pokemon’s body. The average Charizard is significantly taller than you are, but the height of this one is emphasized to a greater degree because of your position on the ground. You figure you should get up, since you’d been sitting here for longer than necessary, but to be honest, you’re too shocked to move.

Why is there a Charizard in the middle of the town square?!

Its back has been turned to you the whole time, and you follow up your silent question with an exclamation that it hadn’t even noticed you ran into it! But as if it has heard your internal monologue, it finally twists around. You lean back quickly to avoid the flames at the tip of its long tail, and soon you’re met with the curious gaze of the Charizard. You might think its wide eyes were cute if you weren’t currently this near to it and skittish at the prospect of being lit on fire.

You’re not sure if you should say something, and you open your mouth to greet it hello, but the word dies in your throat the moment the Charizard leans down to study you more closely. Its head tilts and you freeze where you are, deciding to let it sniff you until it was satisfied and backed away. You worry it will chase after you if you try to scoot back to increase distance.

The seconds feel like minutes and that’s probably because you’re hesitant to even breathe while the Charizard is practically in your face. You nearly decide to throw caution to the wind and back up anyway just so you can attempt to stand and hopefully continue on your way, but luckily you don’t have to. Your saving grace is a figure who’d been obscured from view by the towering Pokemon.

“Did you see something?” the man standing behind the Charizard asks, peeking around its shoulder.

The Charizard stands back up straight and now you can’t breathe for an entirely different reason as your gaze meets the amber eyes of the Galar region champion himself. He’s also much taller than you are given where you sit, but that still doesn’t change much even after he has held a hand out to help you up, for at your full height, you’re face-to-face with the fluffy collar of his cape.

“Are you all right?” His next question is aimed at you as he makes sure you’re steady on your feet before he lets go. Your cheeks had already been burning first from the fact you’d run into the champion’s Charizard, and second from the fact the champion held your hand, but now you think your cheeks are so hot they could compete with the surface of the sun because he’s looking you over. You know it’s just to check for any injuries but your point still stands—the Leon is right in front of you and, at least in these several seconds, you’re the center of his attention!

“U-Um…” you stammer, and you berate yourself inwardly at your sudden incapability to string together a cohesive sentence. “Yeah… I-I’m all right. Really, it was my fault… I wasn’t watching where I was going.” You chuckle sheepishly. Suddenly you’re conscious of how hard your heart is beating.

Leon smiles and wow, the gravity of how absolutely starstruck you are in this moment is just beginning to dawn on you. “Well I’m happy you’re okay. I don’t think I would ever forgive myself if you’d been hurt.”

You flush at the notion that he could have that much concern for your wellbeing, and you simultaneously wish that he would stop watching you and that he would also never turn away. “Yeah…” you state again, trailing off quietly. “No need to worry about me.”

He nods, satisfied, and you wonder what happens from here. Do you say goodbye and take your leave? But you realize you don’t really want to do that. As nervous as it makes you being this close to him, you do really like being in his presence because you’ve finally met him and you don’t want this chance to go to waste! Quickly you scramble for anything else you could say, if only to prolong the conversation. Who knows the next time this sort of chance would arise? You might never experience anything like this again!

“What brings you to Wedgehurst?” you decide to inquire.

“I’m visiting my family,” he informs you. His readiness to answer is a relief. You aren’t bothering him, and he’s not in a rush to be somewhere. “I just got here this morning.”

That’s right, he’s from the area. He’s from Postwick, just down the road. Wedgehurst has the nearest station. You start to feel a little dumb for asking that question in particular. The town he comes from is basic knowledge if one knows anything about the champion of Galar, and it would make sense he’d be here every now and then to visit his family. The heat in your cheeks remains, refusing to subside due to your nerves and your embarrassment.

“I’m sure they’ll be very excited to see you.” You smile, hoping it doesn’t look awkward.

The smile’s still on his own face and his eyes twinkle at your statement, as if envisioning the ecstatic greetings he’ll receive once he walks through the front door. “I’m really excited to see them too. Actually…” he trails off, and then it’s his turn to laugh as he rubs the back of his neck. “I was on my way there, but I may have gotten myself lost.”

Your smile widens and some of your bashfulness wanes at the common ground you have found with Leon. You’re about to tell him as much, that you’re lost too, not having the slightest idea where the cafe could be at this point, but from over his shoulder, you catch a glimpse of a growing crowd, murmuring amongst themselves as they stare in your direction, and so you change the topic.

“It seems people are noticing you’re here.”

Leon blinks and glances behind him. The murmurs increase in volume at the confirmation that it is indeed Leon accompanying that Charizard (though could there really be that many other people walking alongside one, and with a cape cascading down their back?). They’re only bound to rise still as more people stop to see what’s going on and discover he’s in town, and Leon lifts a hand in a brief wave of greeting.

He turns back to you. “I hate to cut our conversation short…”

His tone sounds genuinely disappointed and your heart skips a beat. Had he really liked talking to you too? Or was this just to be polite? You’re more inclined to go with the latter, now that you really think about it. He’s definitely had to learn to gently close out conversations during his reign as champion, with so many people wanting to talk to him. But you know that he’s busy and you can’t keep him to yourself forever, so you’re not dismayed as you nod in understanding.

“Of course. I have to get going anyway.”

He smiles in thanks. He’s about to turn away to address the now sizable crowd of onlookers, but pauses and looks down at you. “I enjoyed our talk.”

Okay, so maybe what you’d surmised previously about him not being saddened to have to turn his attention elsewhere had been wrong. Had he enjoyed it too? Had he truly enjoyed talking to you? You want desperately to say yes, but you think your heart might stop should you acknowledge it. You could only ever hope to see Leon in person, and it was beyond any dream of yours that you should be able to actually hold a conversation, one where he liked it just as much as you did.

You leave him with his fans, and as you continue down the sidewalk, you sigh because you still don’t know where the cafe is.

Eventually you find it with the aid of a postman. It turns out by the time you’d asked him for help, you hadn’t been far. Just around the corner, he said. The bell jingles quietly as you enter, and Lucy is behind the counter, preoccupied with the register. She speaks up to welcome you, but doesn’t look away from her task until you walk right up to her and remark how hungry you are.

Her eyes light up at hearing your voice and she squeals, leaning over the counter to hug you. She apologizes for not being up to greet you when you arrived but you wave it off. The important thing is that I’m here now, right? Her grin matches yours at these words and you have missed each other greatly. You order a hot chocolate and a muffin, then scan the establishment for an open table.

You claim the booth in the corner with its extra window space and observe the world past the glass. The streets are busier and as mid-morning is slowly ticking its way to noon, you’re sure many people will be going out for lunch soon. As you watch them walk by, your eyes rove back and forth along the sidewalk. A part of you is wondering if Leon might turn the corner any second now, and deep down you hope that he does, so you might be able to see him.

At the thought of him, your mind replays the encounter you had, and your heart beats quicker once more, the tiniest bit of adrenaline coursing through your veins and if it increases any more you might become fidgety. You still can’t quite believe you’d met him, and you speculate, half humorously and half seriously because you’re still trying to wrap your head around what has happened, that perhaps somehow the fall you took knocked you out and it had all been a dream. And perhaps it wasn’t a Charizard you ran into, but a… a lamp post.

You deadpan. How lame! Well in any case, whether a Charizard or a lamp post, your embarrassment would remain. Why do you have to be such a klutz?

With your body turned towards the window and your focus on overthinking every little detail of your meeting with Leon, you don’t hear Lucy approaching with a tray containing the food you ordered. You jump in surprise when she sets it down and luckily she’s a professional and maintains her own composure, so as not to jostle the ceramic mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate.

She laughs and raises a brow. “Jumpy today?”

You let out a breath and reach out for the mug. Tendrils of steam float up from the delicious beverage and dissipate in the air. “Just caught up in my thoughts.”

“Thoughts about what?” Lucy slides into the booth across from you and folds her hands together, showcasing her readiness to listen. “The cafe’s quiet, so I’ve got time for some girl talk.”

You smile but don’t say anything immediately, opting first to take a sip of your hot chocolate. The drink is sweet and maybe too sweet for some, but it’s perfect for you. You feel it warm you from the inside out, and you wish there was hot chocolate this good back in Hulbury. You might like to enjoy it while staring out at a misty sea early in the morning.

“You won’t believe who I saw earlier.”

Lucy narrows her eyes as she considers the statement. Your smile hasn’t left your face, and it makes her smile too, though it’s a little uneasy because she’s drawing a blank. “Who?”

You’d wanted her to guess, to humor you at least, but as she sits across from you now, you’re too excited to prolong it any longer. Almost subconsciously you lower your voice and lean in. “Leon.”

Her eyes widen and she looks like she’s about to yell her response but then seems to catch herself because it would go against her professional nature to raise her voice suddenly. So she follows your lead, voice just above a whisper but still capable of a sharp exclamation of shock. “The Leon?!”

You nod, and it’s so giddy you might be embarrassed if you were talking with anyone else but your best friend. Your cheeks are straining from how big your smile is and how long you’re holding it for. “Yes!” You recount it for her, how nice he had been and how much the cameras really didn’t do him justice. Plus, if you had anything to say about it, the sunshine beat the harsh stadium lights any day of the week—Not that it matters, he looks good in both!

Your retelling is punctuated with a disappointed sigh at the end as you express your regret at failing to ask for an autograph or a photo. You’d been so caught up in the moment, it never occurred to you do to either of those things. Lucy chuckles at your small whine, your hands on your cheeks both to conceal the reddening that has blossomed once more and in an effort to cool down the burning sensation (it doesn’t work).

“So you just saw him while you were walking around?” she asks.

The question stops you short, and you didn’t think it was possible, but your flustered state increases tenfold. You may or may not have purposely skipped over how exactly you ran into him. It wouldn’t have done much good. Lucy was bound to address it eventually. No choice but to come out with it. “Well… I ran into his Charizard… and fell… not very gracefully…”

Lucy’s eyes widen and she breaks out into a laugh. “You ran into it?”

"I wasn’t looking where I was going, okay!”

She throws herself back in her seat from how much she’s laughing and you groan, unable to work up the nerve to glance around for any patrons at the cafe who have noticed her fit. The reason you give for how a conversation with Leon had come about, while completely true, also sounds incredibly stupid, now that you say it out loud. A Charizard is not easy to miss.

“That is so cute!”

“It was not cute, Lucy!”

Her laughs don’t sound like they will subside anytime soon and you’d like to disappear. Sure, you’d imagined what it might be like to finally meet the champion, dreamed of it even, but never had you anticipated that your meeting would be born out of your fleeting attention and two left feet. You think it’s the idealist in you that thought it would be smooth, that you’d be confident, if a little shy, but for the most part composed, all in an effort to impress. But you really do need to listen to the realist more often. Screwing up the way you had is basically inevitable with your level of clumsiness.

You can barely contain a squeak of horror as you consider what Leon might’ve been thinking. It wasn’t hard to put together the pieces of what transpired while he’d been turned away and, again, Charizard sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of town, if not for its height then for its bright scales and flame-tipped tail! Your fall had not been an impressive display in the least bit, nor had your flustered attempts at conversation. All those daydreams were practically rehearsals and you still couldn’t get it right.

“It is!” Lucy shoots back. “And I bet Leon thought it was cute too.”

Are your cheeks on fire? They feel like they’ve been set on fire.

Lucy hones in on the dusting of pink across your cheeks deepening still and giggles. In your opinion, she is having too fun pointing out how flustered the whole situation is making you. First with your actual conversation with Leon and the ways you’d screwed up, and now as she puts up the idea that he could possibly think your lack of coordination was endearing. You don’t want to entertain the thought that he might like you like that, at least not anymore, because meeting him had changed how you saw him.

Whenever you watched his battles on television, you’d always made the passing remark that he was attractive. With his confidence and that beaming grin, who could be impervious to his charm? To see him in person and to talk to him was pushing you far past the point of simply recognizing his good looks and leaving it at that. From how he held himself on camera, shaking hands with challengers and praising their admirable efforts afterward during interviews, you’d known him to be kind. But it was something else entirely to be on the receiving end of it yourself. Concern was evident in his eyes when he saw you on the ground and rushed to help you up, and it hadn’t dissipated until you assured him you were fine.

Then his smile, geez, you’d be happy falling asleep to the thought of it every night for the rest of your life. You shrank in the midst of it, in disbelief to be the center of his sights in that moment, and for all the nerves you couldn’t shake, you still have to admit, it had felt nice. You swore you could see the rising sun in his amber gaze; the shine of the first slivers of morning light reflecting off the sea is poor competition. And in your wistful reminiscence of the details of that kindness lining his face which made him positively glow, you’ve officially gone and done it—with the realization that what makes him truly wonderful lies beneath the surface, you have blown past the marker that signifies your attraction as mere infatuation.

However, you don’t reveal any of these thoughts to Lucy. You don’t want to, at least not yet. For the time being, you’re content to let her keep believing that you are like many others, harboring an admiration for the Leon you all see on television. You suppose in a way, you hold back from sharing it due to hesitation and the paranoia of overthinking. Would these feelings fade? Wedgehurst is a small town but you don’t know that you’ll see him again, and you have no idea when he’ll return north. If you did travel to see a match in person, who’s to say you might have another conversation like the one this morning? He’s constantly being swept away by fans, and in a large city like Wyndon, it’s bound to happen more often. You just want to temper your feelings, an attempt to spare yourself of disappointment. He was Leon, after all, champion of Galar, and you’re… well, you’re you. A nobody from Hulbury.

You don’t like to go to bed bitter and you regret coming back to this topic when you’re already laying down. The moon is at the perfect angle to shine through the window, and you stare at the wash of light it paints on the wall. There are probably plenty of prettier girls in Wyndon, you think dejectedly. It’s silly to ponder the idea he might like you back. Besides, now that you’ve had more time to think, and you’re not so blinded by how starstruck you were to meet him because that was hours ago, you contemplate the fact he might already be dating someone.

That wouldn’t be a surprise. How could he be single? With a huff, you practically deflate at the conclusion you come to, sinking into the mountain of blankets Lucy had set aside for you to use since she knows you get cold easily. You turn onto your side, no longer interested in the moonlight, and pull the edge of the thick comforter up to just below your eyes. You’d held off on deciding for certain if what you felt for Leon was serious, and you were left disappointed anyway. Overthinking’s good for no one.

So you tell yourself not to let it go any farther. Leon’s attractive, yes, and he’s caring, yes. But you won’t get hung up on him! That would lead you down the rabbit hole of dashed hopes and dreams and that wouldn’t be good for your emotions. You’re done thinking about this, done trying to reconcile your feelings and justify that the conversation with him had stuck out to him as special, that you had stuck out to him as special.

Of course, it’s always easier said than done. And you know that, and you hate that you do! You know that if you were to see him again, all your resolve would be flushed down the toilet. Given how small Wedgehurst is, to come across him once more is very much possible. Well… you guess you could just try your best to avoid him? (That’s definitely not something you ever thought you’d say. You, avoiding seeing the champion of Galar. Is that something anyone would aim to do?)

Lucy isn’t able to take off work during your visit, but you don’t mind. There’s plenty to keep you occupied, whether walking along the trails or through town, window shopping and keeping tabs on restaurants you’d like to go eat at. The locals are friendly and you chat with them too. Though to your chagrin, most chitchat comes back to Leon eventually, as they ask excitedly if you know he’s in town. You can’t blame them for their enthusiasm and you smile and nod. Some of those you speak with can’t contain their comments on how good-looking he is in person and you can’t blame them for that either. But whenever you walk away from those particular conversations, the air seems to finally let you out of its tight hold.

This whole avoidance thing isn’t very successful… Even if you didn’t see him, you were hearing about him. What turned into a day where you did your best to block him from your mind, has turned into one where he’s all you’ve been thinking about since you stepped outside. Did the universe just know? Was it purposely working against you? If so, you couldn’t fathom why.

You spot a flower shop just up ahead, and it’s a welcome distraction. The closer you get, the stronger the aroma becomes. There’s a display with various flowers out front, some in pots and some arranged in beautiful bouquets wrapped with brown paper. A small chalkboard sign advertises the sale prices for the arrangements, a special that will last the rest of the week. This prompts you to more carefully survey the selection. Perhaps you could get one for Lucy, a small gift to say thanks for letting you stay in her house (and raid her pantry, as you’d jokingly remarked the other day).

There’s a bouquet primarily made of pale yellow flowers, and you pick it up to look at in more detail. It kind of reminds you of her blonde hair, and it makes you smile slightly. That’d be a cute reason for choosing this one. You breathe in the sweet smell they emanate and it only serves to convince you more that you should buy it. But there was still the inside of the shop to walk through.

“Hey!”

You look up, brows furrowed in confusion. You weren’t sure if the call was meant for you, and you glance left and right until you see Leon. He’s several yards away, and he’s grinning and waving in your direction and yes, that call out had been meant for you.

Your eyes widen and your heart beats quicker, but this time it’s not for the same reasons as during your first encounter with him. Now, all you can think is you have to get out of here! You force a smile on your face but it’s probably more of a cringe than anything, and hastily you set the bouquet back down. You’re trying to be careful with it since the flowers are fragile, but you’re moving so fast you nearly knock down the rest of the bouquets. With a small gasp, you stretch out your arm to steady the row. Heart beating quicker now, you slowly back away, still on edge in case they start to move again and you have to rush forward to stabilize them.

Thankfully, they stay as they are, and you don’t turn towards Leon, instead walking the opposite direction. You don’t look over your shoulder, so you don’t know how he’s reacted. It does hurt a little to actively be moving farther away, because deep down, you’re still a fan and you think you’ll always gush over how skilled he is, but you need to sort out your feelings first. And by sort out, you mean let them go.

If Leon is confused about what’s happened, he isn’t left to be confused for long. He’s lingered in the same spot long enough that some people have seen him and flocked to him for photos.

When you see Lucy later on, you make a point to leave out that awkward encounter from your series of stories.

The two of you go out for brunch on the day she has a late start at the cafe. You’re trying to convince her to visit you next. It’s your turn to come to me! She chuckles and says she promises to go, she just needs to get the days off. She’d already recently gone out of town to visit her parents. But you’re fine with waiting, and you declare that with her forward planning, her ticket-buying experience won’t be nearly as stressful as yours had been.

“We could go spectate a battle at the water gym,” you suggest. “It’s been a while since we went to one together.”

Lucy grins and holds a hand to her chest, quiet for a moment as she remembers the grass gym that had been basically her backyard, prior to moving here. “I still think about the Wooloo all the trainers kept at the grass gym. I count them to fall asleep sometimes.”

You laugh. “Do you think if you count the Wooloo you see on Route 1 that you might knock yourself out?”

Lucy laughs too. “You know, I wouldn’t put it past me.”

You accompany Lucy on her walk to the cafe and end up lingering a bit longer to enjoy a cup of tea. After the large meal you had, you wanted to get one to help settle your stomach. There are more customers at this time so Lucy has no chance to stop and chat, only turning her attention away from her duties long enough to bid you goodbye and a See you later! as you start heading out, leaning your body on the glass door to push it open.

The boutique is down the road, and you consider going there. You’d been in need of some new clothes, and you enjoy rifling through the selections and styles of all the towns and cities whenever you’re in the area. It helps give your wardrobe some variety. But from where you stand currently, the flower shop is in your line of view, and you still wanted to buy flowers for Lucy. With a nod of resolution, you decide to go there first, and then the boutique.

Since you’d already looked over the flowers out front, you go straight for the open door of the shop. Inside, there are more shelves displaying more flowers, some in ceramic pots and some in wicker baskets. Wooden slats line the edges of the ceiling and it’s from these that vibrant green plants hang in white pots. The colors that greet your eyes as they rove over the numerous rows of flora are pretty and you think you’ll be here for a while. Not only do you want to take your time choosing, you’re not intent to leave the presence of these flowers and their pleasant aromas too quickly.

Because there’s so much to go through, you want to take an organized approach. You start with the aisle on the far side, head tilted back to look at the selection higher up, and then you work your way down each shelf, slowly walking along all the while.

“Welcome!”

The florist greets you, having seen you from her place behind the counter, and you smile, turning your head to say hello, but you freeze when you notice there’s someone at the register you really hoped you wouldn’t come across again.

At the florist’s greeting, Leon glances behind him at who she’s speaking to, and he also seems to stop short when he realizes it’s you. He smiles, the corner of his lips lifting in an amiable but silent greeting of his own, and it’s unusual that he should be so subdued, but you think that’s due to the fact you're indoors. He has no need to call out for you when you’re just a few steps away.

“H-Hi…” you stutter, smiling and looking at the florist and doing your best to pretend there’s no one else standing there. But that fails, of course, as your eyes inevitably slide over to meet Leon’s gaze. His grin widens a little when you actually do hold his stare, and you think you might give in, that you’ll cave and throw caution to the wind.

No, you can’t!

You twist around on your heel, being sure to move casually so as not to seem out of the ordinary, and you try to clear your mind by scanning over the flowers again. As soon as you turn out of the aisle, however, you’re speed-walking back outside. The cool breeze that hits you is a relief. The atmosphere in the flower shop had become suffocating the moment you saw Leon, closing in on you like it was pressuring you to just give up on your decision to avoid him. Because clearly if you were running into him this often, the universe was telling you to stop resisting, right?

With a heavy sigh, you walk to the edge of town towards Route 1, plans to go to the boutique set aside. Even if that were true, you were too averse to the idea of being let down, and that your feelings wouldn’t be returned. And the thing is, it wouldn’t be Leon’s fault. It never would be, and you would never dream of being irritated with him, but you desperately want to make sure any such feelings of attraction on your part are gone before you’re comfortable talking to him again and you could entertain the notion of being friends, if he was interested in that too. And being friends with him doesn’t sound bad at all!

That is, if you do see him again. Maybe the universe will take your continued avoidance as final, and the two of you will go your separate ways from here and you’ll be left wondering if you might get the chance to talk to him again, or if he’ll even remember who you are the next time your paths cross.

You shake your head. You’re overthinking. Surprise, surprise. A walk would do just the trick to clear it, and you’re now staring out at the dirt road leading to Postwick and the tall grass on either side. You readjust your backpack, and the Poké Balls inside it clack with the movement. Lucy had given you the last few she had, so you could try your hand at it. You’d scrunched up your nose and reminded her it wasn’t your first time using them, and she’d chuckled. Though her phrasing hadn’t been unfounded, for you have so little experience catching Pokemon that this might as well be your first go at it.

Training Pokemon wasn’t something you saw yourself doing. You don’t think you have the skills or the resolution to train up a team. The only Pokemon you do have is Jojo, your Yamper back in Hulbury. He’s the only one you ever caught, and that was enough to satisfy you. He’s practically your best friend, even beating Lucy, which you never told her, but you have a sneaking suspicion that she knows. (Though you love them both dearly.)

Lucy’s the one with more experience with catching Pokemon, and she’d offered to help you. She gave you the Poké Balls this morning in case you did want to try while she was still at work. Now that you’re out on Route 1, you think you might at least try it once by yourself, to test your memory regarding all the little pointers she’d shared with you in the past.

You stick to the road for the most part, not intent to walk into the grass unless you’re sure of what’s there. You don't want to get caught up with a Pokemon trying to fight you with no Pokemon of your own to defend yourself. With the fresh air filling your lungs and the sun shining amidst patches of clouds, you’re starting to feel more energized, and considerably less stressed. Soon you aren’t thinking of Leon or your feelings or even of the town behind you. There’s just you, the Poké Balls in your backpack, and—

A bleat reaches your ears. You look to the left and see a lone Wooloo munching on grass.

—and Wooloo!

Your eyes light up and you quietly take out a Poké Ball. Clutching it in your hand, you creep forward, careful to take light steps. The Wooloo isn’t facing you, and so long as your approach is gentle, this shouldn’t be any trouble. Once you’re closer, you crouch down to be at eye-level. For a few seconds you simply stay still and watch it eat. It bleats again and shakes its head, its little braids swinging back and forth.

As it returns to eating, you take a deep breath and mentally prepare yourself. Wooloo in particular are skittish, and they’ll run away if they become startled. You’re about to throw the Poké Ball, but you feel as if you’re still a little too far to be comfortable. From this distance, you’re not confident your throw would be accurate. You just need to move up a little bit more…

If your gasp is what had grabbed the Wooloo’s attention first, it’s your tumble to and hard impact with the dirt that scares it off entirely. Your foot had got caught on a rock you didn’t notice and you tripped. The Poké Ball slides out of your grip and rolls away, but you hardly pay that any mind, for the rocky ground wasn’t very forgiving on your body and that was all you could focus on. You push yourself up, wincing from having the breath taken right out of you.

You sit on your knees and glance around in search of the Wooloo. It’s farther away now and has returned to eating as if nothing’s wrong, but you sigh heavily at having to start the process all over again.

“Dang it…”

“Are you okay?”

You blink and turn around, and you’re thoroughly startled yourself to see Leon approaching. It's a repeat of your first encounter as he holds a hand out, and while part of you wants to hesitate due to your conflicting emotions regarding him, you’re also still a reasonable person and you won’t ignore a literal helping hand. He guides you back to a standing position and he’s grinning knowingly, like he's also cognizant of the fact this is playing the exact same as your initial meeting.

The amusement in his gaze is contagious and you smile, chuckling as you say yes, you’re okay.

He nods, then he looks down at the Poké Ball you dropped. Putting the pieces together, he then turns his head to the Wooloo. “You’re trying to catch it!” It isn’t even a question.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I am…” You’re quiet as you confirm his remark. What must he think, that you’re failing to catch a Wooloo, of all Pokemon?

“I’ll help you!”

You don’t think you heard him correctly. “What?”

“Yeah! Come on, let’s go get you a Wooloo.” He walks the few steps to the fallen Poké Ball and picks it up before returning to you.

Well, what else was there to say besides yes? No? You’d have to be stupid to decline because not only are you willing to admit you could really benefit from some assistance, given the earlier display of your lack of prowess, you're also being offered help by the greatest Pokemon trainer in the region! Not even the side of you battling with your feelings for him could win out in this situation because right now he isn’t Leon, a man you seriously think you’re falling for but are trying not to; right now, he’s Leon the Galar champion, and there’s a Pokemon to catch.

Leon holds up the Poké Ball for you to take, and his eyes are sparkling with an unbridled excitement he can’t hide. And you begin to understand the passion that runs through his blood for Pokemon, to catch them and to help others catch them too. For him, the current pursuit is not for just a Wooloo because it doesn’t matter to him that its not a formidable Pokemon, able to give him a run for his money. It matters to him that it matters to you, and his face is hopeful that you’ll agree to let him join, so you could have the experience together.

And who could say no to that?

“Okay, let’s do it,” you state, taking back the Poké Ball.

Leon guides you closer to the Wooloo, his focus occasionally switching from the Pokemon down to the ground. Momentarily you wonder why, then figure he must be watching out for anymore rocks. He’s covering you where you need the extra help, as you’re unable to split your own attention between tracking the Wooloo and watching where you’re walking. The awareness is admirable and, really, kind of sweet.

“Let’s stop here.” He lowers his voice to a whisper. He’s gotten you closer to the Wooloo than you’d gotten on your own the first time.

“Wait, but it’s facing me,” you point out. Your plan had been to take it by surprise, but you’re both in clear view of it. It leans down to take another mouthful of grass then lifts its head to chew, and it’s staring right at you.

“That’s okay,” Leon reassures. “Just be gentle, and take it slow.”

He gives you a nod, your signal to go ahead, but you don’t move. It really shouldn’t be a big deal if you fail to catch it this time, as you could always try again. You did bring extra Poké Balls. You just don’t want to make a fool of yourself in front of Leon. You think you’ve done enough of that already. Plus this is his element, and at the very least if you can’t impress, you want to prove yourself competent.

Your brows furrow. Stop thinking too much! But Leon isn’t bothered by your hesitation and he smiles to help put you at ease. “Remember: it has to choose you too.”

This last bit of advice is the push you need, and you start to take careful steps forward. You’ve chosen this Wooloo to catch, but the second half would involve cooperation on the Wooloo’s part. And you do hope it chooses you too. It hasn’t tried to run away yet, and you take that as a good sign. You can’t prevent the sifting of the grass beneath your shoes as you walk, but it’s not a jarring noise like your fall had been, so the Wooloo stays put.

You keep your voice at a low volume, softly greeting the fluffy Pokemon. “Hello there…”

The Wooloo’s eyes follow you closely and you could swear it understands what you’re saying.

You crouch low to be face-to-face with it, and the distance between you could be covered with a small toss. The Wooloo bleats, but remains where it is. You know this is it, this is your shot, but you still feel too nervous to do anything without some sort of instruction, so you glance behind you at Leon. He’s gesturing enthusiastically for you to throw, and you can pick up on the urgency easily. If you took too long, even for all your efforts to be quiet, the Wooloo might run away anyway.

You hold your breath as you toss the Poké Ball, afraid that a shaky exhale would throw off your aim and you’d somehow still miss. The Wooloo is scooped up by the Poké Ball, which lands on the ground with a light thud. You stay rooted to the spot, staring intently at the flashing light. Still yellow…

The Poké Ball clicks.

Green!

You shoot back up into a standing position and grab the Poké Ball with a squeal of elation. “It chose me!” you exclaim.

Leon is laughing as he approaches you. “I knew you could do it!”

Before you realize what’s happening, he’s pulled you into a bear hug, arms wrapped around your shoulders. You collide with his chest, a quiet oof! leaving your mouth to punctuate the impact, and your cheeks are rapidly heating up. You were so absorbed in trying to catch the Wooloo that you forgot you were supposed to be flustered around him! And now that shyness is coming back as he holds you close. Not only are you supposed to be flustered, you’re supposed to be avoiding him. This was not avoiding him. But despite telling yourself to pull away, to make an excuse that you have to be somewhere, anywhere else, you don’t want to do either of those. No, you think you’d like to stay right here.

When he finally lets you go, he seems shocked with himself to have kept you in the hug as long as he had. He chuckles, and it’s nervous, you can tell because it sounds like the one you’d given when you admitted to him you accidentally ran into his Charizard. If you’re right, if he is nervous, you don’t address it since you know what it’s like, and attention being drawn to it is far from ideal. So instead you glance down at the Poké Ball in your grasp, then back up at him.

“Thanks.”

You hope he can sense the sincerity in your voice, and can surmise all the different reasons why you are thankful to him. He helped you catch a Pokemon, first and foremost, and this is not a privilege many have, to have Leon, of all trainers, aid them. Secondly, he believed in you from the beginning when you were doubtful of yourself, had enough confidence for the both of you and then some. And lastly, that he’d been so ready to cheer you on and was there to help you up with zero hesitation, even after being subjected to, from his perspective, your very odd behavior.

He smiles, and it’s warm, and you know that yes, he picked up on all of it. “You’re welcome.”

And then, the dreaded topic finally rolls around, as it was bound to once Leon caught up to you and made sure you couldn’t make any escape, of your continued avoidance. You try to mentally prepare yourself as he opens his mouth to speak, but you find you’re still not ready.

“Well, now that we’re here talking, and you haven’t tried to run away, could I ask why you were avoiding me?”

“It’s… It’s stupid…” you trail off, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Leon’s brow raises and he’s showing the slightest hint of amusement. “What is?”

Wow, now that you’re here, you really don’t want to say it out loud. But he’s watching you closely, and you can’t get out of this one. Just come out with it!

“I… like you.” Your face is burning. “And I mean I did before, but the day we met and you helped me up after I fell, I realized how much I like you. You’re just so kind, and I dunno… it was different to experience it firsthand. You weren’t just someone on a television screen anymore.”

You finally muster up the courage to glance up at him, and you can’t read his expression, which is worrisome. Then he smiles, almost imperceptibly, but you catch the quirk of the corner of his lips, and you don’t know if it’s just you being hopeful or searching for things that aren’t actually there when you detect that he seems… happy.

“How much do you like me?”

At his question, you want to groan and not answer. Your entire body might be set aflame from the embarrassment. Yet he waits patiently for you to respond, and if you’re in this deep, you might as well keep going.

“A lot.” It’s quiet, and if he weren’t as close as he is, he wouldn’t be able to hear it.

Leon’s smile widens at the admission, but then he tilts his head as he thinks. “Wait, so because you like me a lot, you were avoiding me?”

“Well, no… I just… I didn’t want to accept I had feelings that strong for you, and I couldn’t do that if I kept seeing you around.”

“But why didn’t you want to accept them?”

“Because I figured someone else might’ve caught your eye by now,” you explain, eyes sliding back down to the ground. “I mean, you’re you. You have all the girls in Galar falling head over heels for you! And I thought… maybe you already had a girl in Wyndon who captured your attention.”

You were expecting him to confirm your assumptions or to laugh at how much you have overthought this, the way you overthink everything, and you were expecting to drown in your awkwardness. But he doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t tell you that you’re right and your sentiments are sweet and all but he’s already seeing someone. Instead, he’s completely silent, and this catches you off guard.

When you dare to look at him, he’s watching you closely. His grin is soft and he shakes his head. “No girl in Wyndon, no. But I was hoping to catch the eye of one here. That is, if she’d stop trying to avoid me.”

You were ready to come out with the It’s okay and Really, it’s fine, my feelings aren’t hurt, and now that he has hit you with this, you don’t know what to say. Except—

“What?”

Leon chuckles at the confusion laced in your tone, and he continues on, in a manner more relaxed than you had been while confessing. “I wanted to talk to you more after the first time, but when you kept running away, I figured you didn’t want to talk, so I didn’t pry. I thought my charm had failed me when I needed it most.” His grin is sheepish as he shrugs.

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. Leon had been interested from the very start. You had stuck out to him in the way you hoped you had, before you tried to stifle that wishful thinking with the more realistic expectation that he would never like you like that. But apparently that hadn’t been realistic in the least bit, and your self-doubt and your propensity for overthinking had you both running in a circle, chasing after each other and never catching up. That is, until you realized all you had to do was turn around.

“I’m sorry I made you feel that way,” you apologize. “I should’ve given you a chance.”

Leon smiles and that’s all it takes for him to let you know that it’s okay. That’s all in the past now. “If you want to make it up to me, you could start by telling me your name?”

You smile too, more at ease now, and tell him.

He nods and repeats it, and there’s a satisfaction inherent in his gaze, as if content to finally know it. Then he says it again, and you can’t help grinning too because you like the way it sounds, and this time he tacks onto the end of it a request to go out with him on a date. And, well, what else was there to say besides yes?

When you and Leon part ways, with plans for lunch tomorrow, you return to Lucy’s house. She’s already in the kitchen, gathering ingredients. The two of you are going to make dinner tonight and have a movie marathon. After you close the front door, she calls out, “How was your day?”

“Good!” you reply, removing your shoes and throwing your backpack and jacket onto the couch. “How was yours?”

“Also good.” Lucy shuts the cupboard and sets down the mixing bowl and smiles as you walk into the kitchen. “Oh, and also, guess who stopped by the cafe earlier.”

You shrug. “Who?”

“Leon! You’re so right, you know. He’s much better looking in person. And he’s so nice too!”

You figure he must’ve stopped by to eat lunch because why else would he go to the cafe? But then Lucy points to a vase of flowers you hadn’t noticed was sitting on the dining table. “He actually went to drop those off and ask that I give them to you. He said he knew we were friends because he saw us hanging out. I just went ahead and put them in some water.”

As Lucy rifles through the spice cabinet for the ones she needs for tonight’s dish, you walk up to the table to look at the flowers more closely. They’re a pale yellow. You smile is equal parts fond at Leon’s thoughtfulness and good memory, and amusement due to the fact he’d bought the bouquet you were intending to give Lucy. Your train for Hulbury leaves tomorrow, after your date with Leon, so you suppose you could pretend to reason with Lucy that the flowers were better in her care, and maybe later you can admit to her what had actually transpired.

You slide the vase closer to you to feel the soft petals, and you spot a small card tucked among the stems. Carefully you pull it away and open it up. It’s plain but for a few words written inside: Maybe you’d let me fall for you too?

Leon’s signed his name at the bottom, and your face might crack from how widely you’re smiling. Sighing lightly and clutching the card close to your chest, you twist around.

“So I took a walk along Route 1 earlier,” you begin, and Lucy hums so you know she’s listening, “and the funniest thing happened…”

#pokemon leon x reader #pokemon leon imagine #pokemon x reader #pokemon imagine #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield #bubble-tea-bunny #queue

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olivediamonds · 4 years

Text

Lost and Found chapter 4

The crowd roared as you each took out your first pokemon. Lucas looked nervous as he faced Milo's gossifleur.

"Don't worry Lucas! You can do this"

Lucas looked back at you with a determined look as you called out your first attack. The attack hit and took a good chunk of gossifluer's health.

"There you go! I knew you could do it."

Milo grinned even though as Lucas dodged his next attack.

"I should have known Leon would find himself someone as tough as him."

You were confirmed until he gestured to the top of his head. You blushed when you realized what he was implying.

"Oh! No! We're not...he just gave me his hat!"

Milo laughed as he returned his fainted gossifluer. You returned Lucas and prepared Snowy. You noticed your dynamax band was ready so you activated it and grinned as you tossed her pokeball behind you and Snowy dynamaxed. Milo grinned as his eldegoss dynamaxed as well.

"Well either way, I can see why he'd cheer you on. I probably will too if you beat me!"

You called out an attack, covering your face as ice and snow whipped around you. When the snow cleared you saw his eldegoss had been knocked out.

"The winner of the match is trainer Alice!"

Milo smiled as he walked back to the center of the field to meet you.

"That was a great battle. You definitely deserve this."

He handed you the grass badge. You could hear Raihan and Leon cheering in the stands. You made eye contact with Leon from across the field and grinned, bringing your hands up to your head, pointing them up like Vulpix ears, tilting your head to the side and winking. Leon could feel his heart skip a beat. You had made your own pose and he absolutely loved it. You thanked Milo for the badge and made your way to the locker room to change. Once you were finished changing you stepped out of the locker room with Snowy at your side. You found Leon waiting outside the gym with Charizard. As soon as he saw you he ran over and picked you up.

"That was amazing! You were incredible!"

You laughed as he spun you around. Snowy was celebrating too by running around Charizard happily.

"Leon! I'm getting dizzy!"

Leon laughed and set you down.

"Rai had to head back to Hammerlocke but I wanted to see if you'd like to get some ice cream to celebrate!"

You grinned and nodded. After that battle, you deserved something sweet.

"That sounds great!"

He lead you over to an ice cream stand and ordered some ice cream for the both of you and all your pokemon and his. You all are together on a nearby bench while talking about your plans to get to the next gym. Leon's grin turned tense when he saw a reporter heading to where the two of you sat.

"Hi! Clara from Galar inquiry! I was wondering if I could get an interview with miss Alice here!"

You looked between Leon and the reporter. You didn't see the harm in answering a few questions so you gave Snowy the rest of your ice cream which she shared with Charizard.

"Yeah sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Great! Now, as we've seen from your battle you have a very unique vulpix. Does this mean you're not from Galar?"

"Well, I was born in Alola and moved to Galar as a kid and my vulpix was a present from a family member."

"Clara nodded and wrote down your answer in her notebook.

"That's sweet. So, what did you do before joining the competition? Have you always been a trainer?"

"Well I was a trainer when I lived in Alola but i left my other pokemon to help take care of my mother and keep her company. Before the competition, I worked at a restaurant as a cook."

Leon was definitely interested in that information. If you had a team already, why start back at the basics? Clara nodded and wrote in her notebook.

"Oh I bet your mom must be enjoying seeing you compete! One more question, how long have you and the champion been seeing each other?"

Your jaw dropped and Leon almost choked on his ice cream.

"What? We're not together. He's just my friend!"

Leon quickly composed himself and stepped between you and Clara.

"Alright, I think that's enough questions. Alice probably will want to rest now after that exciting battle."

Clara seemed to pout but nodded as she walked away, furiously writing in her notebook. Leon looked back at you with a smile and returned his pokemon to their balls.

"That might be the downside of becoming famous, reporters can't get enough of you."

You chuckled and stood up, returning your pokemon to their balls. Leon was right though, after all that excitement from winning, you could use a hot shower and a nap.

"Maybe I should get Raihan to be my bodyguard then."

Leon acted hurt as you both headed to a local bed and breakfast the competitors were staying in while visiting Turffield.

"What do you mean Raihan? I can be your bodyguard!"

You laughed and waved at a few kids that called out to you.

"I've already got reporters and Milo thinking we're together, wouldn't it just make things worse if you're acting like my bodyguard?"

You were halted in your tracks when Leon took your hand and gently made you turn to face him. He had such a serious look on his face you wondered what you said to make him act like this.

"What if that's what I want?"

Your heart skipped a beat and your could feel your face warm as you looked into his eyes.

"Wh-what?"

Leon grinned and let you go, laughing as you tried to calm your burning cheeks.

"Sorry! I just wanted to see your reaction if I said that."

He ducked as you threw a pebble at him and took off running with you got on his tail.

"Leon! Get back here you son of a bitch!"

#pokemon fic #pokemon leon #lost and found

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rhnuzlocke · 5 years

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Chapter Two: In Another Land

Ren stood at the front desk in the Oldale Pokemon Center, flanked by her parents. Tāraki lay back on the counter, pushing himself up and down with his tail in what seemed to be his version of push-ups while Ren filled out her information. She signed her name and slid the tablet back to the nurse.

“Okay!” he said cheerfully as he checked everything over. “That should be it for the paperwork.” He handed Ren a square device that looked more like a mini laptop than any Pokégear she’d ever seen. “Here is your trainer card and PokéNav, which comes loaded with all of the basic apps and functions. You can buy anything else you might want online, and it will download pretty much anywhere that isn’t underground. Congratulations, you are now a registered trainer!”

“Thank you so much,” Ren said as Tāraki hopped to his feet and clambered up her arm to crouch on her shoulder, tail swaying.

“You’re welcome!” the nurse responded with a smile.

Senri leaned back on the counter to face his daughter. “I was beginning to think it would never happen.”

She shot an irritated glance his way and responded in Kantogo so that the nurse wouldn’t overhear. “Don’t you dare be smug about this.”

“Who’s smug?” he said jovially. “I’m just happy.”

“Good, because Tāraki is the one who roped me into this.”

Senri looked no less pleased because of her harshness, and Ren turned to her mother, who was bravely was trying not to cry.

“Oh, Renko,” she said, hugging her daughter tightly, “I’m so proud.”

“Okāsan, arigatō,” Ren chuckled, hugging her back.

“Well, I really have to get to work. I can’t wait to tell everyone my daughter is finally a trainer!”

“Otōsaannn,” Ren groaned, but he ignored her.

“See you later!” he called as he exited.

Ren snorted at him, and Tāraki filched the trainer ID out of her hand while she was distracted.

“You should go to the mart to get your supplies,” Asuka prompted. “I’m going to head home and unpack for a bit. Ahh, the joys of moving. I’ll see you for dinner, I hope?”

“I’ll be home early to help, silly,” Ren assured her, giving her a kiss on the head.

Oldale was small, but was still an actual town equipped with all of the amenities that designation implied like a grocery store, post office, fire station, and library. Ren wandered down the main street for a bit before striking back out onto Route 101.

Tāraki bounded excitedly ahead of Ren on the trail for a bit, then climbed a tree and started leaping from branch to branch, flipping and twisting midair as his confidence built up steam. Despite his circuitous route, he inevitably outstripped her. He landed on a low branch and swung beneath it, hanging like a Zubat as he waited for her to catch up. Ren laughed at him and picked up her pace.

A bush rustled near the path ahead of them and Tāraki launched himself into it before Ren could think. There were sounds of struggle, and a moment later, he came tumbling back out and landed on his face.

“Tāraki?”

Instead of a wild pokemon, Jay the Torchic emerged from the bushes with a disgruntled cluck. She cheeped angrily at Tāraki as he picked himself up. He made a quiet gurgle, looking moderately contrite.

Pacified, she turned to Ren and chirped pleasantly.

“Hi Jay,” Ren replied. “Sorry about him. Is Kai around?”

Jay trilled loudly into the woods and Kai’s distant voice responded, followed soon after by the rest of him.

“Hey Ren!” Jay peeped something to him before Ren could greet him. “Ha, sounds like him,” said Kai with a fond grin at Tāraki. But apparently Jay wasn’t done and she jerked her head at Ren this time. “Um…” Kai ventured uncertainly, clearly not eager to repeat whatever his pokemon was saying. Jay peeped stubbornly and jerked her head more forcefully. “Okay,” Kai muttered to her under his breath before looking back up at Ren. “She says she already told him, but you should also tell Treecko to be more careful because he’ll listen now that you’re his trainer—no she’s—”

Jay interrupted his objection with an emphatic chirp.

“Wait, that’s a PokéNav! So you are a trainer now?”

“Yeah,” Ren admitted. “We were just in Oldale registering.”

“Awesome!” Kai crowed. “What changed your mind?” Then more softly as he lost confidence: “Or maybe you always wanted to…”

“Tāraki talked me into it,” she explained. “And Jay is right, please don’t go pouncing on things without looking. There could have been a Growlithe in that bush for all you knew.”

“Not in this region!” Kai chuckled, then caught himself. “BUT, um, it’s great that you’re a trainer now! The only other trainer I know is your dad, and he is like super busy all the time but now we can battle and, uh, um, that is, if you want?” He seemed to notice his babbling and the rather discouraging expression on Ren’s face at about the same time and abruptly changed topic. “SOOO, Tāraki? His name is Tāraki?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, like a breeze, right? I like it. It really fits.” Kai looked like he might still implode from embarrassment and Ren finally cracked a smile.

“So, what do you think, Shima? Ready for your first official battle?”

Tāraki hopped up, fist in the air, then flexed unimpressively.

Kai remained dumb for a moment. “Oh! How about you Jay? Ready to take ’em?”

Jay trilled and tensed into a fighting stance, eyes glinting.

Kai tapped his PokéNav, and Ren followed suit. Once the battle parameters were set, the two began.

“We’ll start!” Ren called “Pound her legs, she’s only got two!”

Tāraki dove forward and spun, tail sweeping low.

“Catch him!” Kai commanded.

Jay reacted fluidly, grabbing Tāraki’s tail with one foot and spinning on the other. Her talons dug in as she used the momentum to fling Tāraki away.

“Naruhodo! Ni ashi dake ga hitsuyo desu!” Ren muttered, eyebrows raised. She grinned and her whole face lit up. “Alright, hit with your fist this time. Use your tail as a counterweight!”

Tāraki leapt forward again, too fast for Jay to dodge. She caught his punch, but he swung his tail as he wrenched his arm to the side. Jay hit the ground and released him.

“She’s open!” Ren cried.

Tāraki was already diving on top of her.

“Kick him!” Kai yelled.

Jay rolled onto her back just in time to meet Tāraki’s chest with both feet. Tāraki went flying, but flipped in the air and gracefully stuck the landing.

“Nice save, Shima!” Ren cheered. “Try a one-two combo.”

Jay caught the first strike but had nothing for the second and went sliding back, even more winded because she was holding on.

“Let her up and aim high this time!” Ren commanded.

Jay hopped to her feet, and Tāraki leapt up into the air for an overhead somersault tail-strike.

“Bring him back down!”

Jay flipped as Tāraki came down, catching him mid-air so that Tāraki landed on his back with Jay on his chest. He groaned, but when his eyes re-opened, they were full of defiance. He grabbed her leg, but before he could throw her off, she head-butted him. His arms fell to the ground, stunned.

“Alright, you beat us.” Ren conceded, still smiling. She crouched down as Jay hopped off him. “You okay, Tāraki?”

The Treecko hauled himself up into a sitting position and grimaced, but gave her the thumbs up.

“Good battle,” Ren told him encouragingly. “Maybe just lay off some of the unnecessary flipping, at least when your opponent is almost as fast as you.” They smiled at each other, and Ren turned to Jay. “And you have some nice moves, my friend!” She offered her fist and Jay tapped it with a preee!

“That was a close match. You guys did great,” Kai congratulated them.

“Thanks!” Ren responded as she scooped up Tāraki. “I better go patch this guy up.”

“Bring him back to the lab! We have a health care machine there. No one would mind, and it’ll save you a bunch on potions and stuff.”

“I’ve never used one,” Ren admitted.

“I’ll show you!” Kai volunteered. “It’s super simple! I’m sure Jay could use a break too after that.”

“Lead the way,” Ren told him.

They started off towards Littleroot but barely got ten feet before Kai’s enthusiasm got the better of him again.

“Oh, and when we get back to the lab we can load DexNav and some other apps on your nav! You can even have some pokeballs if you want! You’re helping with the pokedex so it’s totally fine!”

Ren tried and failed not to smile at his excited rambling.

“Of course, I hadn’t bought any pokeballs. But I couldn’t say no when it made him so happy.”

And was that the only reason?

“It felt like it. I held out for a while. But you’re probably right. Somehow I’m always working against myself.”

...

Tāraki was already hanging from the door, and Ren had to laugh at his impatience before caving to his wishes and setting out into a warm and misty morning. They had barely made it to the road when she spotted her neighbor setting out as well.

“Hello, Kai! Where are you off to?”

He stopped and waved, letting her catch up to him. “Just up to the pond off Route 103 and then over to the estuary. A wild told us that they’d seen Rosy Wingull in the area, and we’re trying to confirm if any migrate through the mid-continent.”

“That sounds cool. Tāraki and I don’t really have a plan. He just wanted to go out.”

“Oh, do you maybe want to come with us then?” he ventured, wringing his hands.

“Yeah! That would be great!”

Her enthusiasm seemed to soothe his nerves and his shoulders fell back down from around his ears. He didn’t say much at first as they hiked up the trail, but she started asking him questions about the local flora and fauna and soon he was rambling away with barely a pause to let her get a word in.

“It was nice having such an expert to guide me around when I first got here. Thanks to him, none of it seemed so strange after a while.”

I think perhaps I owe him something as well, for making you feel at home here.

“I probably wouldn’t be doing any of this without him.”

Perhaps not.

“So will you let me tell him?”

I will… consider it.

There were no Wingull—Rosy or otherwise—on the pond, so Ren strode up to its edge and looked down into the clear, dark water. “It looks so deep.”

“It is,” said Kai. “It used to be a quarry, a very old one, all pokemon excavation.”

She admired it a little longer, until Tāraki stuck his whole head in and blew bubbles into it, which made her snort with laughter. They settled some distance away so as not to disturb any wild pokemon who came to drink, and passed an hour or two with intermittent conversation, just watching the world go by.

“He taught me how to record with the pokedex, so I could actually help a little with Prof. Birch’s pokemon distribution work, and showed me how to look up all kinds of useful things. It really is an amazing tool. And it’s always tough to not be at least a little interested with how excited Kai is about it.”

I have always found the human desire to collect knowledge admirable and quite useful at times. It is one of the reasons Latias and I work with your species. Even existing as long as we have, we could never hope to gather as much.

“That almost makes me feel proud, but also pretty under-qualified.”

Nonsense. Please continue. There must be a reason you found this day important.

An unusual Taillow caught Ren’s eye and she grabbed for his wrist. “Kai, what variant is—” The way he startled at her touch made her draw back immediately and cut her question short. He looked absolutely mortified, and her gut twisted up in knots. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said quickly.

She couldn’t look at him. “I shouldn’t have—I wasn’t thinking.”

“I wanted to leave it there. I hate exposing myself like that. But it felt like I owed him an explanation.”

You are brave, Ren. You were afraid, but you did what you thought was right.

“Some things are worth the risk.”

“In Johto, we don’t use personal names unless you’re very close to the person. I guess I’m still getting used to it not meaning the same thing here.”

“It really is okay,” Kai said gently, and she dared to meet his eyes again. “I don’t mind. I just startle easy, that’s all. And I’d like to be friends. It would make our parents happy.”

She grinned. “Are yours bugging you too?”

“Lots of ‘subtle’ hints.”

They both laughed at that, quietly at first but ending loud enough to send a flock of Taillow from the trees.

“Oops,” Ren said, still chuckling. “Should we head down to the estuary?”

“Probably,” he said, and she pulled him to his feet as if he wasn’t a good stone heavier than she was. “I’m still not used to how strong you are.”

“It’s the judo,” she said with a broad grin and flexed, patting her bicep. “And you’re one to talk.” She poked his arm as they started off down the hill. “I saw you scurry up a tree like a Sentret yesterday.”

“I like climbing. My dad and I used to go all the time.”

“After that it was so easy. I probably should have known it was all going too fast, but I guess that’s just how I’ve always been.”

I think it’s one of your finer qualities. But I suppose I don’t have the same sensibilities as a human.

“Well I think that’s a strange sensibility for an immortal, but thanks all the same.”

#ORAS #nuzlocke #storylocke #Ren #Kai #Jay #Taraki #lgbtq #chapter

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kariachi · 5 years

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Chapter 4 of the pokemon au! I actually got out a damage calculator to make sure I got this battle just right!

“Finally! We made it, Rose.” Though she couldn’t see the town at the edge of the trail, all but carved into the side of the mountain, Kevin’s little Deino still gave an excited cry. He’d called her out as soon as he’d gathered up his broken pokeballs, determined both to get to know his first pokemon (first friend) and that if he was going to wander around the mountain aching with bites and bruises so was she. The company had been nice, though he’d had to develop a habit of trudging through the snow with an arm around her neck to keep her from blindly wandering away and falling off a cliff or something. They’d even been through a few battles, though those maybe hadn’t been the best showing…

It was fine, she’d already been injured, once they were both patched up everything would be great.

This close to Tambou the trail was much smoother and easier to follow, even growing a fence at some point, which meant it only took about an hour and a half for the pair to make their way passed the town gate and to the Pokemon Center, where the resident Joy had just about choked to see them covered in Kevin’s haphazard bandaging. The two were immediately hustled into the back, where Kevin had been forced at Chansey-point to explain exactly why they both looked like they’d fallen down the mountain (carefully leaving out the point where they had, the day before, almost fallen down the mountain, because telling adults that sort’ve thing never ended well).

Honestly Kevin had very quickly found himself very uncomfortable with the situation, unused to everything from having someone else patch him up to having someone else make sure he ate. Rose hadn’t been much better, being only a few days out of the wild and possibly catching on to his own discomfort. She bit the Chansey twice and the nurse once before she and Kevin were able to flee out the front door with a key to one of the Center’s dormrooms, a note asking someone at the local market to sell him a replacement tent for cheap (with a promise Joy would make up the difference later) that Kevin was tempted to toss, and an order to not head for the gym until they at least had a good night’s sleep under their belts.

Kevin had never in his life followed an order and he certainly wasn’t going to start now.

The Tambou Pokemon Gym was the highest building in the town, up what felt like hundreds of steps towards the mountain’s peak. It was an impressive thing, all carved stone and glass, with loads of thick wooden beams that served as perches for great flocks of flying types. Kevin had never seen so many in one place before, nor such a variety- everything from Unfezant to Corviknight preened and chattered and watched people bustle around below. It was almost intimidating. It was intimidating. A hint of doubt nibbled at the base of his spine as he watched them, only to be shoved away with a shake of his head. He was smart and talented and a trainer who had caught his own first pokemon, which was more than you could say for most people, and he was not about to be intimidated by a bunch of birds. No. Arm in place around Rose he purposefully strode forward and shouldered open the door.

The fact that the first gym trainer they saw was just, staring at them in concern did nothing to stop Kevin leading Rose forward, back straight and shoulders back.

“I’m here to challenge the gym.” The trainer looked down at their bandages, bruises, cuts, then back at his face.

“You’re sure?”

“Yep.” She chewed her lip for a moment, then sighed and turned to another trainer.

“Go tell Akash he has a challenger?” The other teen also gave Kevin and Rose a critical look, but nodded and trotted across the arena to a door at the back, his Hoppip floating behind him. It was only a few minutes, five at most, before Flying Master Akash strode back out the door with a grin on his face and a Swoobat hanging from his arm, clearly more than ready to greet and face whoever had arrived.

Then he saw Kevin and Rose.

Face softening to something less bombastic, he walked forward and held out a hand to shake, one that Kevin gave his best grip.

“Hello there, trainer. Ivan didn’t give me your name?”

“Kevin,” he replied, “and this is Rose.” She chirped at her name, then tried to take a bite out of the Swoobat when it dropped to the ground to come investigate her, only being stopped by Kevin’s restrictive grip. Akash watched this with some interest.

“How long have you been a trainer, Kevin?” That, was not a question he liked.

“About a week,” he didn’t quite lie. Akash just nodded.

“And you already have a Deino, she from family?”

“No, caught her a few days back.” The trainer he’d spoke to before took a hissing breath through her teeth, prompting Kevin to throw a glare her way, through the gym leader and his pokemon paid neither any mind.

“Well,” he said instead, “that’s quite an accomplishment for someone only a week into their journey.” The compliment ricocheted around Kevin’s head, bringing the first hints of a smile to Kevin’s face before he continued. “Still, normally the challengers we see are a little… bigger.”

Which was certainly one way of saying they didn’t tend to get new trainers challenging. Okay, he understood that Tambou was usually a gym trainers hit later in their journeys, and that most trainers did put their journeys on pause early on to spend a few years growing and learning before continuing, but-

“Part of your job is to be able to adjust to give a proper challenge to trainers at any point in their journey,” he said, jaw clenching and familiar stubbornness steeling his spine. Rose crooned agreement.

“That it is,” Akash said with a sigh, looking like he was honestly concerned, which just aggravated Kevin further. “I just want to be sure you want to challenge me now. Most people take another week to challenge their first gym.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not most people.”

“Clearly.” He looked Kevin and Rose over one last time, then nodded and began to head for the far end of the arena, where he pulled a drawer out of the wall. “How many pokemon do you have?”

“One.” And Akash froze. The gym trainers froze. It was clear, especially with the way all of them turned to stare, that they were doing the math in their heads and coming up with numbers they didn’t like. Kevin just glared back until everyone else looked away, the trainers bustling over to the stands to watch and take notes, and Akash returning to choosing his team.

“Alright then, Kevin,” he said, “it’ll be a one-on-one battle, first pokemon to be rendered unable to continue will lose, agreed?” Kevin lead Rose to the challenger’s end of the arena and ushered her within the boundaries as the gym leader spoke.

“Agreed.” Akash took his place opposite Kevin, tossing a single pokeball in his hand, watching Rose for several seconds before sighing and releasing the pokemon inside.

The Spearow gave a harsh cry and immediately took to the air, clearly ready for a fight, and Kevin couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He’d always liked Spearow, they were his favorite flying-type for their perfect combination of form, function, and aesthetic. Capable of exactly what they needed to be capable of, with no excess fuss, while looking like something whose nest you should stay away from. It was right about Weedle as a species that, in that dull pre-Rose world, would’ve been a tempting catch.

But his Deino was better.

“Rose, Dragon Rage!” With a trill the little dragon let loose a familiar plume of blue flame towards the Spearow. Technically. Kevin cringed as it missed with the flying-type hardly having to move at all. “Again!” Another plume, and another miss. She just couldn’t tell where it was, only a vague idea from the sound of it’s wingbeats. Akash allowed this to happen three times, giving them plenty of chances to land a blow before retaliating.

“Aerial Ace!” Contact move, their best chance-

“Bite!” Rose tried, bless her, twisting and lunging in the direction of the approaching bird, but Spearow were faster by their very nature and she was barely able to close her teeth around the end of it’s tail as it collided with her, yanking out a few feathers when she tumbled aside with a whine. Kevin’s stomach dropped as from just the one blow she struggled to return to her feet.

“Again, Spearow!”

“Tackle!” Again the Spearow dove, and this time Rose threw herself forward to meet it, releasing a cry when they collided and the bird’s momentum overpowered her own. For the second time she was sent tumbling, skidding over the boundary line to Kevin’s right as the breath caught in his throat. She whimpered, and didn’t rise again.

It was only barely that Kevin heard one of the gym trainers declare Flying Master Akash and and his Spearow the victors.

#fanfic #kevin levin #the fic with no name #poor babies

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nelvana · 5 years

Text

In which they travel to the cave of the earth

First: In which the human is transformed Next: In which they explore the cave of the earth Previous: In which they volunteer for a rescue

“I’m really proud of you, Nel,” Keahi hummed, leaning into zir partner’s side.

“Proud of me? Why? Just because I volunteered our team to go to Magma Cavern?” Nelvana questioned, but smiled regardless and ruffled Keahi’s head feathers.

“There’s more to it than that, you silly!” Keahi giggled, “you went and spoke up in a crowd for us! You don’t like doing that!”

“It was certainly quite bold of you,” Tsuki added.

“Oh guys…” Nelvana’s face heated up underneath her headgear. “…it isn’t a big deal…”

“Well, I can’t speak for Tsuki, but I wouldn’t have done it. I figured Keahi would be the one to announce… anything, really,” Alex told her, “you’ve grown a lot here.”

“Stop it…” Nelvana whined, burying her muzzle in her scarf.

Keahi laughed at zir partner’s fluster, “fine, fine… Let’s get preparing then!”

“How far away is Magma Cavern then? We’ll need to bring enough supplies for the travel and the dungeon,” Tsuki asked.

“Looks like another expedition on our hands here. Team Recovery were gone for days, but they are slow… We’ll be traveling for about a day, at least,” Alex answered, “do you think there will be a storage statue too? We can optimize our bag space if we just have to prepare for the travel.”

“I’m not sure… I guess we can ask Kangaskhan about that! Let’s go check, we should have extra apples, oran berries, and seeds there anyway that might come in handy,” Keahi replied.

“Sounds like a good start,” Nelvana said through her scarf, having not lifted her head yet.

Making their way to Kangaskhan’s stand, the motherly normal-type looked up at the quartet arriving and warmly greeted them as usual.

“Hello there! I figure you’re here to prepare for that mission of your’s?” Kangaskhan greeted, leaning over the counter to properly look down at the group.

“Yes! But also, do you have a statue out by Magma Cavern?” Keahi responded, hopping over.

“Ah, I believe I do… Team Recovery used it, now that I think about it, it’s right outside the dungeon, I presume,” Kangaskhan answered, glancing back at something hidden in the shadows behind the stand.

“Alright, good… we can use that then, and just prepare for the journey itself now,” Alex murmured, shifting the weight of the bag so he could hold it up and look inside.

“We don’t have to deal with the extreme climates like last time, plus our estimation is just a day’s travel… so hopefully we will have everything we’ll need already stored up,” Nelvana commented.

“Ah, we still have flamethrower in here, we should store that,” Alex blurted out, pulling out the cracked disc from the bag. “Oh, and brick break too.”

“I don’t usually store TMs, but I’ll make an exception for you. Just know that the storage system can’t support them properly, it just damages them to the point that even recycle can’t save them. So, if you leave these with me, you’ll have to come back here to get them,” Kangaskhan told them, placing a hand on the two discs.

“That’s alright, we shouldn’t need them right now. Just takes up space in the bag,” Alex replied, sliding the discs closer to the normal-type.

“How much food will you two need?” Nelvana asked, looking back over at Keahi and Tsuki.

“Oh, I… I’m not sure, some apples, I guess?” Keahi murmured, “wait, why are you asking just us two?”

“Because Nel and I could go the entire trip without eating, if we had to,” Alex answered in a low tone. “We won’t do that, it’s foolish when we have the supplies to be able to eat, but you two will need to eat more than we will because your bodies are used to having to eat more.”

“Well… we have lots of space in our bag, why don’t we just pack like we did last time?” Keahi questioned, hesitantly skipping past what the grovyle had said.

“Last time we had different times, more statues, and one less traveler with us,” Alex responded.

“Look, let’s not complicate things here.” Nelvana stiffened, raising her hands slightly. “I was just asking, so we could have an idea of how much food to bring out. I know what I need, and Alex has the bag so I assumed he would pack for himself. We’ll be travelling and then fighting, not terribly unlike last expedition, but still… I guess what I’m saying, is that this time we’ll want to take more snacks instead of full meals with us.”

“Oh, that makes sense!” Keahi exclaimed, “you know I like fruits, and plain seeds. That should do me for snacks. We’ll be going for a day… so a few apples? Would prefer bananas, to be honest, but we still haven’t found any during missions yet…”

“You have mostly apples for food in storage, correct? I shall be fine with those as well, I suppose just give me the same amount as Keahi then,” Tsuki hummed.

“Let’s just carry ten with us, total, and call it good, okay?” Nelvana suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement, seeing no problems with this estimation, and Kangaskhan passed him the fruit, which he carefully stuffed into the satchel.

“If I may give you a suggestion,” Kangaskhan began, “taking trail mix with you is always a good idea.”

“Trail mix?” Tsuki repeated, looking to her teammates to see if this was just another local thing.

Kangaskhan nodded, “if you’d like, I could prepare a few sacks for you four, my treat. It’s just nuts, seeds, and chocolate mixed together in a small bag for snacking on.”

“You’d do that for us?” Nelvana questioned, “we really owe you a lot at this point…” she chuckled nervously.

“You owe me nothing,” Kangaskhan assured her, “I am more than willing to do favors for free, especially for such a kind group such as you,” she continued, “if it sets your mind as ease though, consider how you’re about to risk yourselves to save the rest of us from the disasters. Consider your aide payment enough for me.”

“I… okay, thanks,” Nelvana sighed.

Tsuki smiled, “yes, thank you very much, mom-“

The absol froze in place, registering what she had called Kangaskhan just too late to take it back. Her mouth gaped open and shut, trying to gather up a way to save face. However, Kangaskhan didn’t look nearly as stressed by this as Tsuki did, in fact, she looked rather touched, her smile growing and her eyes welling up with a short of joy only the parentally sort could have.

“You… do you see me as, as a motherly figure to you?” Kangaskhan asked gently.

Tsuki looked down to the ground, but nodded slightly.

Kangaskhan chuckled softly, reaching out to the absol to rest a hand atop her head, “don’t look so ashamed about it, I’m not upset. In fact, this is happy news to me, to hear someone else seeing me in this light. You may call me mom, if that will make you happy too.”

Tsuki stayed silent for a few more moments, her expression morphing into one of surprise, and then of an emotional joyfulness.

“That… that would make me happy. Thank you, mom…” Tsuki gasped, nuzzling her head into the large pokemon’s palm. “I’ve never had a mom before…” she whispered, closing her eyes to take in this friendly touch.

Nelvana smiled at this interaction, but an ache she couldn’t pinpoint found its way into her chest. She swallowed, doing her best to push away this strange feeling. Glancing over at Alex, she observed an odd gleam in his eyes. His mouth was open ever so slightly, and his gaze held a sort of longing that Nelvana recognized but couldn’t remember. The grovyle finally turned away, looking back towards the center of town. Nelvana let out a sigh, gingerly placing her hand on his arm to support him, like she had done back when they had visited Keahi’s family.

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Keahi squealed.

“Indeed…” Alex whispered, his voice sounding far-away. “However, we should get back to work.”

Kangaskhan sat back again, “yes, I suppose you should. There is much for you to do, isn’t there? Is there anything else you’d like to store or take out?”

“I don’t think so… if we forgot something, we’ll just have to do that when we come back for the mix!” Keahi chirped.

Kangaskhan nodded, “it’s a very brave thing of you to choose to do this, especially after seeing how well it went before… I wish you all the best,” she said, “also, if you’d like more advice, I believe the kecleons have been down to Magma Cavern before. They should have more tips for you.”

“Okay, thanks again, we’ll see you later,” Nelvana hummed, turning to leave with a wave.

“You two alright?” Keahi asked, bounding over to Nelvana and Alex. “I noticed you looked a bit distant there…”

“Just… just missing family, I guess,” Nelvana murmured, “it’s weird, I can’t even remember them, but I miss them.”

Alex said nothing, simply watching the others, expressionless. Nelvana left her hand on his arm, and gently rubbed it with her thumb to try and translate more meaning than she could think to say right now. Despite not saying anything to him, he let his coldness melt and gave her a small smile to assure her that he would be alright. She lowered her hand, hoping her efforts had been enough for now.

“Oh… alright, you’ll be okay though, right?” Keahi replied, approaching more. “Both of you,” zie added.

Alex let out a sigh, “yeah, don’t worry about it.”

They continued back up to the Kecleon Shop, Tsuki walking with more bounce than ever. The brothers were cleaning up after accidentally messing up their organization during the rush, but they noticed the quartet approach and waved them over.

“Good to see you again, Galaxy. Thank you for your help before, there’s only so much the two of us can do,” Green-Kecleon greeted, bowing slightly to the group.

“Thank you too! I doubt our supplies would have been enough for this… incident,” Keahi replied.

“Speaking of, do we need to pay you for those…?” Nelvana asked.

Both brothers shook their heads hurriedly, Green-Kecleon even waving away the idea with his hands.

“No, no, not at all. This was a service to the community, and to other teams,” he insisted, “we donated our supplies to assist Team Recovery. No payment needed for that.”

“If there’s anything we value above business in this shop, it’s the lives of others,” Purple-Kecleon added, “no one should have to die if there is the remedy sitting a few feet away.”

“But, uh, if you find anything valuable in Magma Cavern, feel free to keep us in mind. We haven’t been there in a very long time, but there are some nice items laying about if you know where to look…” Green-Kecleon chuckled, leaning onto the counter.

Keahi laughed, “okay then, we’ll keep that in mind. We always come back from missions with something anyway that we don’t need.”

“On that subject though, do you have any advice for Magma Cavern? You two seem to be the only ones around here who have been there. And completed the dungeon, at least,” Alex said.

“Ah, knew you’d get to that. While you were talking to Kangaskhan, we went and found our old map…” Purple-Kecleon paused to bring out the mentioned map, which, similarly to the map Blaziken had given them in their last expedition, was marked with notes for the areas. “You may borrow it if you’d like, but we’d like to have it back afterwards, if nothing but for the memories.”

“Thank you, this should at least help us get there,” Alex responded, accepting the map and studying it for a few moments before passing it off to Nelvana to hold and look over as well.

“And, despite the name, there are only two fire-type species we’ve seen in that dungeon. Magmar and magcargo. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t many, because they show up quite frequently. Just letting you know that rock and grounders will be perhaps more so,” Purple-Kecleon added.

“Works better for us anyway, Nel’s our only real fire counter right now,” Alex replied.

“You have dig,” Keahi pointed out.

“Yes, but if I get hit with that typing, I’m going to take it harsher than any of you,” Alex countered.

“Anyway,” Nelvana interrupted, “thank you for your help, is there anything else we should know that would be useful?”

“Hm… let’s see,” Green-Kecleon muttered, tapping his chin. “The journey is straightforward, and seeing as you’re a bunch of young, fast individuals, it should be around a day’s travel, depending on how often you rest up,” he began.

“That matches our estimation,” Tsuki commented.

“Good estimation there then,” Purple-Kecleon replied.

Green-Kecleon cleared his throat, “despite the name, Magma Cavern doesn’t have much magma around it. You’ll see some outside the dungeon, I believe, and in some pits, but nothing extreme. You’ll be thankful to hear that that makes it cooler than Mt Blaze. However, it does make it terribly dark down there. You’d be best taking a light with you.”

“Or a lighter!” Keahi chirped, puffing out zir chest proudly and letting a flicker of flame escape zir beak.

Green-Kecleon laughed, “or that! You’re enjoying that flamethrower TM then, hm? My brother’s great with those.”

His brother smirked at the compliment, “why thank you, I do my best, of course. Orbs too, you know.”

“Yes, we know,” Alex sighed, “is that it, then?”

“I think so, yes. I’m afraid Groudon wasn’t awake the last time we were there, so we have no advice for that,” Purple-Kecleon said.

Tsuki nodded, “so we’ve heard, but we’ll do our best regardless,” she replied, “thank you for the advice, should we head off then?”

“Well, we should wait for Kangaskhan to get that trail mix ready. Then… maybe? Are we ready?” Keahi responded, shaking zir feathers and tilting zir head to the side.

Nelvana paused to think, and her teammates, recognizing the expression, waited patiently for her to give her opinion on this, “I think so. We should head out as soon as possible then, right?” She looked up to the sky. “It’s nearly noon, so it would be good to make some ground before the end of the day.”

Alex nodded in agreement, “right… Hey, Tsuki, you sensing anything about this mission?”

Tsuki paused, not expecting the question, “I… no, I’m sorry. It’s been getting harder to pick out dangers when the big disaster, the meteor, is so strong, so close… That’s likely why it took so long for me to realize about this morning, until a few minutes before, and we had to rush.”

Alex blinked, something seeming to click in his mind, “what day is it today?”

“What… day? Hm… I’m not actually sure! I know we’re close to my birthday, but I think that’s still about two weeks away,” Keahi responded, “why’d you ask?”

“I need to know,” Alex insisted, ignoring Keahi’s question.

Nelvana felt her stomach flop at this turn of events, anxiety jumping at the uneasiness of her partner, and at memories she still didn’t have back. They were nearing the end of summer, weren’t they? Did that mean…

“I believe we’re nearly two moons after the summer solstice,” Tsuki answered.

Nelvana exchanged a look with Alex, the both of them looking more than simply uneasy.

“In calendar days?” Alex hissed.

“If the summer solstice is June twenty-first, and we’re nearly two months after it…” Nelvana whispered.

“Calendar days?” Keahi repeated, “guys, what’s wrong?”

“The meteor hits at eleven pm on the twenty-first of August! We need to know the date today!” Alex snapped.

Keahi stepped back, startled by the sudden harshness, but didn’t reply, understanding the seriousness of this subject. Tsuki was staring at the ground, but now looked up, meeting Alex’s gaze.

“By your calendar days, it’s the nineteenthtoday,” she told them.

Alex swallowed his breath, his eyes wide as he took in this information. Finally, he turned away from Pokemon Square, and the rest of the team.

“We’ve wasted too much time. We have to leave, now,” Alex ordered.

Keahi jumped, “but what about-“

“Grab it, and then catch up with the rest of us. But we have to get hurrying. The sooner we rescue Team A.C.T., the sooner the teleport gem can be made,” Alex responded, and then left town without another word.

Nelvana stepped towards where Alex went, but hesitated and glanced back at her confused teammates.

“Go with him, we’ll catch up soon,” Tsuki told her.

Nelvana nodded, wanting to say more but feeling rushed by her partner, and hurried off. Keahi watched her leave before heading back to Kangaskhan Storage with Tsuki to collect the last snacks.

Alex slowed down after being reminded to keep pace, but was noticeably still high-strung after remembering that question and receiving that answer. While waiting for the other two to catch up, they discussed the mission, and where to go from here. Both of them were nervous at the idea of failing just because of not getting the teleport gem in time, but talking about it seemed to help for the time being. However, Alex changed topics when Keahi and Tsuki returned, and Nelvana decided respect that for the time being and join into the next conversation point. Deep down, she knew that the subject would return and she didn’t want to keep the others in the dark about this.

Their journey brought them up the path that took them to Mt. Blaze and the Frosty Forest, however they went off more west than that direction, and never caught sight of those dungeons from their last expedition on this trip.

Conversation quickly shifted to battle and dungeon tactics for this mission. The map they had been given had some notes about the Magma Cavern dungeon, namely the floors and what pokemon could be found on them. It had 26 dungeons, the longest dungeon they had been in by far. Like the kecleons had told them before, the notes told them about the residential dungeon pokemon, which lacked as many fire-types as one might expect with a dungeon named like this. As well, it was written that there were monster houses from floors eight to twenty.

Alex, who could recall more about the fight against the illusion of Groudon that he and Nelvana had apparently gone up against in the future, gave tips about the legendry’s moves and strategies, repeating how it wasn’t the actual Groudon, but was likely very close. It was stressed that the ability drought would be useful for Keahi, and himself to a smaller degree. They also brought up the move ancient power, which had a small chance to grant Groudon an advantage. If that were to happen… No one liked the sound of that, but there was nothing much they would be able to do to prevent that chance from succeeding. They were just to be warned, like with the monster houses.

The walk was an easy one, the ground, while not terribly walked on, wasn’t harmful to one’s feet, and the path itself didn’t go up any steep hills. However, it was also a long one. Like they had done before, they didn’t stop to eat lunch, and continued right through the afternoon. Nelvana’s prediction about having to just snack was strengthened as Alex’s haste pushed the group forward.

After hours of hiking and chatting amongst each other, the sun began setting. They did not stop, however. In fact, even after the sun set, no one seemed to have expressed the idea of stopping to rest. The quartet had gone quiet after some comments about the stars, but everyone could tell there was still more for everyone to say.

Finally, Keahi spoke.

“Shouldn’t we rest for the night? We’ll need the energy for the dungeon tomorrow.”

Alex shook his head, sparing the torchic a glance over his shoulder, “no, we need to keep going. We can’t spare that kind of time. We should be able to make it to Magma Cavern,” he told zim, “besides, you’re the only one that can’t keep going throughout the night.”

“But… resting is important Alex, and did you actually ask if the others are okay with this? You aren’t the leader here,” Keahi responded.

Alex finally paused, turning around to look at the others, his face hardened but otherwise expressionless. Keahi met his gaze with zir own, giving him a tired glare. Nelvana watched them carefully, mentally trying to predict how the grovyle would respond, and how she should. Tsuki sat on her haunches, taking advantage of this break, still eyeing the situation carefully should she need to step in.

“I know I’m not the leader,” Alex sighed, “but we can keep going, and we should. We-“

The ground rumbled beneath them, the entire world seeming to be shaken back and forth like a maraca. This force nearly sending Keahi to the dirt, but zie caught themselves before falling over. Team Galaxy had frozen in the path as the earthquake roared around them.

Tsuki crouched low to the ground, trying to cover her head with her forepaws, as if that would stop this natural disaster. Nelvana dug her claws into the ground, holding her arms out stiffly out to the side for balance, her tail only moved to help support Keahi behind her. Alex crouched as well, however not nearly as low as the absol.

This earthquake continued longer than any that any of them could remember, it almost felt like anticipation for the world to simply crumble apart around them.

They weren’t that far off from the truth.

“Fissure!” Keahi shrieked, spinning to look in the distance behind them, before turning back to the team. “Run!”

While no one could see the fissure that Keahi had called out, they weren’t taking any chances and ran further down the path, trying not to stumble from the unstable ground. Even after the earthquake settled down, they kept running on adrenaline for another good minute to ensure their safety from the possible fissure.

Finally slowing back down to a more reasonable pace for travelling, Alex only acknowledged the earlier conversation for one more comment.

“If we don’t defeat Groudon soon enough, they will tear this world apart before the meteor even gets a chance,” he said without looking back at the others.

Keahi blinked, and looked down at the path that had turned rockier during the sprint. Tsuki, beside zim, shook of her fur and leaned her head down to the torchic.

“If you get tired, you may ride on my back for a bit,” she offered.

Keahi ended up taking Tsuki up on this offer a few hours later, when zir shorter legs paired with exhaustion from simply walking for hours on end caught up to zim. The torchic nestled into the absol’s thick neck fur and rested there for much of the remaining journey.

Silence seemed to suit the nighttime well, conversation drying out quickly after the earthquake.

Another half hour after Keahi had had to take a break, sitting on Tsuki’s back instead of walking, conversation picked up again, finally hitting the topic of the meteor.

Alex expressed distaste on the topic, repeating the plan to stop the impact of the disaster, and the dangerous consequences of failure. He would blame something or another for the tight squeeze for time, changing from it being Alakazam’s fault for not getting the teleport gem done sooner, or being their own fault for spending so much time on the house, or even his own fault for not keeping track of the date.

Nelvana did her best to stay rational about this, trying to convince the others and herself that this could still be done with time to spare, however her partner’s pessimistic attitude along with her own tiredness seemed to be weighing her down, so she didn’t speak that much.

Tsuki remained patient and calm, asking questions about plans and the timing of this all. She stayed strong with her questioning until they were answered, and then let the topic simmer away to silence again.

Keahi hadn’t slept yet, zie might have given up walking but zie was determined to stay up with the others. Regardless, zie didn’t have much input aside from a few short comments here and there.

Scenery changed from open plains to empty dirt land to warm rocks under their feet. Larger rocks were stacked around the trail, colors ranging from a dusty rust to a sun-baked orange, their warmer shades warped in from the shadows of the night. Above, the sky was a cold contrast to the ground they walked on, the only light from the stars glittering in a sea of dark space.

“How much farther do you think we have to go…?” Keahi asked after the topic of the dark future dwindled away again and was replaced by silence.

“We should be nearly there,” Nelvana assured zim, despite not truly knowing the answer to the question. “We’ve covered a lot of ground today… and yesterday, I guess. We’ve certainly passed midnight by now…” she added.

To provide a more exact answer for Keahi, Alex pulled out the map again and examined it. Even with it being the dead of night, he still seemed to hold next to no trouble studying it. After a few moments, he stuffed the map away again, doing all this without pausing from walking.

“We still will have a few hours to go,” he told them.

Keahi let out an exaggerated sigh, “do we still have some trail mix? I’m hungry.”

“You haven’t even been walking,” Alex commented, but brought out their last baggie of trail mix and tossed it over his shoulder for the torchic.

“I still have a stomach,” Keahi hissed back, already opening up the baggie and eating the healthy mix inside.

“Was that our last trail mix bag?” Nelvana asked.

“Yeah, it was,” Alex answered.

“I can share with you, if you want!” Keahi offered.

Nelvana hesitated, about to politely deny the offer, but she changed her mind and ended up taking out a pinch of nuts and seeds anyway. Tsuki also took some of this share, but Alex did not. He had eaten an apple a couple hours back, and seemed to be calling that good for awhile.

Finally, finally, they spotted a cave in the distance, down the hill they had walked up. The path clearly lead down to the mouth of this natural structure. This cave seemed to glow in the night, its namesake finally showing by the lava that oozed down the sides of the walls, pooling slowly out of the way of the entrance. About a meter or so away, stood a stone statue, the Kangaskhan Statue.

Keahi hopped down from Tsuki, scurrying over to get a closer look at the outside of the dungeon. Tsuki stepped closer as well, and Team Galaxy took a long pause to watch Magma Cavern and its warm appearance standing out in the dark night.

“We made it!” Keahi exclaimed, “and the sun hasn’t even risen yet! How’s that for good time?”

“Huh, it looks awfully small from out here. Obviously, it’s bigger on the inside and goes underground, but still…” Nelvana commented, “that lava looks… kinda slow, it must be cooler than average. At least that means it won’t be a problem when we go in. And it looks pretty from here.”

Tsuki nodded in agreement, “indeed…”

“Either way, we shouldn’t camp too close to it, just in case. Should we rest here then?” Keahi hummed, shaking zir feathers.

“We should head in,” Alex responded.

Keahi stiffened, “what? We can’t go in! We need to rest first! We’ve been walking all day and night, in case you forgot.”

“I didn’t forget. I also didn’t forget that we’re pressed for time right now,” Alex hissed, turning to face Keahi. “We don’t have time for breaks.”

“We also don’t have time for recklessly running into danger unprepared physically!” Keahi countered.

“We can handle this,” Alex insisted, “if you don’t want to go now, I’m still going.”

“Are you insane?” Keahi snapped, “that’s basically asking for a death wish! It might not have many different fire-types there, but there will feel like a lot if you go in alone! What happens when you run into a monster house, huh?”

“We’ll all be dead if we don’t keep going!” Alex yelled.

“Stop!”

Nelvana felt like caving into herself, she clutched her club tightly in her right hand, and having reached up to tensely grab one of the spikes at the side of her skull with her left. She was digging her claws into the ground, and her face was scrunched up in a stressed expression. Tsuki had stepped back beside the cubone, and she stood stiffly with her fur bristled.

“Stop fighting… please,” Nelvana pleaded.

Keahi’s angered expression melted away, “oh, Nel, we’re sorry-“

“No, don’t… don’t make this about me, okay?” Nelvana sighed, “let’s just try to think about this rationally, okay?” When no one else said anything, she continued. “It’s early morning on the twentieth, and the meteor will hit late at night on the twenty-first. We nearly have two days left, and we need to beat Groudon, rescue Team A.C.T., let Alakazam finish the teleport gem, and then get Rayquaza to get rid of the meteor before then,” she stated, “A complete rest should be about eight hours… This is a twenty-six-floor dungeon, so based on how long it took us to complete other dungeons… we’ll be in there for a few hours. We teleport back, rest again, and by then it would be…” She paused to think, relaxing her limbs slightly and rubbing her forehead. “Morning on the twenty-first. We would still have plenty of time to complete another dungeon and possibly fight another legendary.”

“Oh, thank Arceus,” Keahi sighed.

“That’s… good to hear, thank you,” Alex murmured, visibly relaxing.

“However,” Nelvana added, “if we get defeated, there is no coming back from that. It’s too much lost time.”

Alex chuckled drily, “alright, I get it. We’ll rest up.”

“Thank you,” Nelvana replied.

“Okay, now you two should apologize to each other,” Tsuki responded, and when she was met by confused glances by both the torchic and the grovyle, she decided to elaborate. “From my experience, even if both parties of an argument think they have settled things, they could still feel tense with one another. Apologizing helps clear the air,” she told them, “and try not to tack on excuses to your apologies, hm?”

“Oh… that makes sense,” Keahi agreed, and then looked up at Alex again. “I’m sorry for yelling, this is obviously really stressful for you.”

“I’m… I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have tried to push everyone so much,” Alex apologized.

“Are we good now…?” Nelvana asked, “I really hate to see you argue…”

Keahi smiled, “yeah, and sorry for stressing you. We’re all tired… and we forced you, and Tsuki, to put on a strong face to power through the tension,” zie said, “let’s get some rest.”

The surrounding area was empty aside from the stones, so Team Galaxy ended up finding a comfortable spot off the path in the rocks to curl up together in.

“I’ll keep an eye on the time, I still shouldn’t have to need to sleep yet,” Tsuki informed them quietly.

Keahi fell asleep quickly, exhaustion overtaking zim. However, as usual, despite her tiredness, Nelvana found trouble going to sleep right away.

“¿xǝl∀ 'ʎǝH” Nelvana whispered.

Alex blinked, but rolled over to make eye contact with the cubone, silently prompting her to go on.

“¿noʎ ʇ,uǝɹɐ 'pǝɹɐɔs ǝɹ,noʎ ˙˙˙ǝɹ,no⅄” Nelvana asked, still speaking in her native tongue.

Alex chuckled softly, “˙˙˙ɥɐǝ⅄” he admitted.

“˙sıɥʇ op uɐɔ ǝʍ ʞuıɥʇ ʎllɐǝɹ I ˙˙˙ʇnᙠ ˙ʍou ǝlıɥʍɐ ɹoɟ pǝɹɐɔs uǝǝq ǝʌ,I ˙ooʇ ǝW” Nelvana continued.

“˙˙˙ɥɐǝ⅄” Alex repeated in agreement.

“˙noʎ ɟo pnoɹd ǝq plnoʍ sʇuǝɹɐd ɹno⅄ ¿xǝl∀ pu∀” Nelvana said.

Alex blinked, and then exhaled, “thanks. Let’s try sleeping now, okay?”

“Okay. Goodnight,” Nelvana replied.

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ghostmartyr · 5 years

Text

Pokémon FireRed Nuzlocke [Part 8]

No grinding, no life. The Bill Gaiden Island thingamajig that starts after you beat Blaine has begun, and in the spirit of really wanting our team not to die, we’re running around doing things we don’t care about.

That’s the summary of this whole run.

Kindle Road is a much cooler name. Why didn’t you just name the whole island that, instead of shoving it onto the beach area?

Also, I guess this means a new route!

...With... a Tentacool!

New route, old problems.

Thanks to Blaine, Zaft is now the lowest level of the party at 41. Accordingly, Zaft gets to be up front for this adventure. Good luck, Zaft. We believe in you and so on.

Our belief is immediately rewarded with a level 35 Psyduck. Then another. At 36. Then a level 37 Golduck. Not bad. Zaft thanks you for your sacrifice.

Back on ground, Picnicker Claire wants to throw down. Starting with a level 35 Meowth. Then another level 35 Meowth. Pikachu. Clefairy. Bringing home the win is Zaft once more.

There are a bunch of rocks around here. Does anyone know Rock Smash.

...Okay, fake question.

Can a Pidgey learn Rock Smash?

tfw the real question is whether or not I have Rock Smash. I seem not to. Fine.

Camper Bryce!

He has a level 36 Nidorino that looks like a job for... uh. Not Zaft. Po, play nice. Sprinkle gets the Sandslash. Since we’re switching things up, the Raticate can go to Allenby.

I still keep wondering if someone sits down and renames every single NPC based on localization. Keeps me up at night. Anyway, puny level 35 Shellder, you are no match for Zaft. The Cloyster is slightly more intimidating, but that means nothing. Same to the level 38 Wartortle.

A wild double battle appears, so Heero and Allenby go up front. Against Crush Kin Mik & Kia’s level 39 Machoke and Primeape. Yeah, that’s a bit more intimidating. But nowhere near enough.

More Fighting trainers ahead, so Heero stays up front. Have fun, little one.

Black Belt Shea has a level 38 Machop. You mock me, sir. The Machoke is better.

Of the many things you could call Red’s outfit of choice, I’m not sure ‘frivolous’ fits. Black Belt Hugh. Another Machop, but this one’s level 37. Heero takes the food as a sign to learn Slash. Bye, Metal Claw. You were not very helpful. Machoke’s up next. Heero treats it similarly.

Back in the grass, I encounter a Fearow. But Spearow’s line has a check next to it for this run, so we’re still waiting for the proper first encounter for Kindle Road.

IT’S A PONYTA. CATCH IT CATCH IT CATCH IT.

CAUGHT IT.

RISE, FUUNSAIKI.

This is the only part of the run that matters.

Back to the fighting, where Crush Girl Tanya wants a fight. She has a level 38 Hitmonlee. Heero eats it. She has a level 38 Hitmonchan. Heero eats it. A good day is had.

Crush Girl Sharon is next. With a level 37 Mankey. Then a Primeape. I’m sensing a theme with some of these people.

I’m going to be so full of hatred if this extra bit has enough routes for me to fill my Pokedex to 50. RIP Exp. Share. But apparently the Ember Spa is for healing only. Tragic.

We return to water, and so Zaft returns to the front of the squad.

Swimmer Finn’s level 38 Starmie vs Zaft. Ready, fight.

It ain’t much of a fight, let me tell you that.

Swimmer Maria has a level 37 Seadra. Naisu. Then another. This extra area likes me.

Fisherman Tommy has five pokemon, which. I do not think I’ll like. The first one is a level 33 Goldeen. Suspicions confirmed. There’s another one. Allenby, in the spirit of you not becoming obsolete, I think you can take this Trainer. Seaking, level 35. Another Seaking. One last Seaking. Good, that’s over.

I have no memory of this place.

It seems like I need HMs.

I don’t wanna need HMs.

Even though the old man in the spa gave m the Rock Smash one.

Team Rocket is also here.

...Can Pidgey learn Strength?

Hm. Much like Rock Smash, it cannot.

Well. To the PC, I guess.

Hey Bill, what the fuck.

I guess. Uh. The map says there’s another place south of this island, so I guess I’ll explore that and then sadly proceed to whatever it was that Bill wanted me to do for him.

Swimmer Amara, who is presumably not in love with her cousin, has a level 36 Seel. Not anymore. Oh wait, she has another one. Now she’s out, because her last pokemon is a Dewgong.

Is this place named Treasure Beach because I’m expected to use this gen’s terrible Itemfinder. Because I don’t like this gen’s Itemfinder. I don’t like it at all.

Psyduck, I have you. Get out. Spearow, please stop. Tangela, interesting, but no. Fearow, I don’t have you, but the species clause is our hill to die on.

...Can I catch anything on this island? Beach? Thing?

Serebii says no.

Sigh.

I hate this fucking Itemfinder.

I guess I’m done with things here for now.

...Were these originally in English?

I just feel like they might have been.

And then I got a fetch quest for a lost child.

Her name is Lostelle.

The Pokemon Center’s PC doesn’t work either.

Bill.

Get it together.

Ugh. I can’t remember if this is a good idea in a Nuzlocke. 5 PP and 90 accuracy. PP is something I actually worry about in this gen and with this set of limitations.

but 150 damage

;-;

Oh wait, the user can’t do anything the next turn.

Sorry Heero, no Blast Burn.

Good news, there’s a level 14 Poliwag in the water. Its name Rab now.

And once again, I’m out of things to do on this island, so I guess I’m heading to the next one in hopes that it contains Bill’s quest stuff that gives me back the access to my PC.

Oh, sorry, Bill’s PC. -_-

Bill, this island getaway you dragged a ten-year-old along with you on is found wanting.

The Bill Gaiden is the strangest part of this anime.

Hey, Three Island’s PC works! Imagine that!

Anyway, we’ve stepped into the stage of beating up Bikers. Because this is their island now.

The first Biker’s name is Goon. Somehow, this is still probably better than going directly to Giovanni. Goon has a level 37 Koffing. Then a Grimer that looks like Sprinkle’s.

Hence, the ordeal with Goon ends.

Oh wait.

They’re all named Biker Goon.

These guys are so basic they don’t get actual names. #2 has a level 38 Koffing and nothing else. Good for him. #3 has a level 38 Grimer.

Oh good, someone with an actual name.

For the sake of this argument, Paxton is a name. He has a level 39 Weezing. Followed by a Muk. Very on-brand. Sprinkle, go forth.

Aaaaand it’s over.

Okay, time to work out the HM problem. What out of what I have can learn both Rock Smash and Strength? And isn’t a member of my real party.

Gyarados (Altron), Onix (Athrun), Growlithe (Duo), Krabby (Tarle)--

Wait up. Tarle can learn Strength and Rock Smash, yes.

But.

She can also learn Cut.

Quatre, you are being replaced. Even though Ren is technically the one in your slot right now. Tarle! Welcome to the wide world of being an HM slave!

We return to our regularly scheduled grinding-that-is-not-called-grinding-because-of-the-limitations-set-by-this-run. With Twins Joy & Meg. They have a level 37 Clefairy each. I have a Sprinkle and Allenby.

Aroma Lady Violet wants to battle next. She should know better. She throws out a level 36 Bulbasaur. Ivysaur. Next one’s probably a Squirtle. ...No, it’s actually another Ivysaur. Dang it. I was expecting Venusaur. I don’t know why. This gen is very unkind to the NPCs’ pools.

Tuber Alexis has a level 34 Staryu. I have Zaft up front. Oh dear. Krabby, Krabby, Staryu, and done. Sorry kid. I’m taking your money.

Worst ten-year-old ever.

Aroma Lady Nikki is next with a level 37 Bellsprout. Goody. Heero time. Weepinbell is next, and lasts just as long.

Then it’s back to Water. Tuber Amira with... her level 34 Poliwag. Then level 35 Poliwhirl. That one’s a better choice, kid. But then the Poliwag brings it on back.

A Swimmer’s in the water, and what do we get? Tisha with a level 38 Kingler.

Oh. It’s over.

Heero switching to the front for now. As we enter the Berry Forest. Looking for a lost child. Sigh.

Damn it. Do I have to fight this?

Oh, cool, it let me run. Hee. The things you don’t try normally.

And through the power of completing a side quest, we return to Two Island. Now with HMs. Trees shudder before me. And wouldn’t you know that Lostelle’s dad is Bill’s friend? Yay, the quests are over. Time to smash rocks on One Island.

My reward is fighting Pkmn Ranger Beth. She has a level 38 Bellsprout. Gloom. Gloom. They’re gone now.

Hey, Mt. Ember wants me to have something nice! A Geodude first encounter! It’s level 7, but aren’t we all sometimes. I shall name him Arms.

Crush Girl Jocelyn wants a fight. She has a level 38 Hitmonchan, but I have a Heero. She has a second one. I still have a Heero.

Wolverine’s day job. He has a level 37 Exeggcute. Oooh, and then a level 40 Exeggutor. Nice, bro. They’re both gone.

I keep climbing this place.

I hope Moltres isn’t at the end.

I hope more trainers are.

Sigh. Back down we go.

Worse, I think after we talk to Bill... It might be Giovanni time.

After I quickly check if I could grab another Leftovers from the other Snorlax that isn’t Po.

Cool. Grabbed. Here, Sprinkle. You’re gonna be a player character here.

So.

I’m out of Trainers.

Okay.

The team.

I’m going to do whatever I can to keep you guys alive.

You’re actually the first trainer I found in here.

Cooltrainer Yuji. He starts with a level 38 Sandslash. Allenby, I’m wanting you to have opportunity, but really, I’m sensing that there might not be much point. You can have the Sandslash, though. Oh, and the Graveler. Sprinkle’s in the the Marowak. For Onix we can move back to Allenby. And then there’s a Graveler, and that’s good too.

I want to make sure you aren’t too weak for the winter, Allenby.

First trainer done.

Black Belt Atsushi, what do you have. ...A Machop. A level 40 Machop. Then Machoke. Allenby cleans the stage.

Okay, I think after this, Sprinkle’s in front, but if I have the chance to switch before a Black Belt, Allenby can be in front. I don’t want to divide the exp too much. Ridiculously overpowered individual pokemon is still the basic trend I’m fighting for. Sprinkle needs the levels more than Allenby.

One level 43 Rhyhorn. Sprinkle laughs.

Cooltrainer Warren is next. With five pokemon. Starting with a level 37 Marowak. Then a Rhyhorn, a Nidoqueen, a Nidorina, and another Marowak. Geez. I feel like I’m getting drunk on the exp. So little for so long. So much is such large pieces. It’s euphoric. This must be why people do drugs.

A Black Belt follows, so Allenby’s back up front against Black Belt... Takashi. He has a level 38 Machoke. I should really consider giving Allenby a primary Fighting move that isn’t Karate Chop. Machop’s next. Then another Machoke that I Allenby has lost enough HP to worry about. Heero.

I think that’s the end of trainers I can reach without going through the whirly maze. I don’t like the whirly mazes. Too much like Silph. Bad mojo.

But we have Sprinkle! What could possibly go wrong!

No.

Tamer Cole has a level 39 Arbok for some reason. Uh. Po, get over here. Then we have a Tauros, so surprise, Allenby, go get it. Allenby spends a ton of time confused and we’re all sad, but then it works out.

Another Black Belt, another Allenby.

And screw it, we’re in the final chapters. Allenby can have a TM. Brick Break replaces Karate Chop, because I was tired of one of my best Attackers not one-shotting things.

Black Belt Kiyo has one level 43 Machoke. Ready, Allenby?

Allenby slays, Sprinkle goes back in front.

Just in time for Cooltrainer Samuel. He has a level 37 Sandslash. A level 38 Rhyhorn. A level 39 Nidoking. A Nidorino I gift to Po. And a Sandslash brings Sprinkle back in. On to the next.

Oh.

First out is a level 45 Rhyhorn.

Yeah. This is going to be fine until it isn’t. I’m not looking forward to that moment. A level 50 Rhyhorn pops out, and again. Yeah. Oh good, his Nidoqueen is only 44. The Nidoking is 45 because these games can’t quite help being sexist.

A level 42 Dugtrio is... last?

Huh.

Sprinkle?

I’m glad I trained you.

Now then.

I won’t be arrogant enough to say I’ve almost won. I’m the one who lost two of my team to a random Gyarados I didn’t even need. But the number of things left is shrinking very quickly.

I think our rival decides to be a pain right before the League, so Zaft is up front in case of Pidgeot. Other than that, there’s not much I really can do, short of some TM shopping I might consider once I make it through Victory Road. A little on the fence for that, still.

I feel like we’ve done this before. :P

Hopefully this time won’t be too different.

Yep, Pidgeot first. At level 47. Ick. Spark isn’t enough to take it out all the way, so I think I might want to risk another of--okay, no. No to everything about that. No risking. Just heading on forward. That damn thing’s Quick Attack does enough damage to worry about it using other moves.

(Zaft needs another move. I thought one would’ve been learned by now...)

Great, Pidgeot down. And oh look, Turq has a Rhyhorn too. They’re very in this season. Sprinkle, if you wouldn’t mind... It’s level 45, which makes me feel slightly better about everything. Not by much, but I appreciate it.

Heero steps in for Exeggcute. It’s only 45, too.

Blastoise is up.

...Zaft. You’re using Light Screen first, but there are too few exp chances for me to spare you the risk of this one entirely. This is partially why you’re here at all.

It’s level 53. Okay. Zaft, you’re using Light Screen, hopefully living, and then not staying.

Blastoise used Rain Dance.

It is so fucking tempting to have Zaft stay in, but Zaft’s best move is Spark. Which is pretty inexcusable now that I think about it. My only attempt at an excuse would be that I could’ve sworn it was supposed to learn the whatever thing by now.

But in any case, Po. Tank us in.

His Blastoise knows Water Gun.

This game’s idea of balancing fear and actual balance is entertaining at times.

Wow, Body Slam did basically nothing. Oh well. The Blastoise can’t kill Po, so they’re staying locked in a room together until I get the outcome I want.

Po’s a good girl.

Turq’s Growlithe is still a Growlithe, so Allenby!

Alakazam is last. Heero, take the wheel. Hot level 47 v 47 action.

I win!

Hell. Those level differences do not make me happy. Hopefully the main threat is meant to be that three of them haven’t evolved yet, and will have by the end. Otherwise, I hope Victory Road is way more full of trainers than I remember. I do not like this.

...Also.

Hey, ZAFT.

........

Oooooooooh.

Guess who looked at the wrong gen of Electrode’s Pokedex entry?

Okay, first thing on my list next time? We’re getting you Thunderbolt. Because Electro Ball doesn’t exist right now. Uh. Sorry about that. Your crippling overspecialization is. perhaps. now crippling.

Look, let’s just focus on the highs.

I have all eight badges, and I beat my rival. I’m cleared to head through the League. Good, right? We’re all fine here.

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge #Nuzlocke #playthrough

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kozarukun · 6 years

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“Contrary to popular belief, the main volcano in Ignis has only erupted three times in recorded history.

Perhaps it wasn’t the most traditional way to tell a ghost story, but all of Ignis’s tales were deeply rooted in history, lest it be consumed in fire. Oral traditions demanded faithful recounting, and Hideyoshi had recited this particular tale so many times he could do it backwards.

He saunters to the front of the crowd, steps rather light for the theme of the evening (the occasional ‘thunk’ of his staff against the floor the only unsettling thing about him). He holds up one finger as he does, beginning before he reaches ‘center stage’, “The first was said to be brought on by Groudon, titan of Earth’s inner flame, right after the region was abandoned by God. Without the righteousness and order of the Holy One, the sins and failings of mortals corrupted the remaining gods, tainting their hearts and bringing forth Armageddon as humanity deserved for their transgressions against Arceus. Of course, as all things, the rage of the various deities has subsided, but as many warlords here can attest to, the wounds left by the beasts can still be felt in traditions and stories of today.”

Finally at his destination, the warlord turned with a flourish, punctuating the movement with a rather forceful tap of his staff to the floor. “Much like Fontaine, my people took an active approach to preventing the same fate from befalling future generations. Our holy men seered visions of darkness within the volcano, an ever bubbling danger that threatened life as they had begun to know it. While the titan had exhausted itself in the mountain’s creation, it was only a matter of time before the vices of man brought him back.”

“That’s why our ancestors offered the mountain sacrifice- In order to keep the inevitable at bay, they believed by delivering onto the titan the purest souls Ignis had to offer, they would purify the energy of the volcano, sating the god for the time being.”

“Of course, after Heatran- the volcano goddess birthed of one of these sacrifices- appeared, the titan had retreated deep into the desert and Ignis thought itself saved. The kingdom ushered in a new era of prosperity.” Hideyoshi gestured out suddenly, hand moving slowly across the air as though he could see it in front of him, “mining the ore rich mountains, crops flourishing in the now nutrient rich volcanic soil, thriving.”

Just as suddenly his other hand drove his staff hard into the ground, his aura reaching out to snuff out the fire behind him in time with the thudding impact. He gave the crowd only a moment to recover before he began anew, his voice low and foreboding, “Our golden age was met with terrible envy. A tyrant from the east had swept a plague over the region. Blood ran through every kingdom during with advance, and it was only a matter of time before they choked the life out of our golden state. We had reveled in our bounties for too long and had grown soft. There was no way to prepare for war.”

A beat, “Or, so the people thought.”

“Those that held fast against mortal temptations, the monks of the kingdom, looked across the land, both to the invaders and their own flesh and blood, saw nothing but wickedness. Ignis had grown fat with indulgence while the rest of the region starved. We sat comfortably in our homes while those we called allies were slaughtered. The invaders pillaged and ravaged lands with nothing worth taking. They killed those who pleaded mercy.”

A small flame ignited within the cusp of his palm, illuminating his face from below.

“None of them deserved to live.”

“They made pilgrimage to the mountain, calling forth the Aggron who resided within. The Pokemon are revered as children of Groudon, born of the iron within the earth and forging the landscape of the mountain after its erection. They controlled the will of the earth, and through the monk’s forced links, they controlled the fate of the south.”

A sudden boom overtook his voice as well as the fire in his hand, commanding the room in both sound and light, “Combining the power of the demigods, the monks triggered earthquakes around the mountain, releasing the pressure and dark mana from below in a powerful blast! Kingdoms as far north as Dragnor told of an ominous smoke across the horizon. Entire villages were swallowed by lava, people choked on the smoke caked to their throats. Those who escaped the initial onslaught could be counted the unlucky.”

Slowly, the light began to diminish in turn with his volume. Despair hung in his words, “The sun was imprisoned behind a tower of smoke for days. Any Pokemon taken for hunt were cut away to reveal ashen, black meat. Water was nearly impossible to find, and that which was could be considered more toxic than the air. Ignis was dead. The invaders were dead.”

The fire was dead.

“................Or, so we all thought.”

It took a great deal of effort, but Hideyoshi managed to spark the fire behind him back to life, albeit much dimmer than the one their hosts had prepared. He leaned heavily on his staff, taking a second to breathe before going on.

“Every year, on the anniversary of the Great Eruption, we celebrate and give thanks to the Goddess of the volcano for her mercy and bounties, but we have not forgotten the suffering that was inflicted to bring us where we are today. At the witching hour of the volcano’s eruption, every citizen of Ignis adhere’s to an hour of silence to pay respects to those lost.”

His head hung heavy, “Each of us stays perfectly still, heads bowed to the chimes of local temples or horns of the gate watch, as looking up spells nothing but misfortune for the unfortunate soul caught in the wave of the dead.”

“While worthy souls are reincarnated into the cycle of life, there are those that God and the cycle have judged unworthy to walk anew in the land of the living, and are thus trapped in purgatory upon the land. They relive their greatest sins away from the eyes of man, but there are times when the veil between the two worlds are at its thinnest. The dawning hours of an invasion, the dark night of a storm, or the day where all life was extinguished at once.”

He kicked his staff forward with a step, the wood clunking down. And again. And again. Slowly he retreated from the front of the room, idling off to the side. He was sure to inflect his voice accordingly, “Each year, the dammed make their escape from an endless flow of lava, compelling their bloodied and tattered feet forward with each lurching step. Their muscles are black with decay, flaking ash with every movement, yet they cannot seem to find the sweet release of complete disintegration. They reach out to us, bones jutting from melted flesh. They try and call, but their lungs have since become dust, leaving nothing but an agonized wail of the wind and a puff of soot where breath once blew.”

He stopped, forcing uncomfortable eye contact with whomever was closest to him (and the buffet table)

“If you dare look up, if you dare catch a glance of these ashen husks, it is said that their ember eyes consume your very soul, leaving you as empty as they are. In three days time, you lose all will. No drive to eat. No desire to drink. Nothing can compel movement- not even the sting of a whip or caress of a loved one. From ashes to ashes, and to ash you shall be, joining them in their march.”

“And if you were to taunt them with your tongue? Speak a word in anything other than prayer? You face the fate of those who lived just beyond the hour.” Hideyoshi reached behind him, taking with his unstaffed hand a leg of Pidove to bring forward and point for emphasis, “No water may quench the burning thirst in your throat. All food turns to naught but ash in your teeth. In a manner of days you’ll be nothing- bone to dust.”

Of course, being warlord and a religious man, the roasted piece of poultry he just bit into was not at all ashen. As expected of Dragnor, it was delicious!

“So, you know, if any of you guys want to come to Ignis for the festival, its fun the other twenty three hours!”

#spooky scary ransei tales send shivers down your spine #FIRE'S TRUTH (headcanon)

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lemon-drop-soda · 6 years

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Dumb self ship nonsense about Faba that I spent way too long rambling about last night

Listen.

Listen here.

I feel like more people deserve to read these mad ravings, which is why I’m posting them (under the cut, mercifully) before I head out to work today.

A little primer so you know what you’re getting yourself into; the Mr. Darcy fantasy of a man learning to grow the fuck up in order to win over someone else while ultimately bettering himself as a person overall is My Fucking Brand(tm) and if you’re not hear for that, then great. Cool. I didn’t make it for you, I made it for me. I do this with fun villain characters because they’re the best candidates for people that have a lot of growing up to do, whether they realize it or not.

Also for context, I’m one of his interns at Aether

Alright, with that out of the way, allow me to recant my crazed tangents from last night/this morning (copypasted from a discord conversation with a friend).

OK so

This fucking idiot is always wearing goggles that have a green tint

I'm willing to bet that it's mainly for safety, but also style because b e a n

Anyway

Fucker doesn't generally see the world without the green filter because of that, so he like assumes that everything is that tinted color

One day I happen to be in his office, maybe dropping off papers n stuff, he didn't hear me come in, something something I end up knocking his goggles off by accident

I do my usual sorrys, making sure I didn't scratch him by accident, and as he's saying "watch where you're going!" He stops himself mid sentence, blinking to adjust to the actual light in the room

I go to ask what's up and he says, sheepishly

"Have your eyes always been so blue? I haven't noticed until now..."

After that he's just thinking "fuck what else am I not noticing???"

Because I think he's pretty self centered/has tunnelvision for himself and his research and would treat his subordinates as interchangeable

But like his pining would evolve into like trying harder to notice and remember things about me

He keeps a little sticky note pad of his observations

And that turns into seemingly random gestures

Like "here, you might prefer these scissors instead. Their supposed to be ergonomic, so ultimately better for your left handedness, right?"

Or like "now I know it's a little early for your break, but if you start it now I'm pretty sure a new Chopped is starting in the break room"

"A little Pikipek told me the you've been having trouble finding rainbow beans for your Pokemon. I just so happen to have these spare ones here I don't intend to keep. I promise you don't have to pay me back, consider them a gift"

Oh he tries to be a stealthy motherfucker, and knowing me I probably wouldn't pick up on it

That is

Until he starts bringing me coffee that's 3/4 part creamer, 1/8 ice and 1/8 actual coffee

At that point I'm just like "okay, pause. What are you doing?"

And before he can feign ignorance I call him out for 1) basically doing for me what is expected of me to do for the rest of the foundation, and 2) only treating me this way when he has several other interns he could very much be treating better

And he trips up a little

"W-well, is it wrong of me to like you more?"

And I'd answer "no, but the rest of the foundation doesn't need to know that, and I'm pretty sure doing the bare minimum when it comes to treating interns like people shouldn't be reserved for favorites"

He gets a little upset because he knows I'm right and ejects himself from the conversation

And while he could terminate my internship then and there, he still wants me around because he's in too fuckin deep at this point

So instead he goes the opposite route, doing Random Acts Of (Spiteful) Thoughtfulness

Like. Actually learning everyone's names to start

Then learning about everyone's reasons for working/interning at Aether, what their hobbies are, basically what he was doing with me but a lot more up front about it

What ultimately happens is that Local Beanman Learns About The Other Half Of The Conversation

Turns out knowing more about the people who work for and with him makes Faba want to impress them in ways that they would appreciate more, which in turn strokes his ego in a far more satisfying way than ignoring their humanity ever did

While still not nearly as well liked as Wicke, respect for Branch Chief Faba becomes a lot less influenced by just his prestigious title and more so by his effort in forming a less robotic feeling work relationship

He does still have an ulterior motive for this; it's all to impress me

A lot of his earlier notes on me talk about my kindness and listening skills, as they're traits he deeply admires in me and made him feel envious that he couldn't convincingly pull off

Slowly he comes to realize that he's capable of those things (to a certain degree), with or without spite fueling him

In being childish to try and prove a point, he ends up learning that if he wants to win me over, he needs to grow up

I imagine he would get to a point where he feels comfortable with asking his colleagues for advice on how to approach me again and confess his feelings

A lot of them aren't all that helpful. "Get her a bouquet! A really, really big bouquet." "Girls calm down when given chocolate, right?" That sort of thing

The advice improves when he explains what went down, and it mostly boils down to "she at least deserves an apology"

And that's what he ultimately gives, explaining "I'm sure you don't want excuses or some grand gestures for me to prove this new leaf I've turned over lately. That wouldn't be the point, after all. I wanted to tell you that... you mean the world to me, and I'm sorry that I tried to claim you like some rare, shiny Pokémon. I'm realizing now that you'd rather not feel like you're being lured away by some uncaring, selfish bastard. You were right about me, and I... respect you too much to make that the end of it. Y-you deserve better, I want to be better. Can you... would you accept that?"

at that point I'm like "it's a start" and give him a peck on the cheek

Faba Found Dead in His Office: Local Branch Chief Ascends to Another Plane After Receiving Kiss from the Woman He Loves

#lemony text #lemony fics #self ship #lemon's hungry for beans #uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yea

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journalsofashinyhunter · 4 years

Text

The First Encounter

Nov. 14 XXXX

Journal Entry #1

Shiny Pokemon, at least that’s the name of those who claim to have seen one have taken to calling them, saying their hides seem to shimmer in the light. Most regard them as nothing more than myths, and not like the myths who live alongside us such as Celebi or Azelf who’s sightings are few and far in between but their effects on the world ring across the land. Nothing more than fantastical stories, after all, who would believe someone claiming to have seen a pink Dratini. I, however, believe every one of those stories, after all, I’ve seen one.

I spent the beginning of my childhood in the laid back region of Alola, before my mother, an accomplished flying-type trainer was offered a job in Mistralton City as a researcher of the local bird Pokemon. She took the job, of course, my father being a professional Pokemon breeder looked forward to new customers and Pokemon. It wasn’t long after I came of the age where children dream of adventure, I, however, was too timid to truly leave home, after all, I couldn’t even catch any of the local Pidove.

My parents believed I just needed a push in the right direction bought a plane ticket to the region of Johto after hearing me talk excitedly about the old ruins and architecture of the region. Before leaving my father handed me a baby Budew saying “You may not have a connection with flying-types but a calm grass one might just be the one for you.” Now when I looked into that little Budew’s eyes I knew this would be a lifelong partner, it, of course, shot toxic powder into my face as soon as I lifted it out of my father's hands, I named her Cecilia.

I landed in the scenic city of Goldenrod, the city still tiny in comparison to Castelia city, but not many cites compare anyway. I decided to not challenge the Goldenrod city gym as I heard stories of an extremity powerful Milktank, I instead traveled to Violet city training Cecilia and catching a couple wild Pokemon, preparing for my first gym challenge. Making it to the city unhindered paying a visit to the Pokemon center, and headed to the doors of the Violet gym.

I was, utterly defeated, not even making it to the gym leader, being beat by one of the trainers there to test the challengers, seeing if they were truly ready to face the leader. I tried this quite a few more times, the result was always the same. After nearly a week of constant losses my Pokemon obviously unhappy and exhausted, I caught the attention of the leader. A man with stern eyes, I was mid-battle with another trainer when a voice calling for us rang out to stop. The trainer’s Pidgey stopping the gust it had been whipping up, the Sentret I had been using, breathing a sigh of relief.

The leader pulled me aside scolding me for pushing my Pokemon, my partners, beyond their limit. Finishing his lecture after getting his point across he finally asked me why was I pushing my partners as I have been. I told him of how both my parents were both so accomplished with how they worked with Pokemon. I wanted to make my mark the way they had, battling being my first choice as most first time trainers do, I couldn’t afford to lose. The leader seemed sad for a moment then said, “Perhaps battling isn't you’re calling, and for many, it isn't and that’s ok. If you have your heart set on working with Pokemon then I encourage that but many jobs involve them, your own parents being proof of that perhaps you should think about it.” With that, he bids me farewell as he was called away, to battle a worthy trainer.

At the time I was crushed, an accomplished trainer had told me I don’t have what it takes for this life. I took my team to the Pokemon center handing over the wild-caught Pokemon to the nurse telling her I wished to release them she sent them on their way to a rehabilitation center, I couldn’t, however, bring myself to part with Cecilia, who was obviously still upset over the constant battles. I spent the next few days caring for her and apologizing for how I’ve treated her, ignoring most of the messages my parents sent me. I got a fateful flyer one day; an advertisement, for the Ruins of Alph research center. ‘Come visit us and learn about ancient culture!’ having no idea what to do next recalling my original excitement of learning of all the old ruins of Johto, I make the journey.

The Ruins of Alph weren't that far from Violet city carrying Cecilia in my arms, as many in Johto were fond of having their close partners out of their balls, claiming it caused them to bond much faster. I visited the research center getting a lengthy explanation of the ruins and the Pokemon that may have lived here, getting permission to explore the lower levels.

The lower levels of the ruins are creepy, no other way to say it, it is truly unnerving being down there with barely any wild Pokemon. I spent time viewing the various statues and crumbling glyphs when I spotted a small group of the rare Pokemon Unown. I ducked down quickly behind a fallen pillar hoping to get the chance to observe these rare Pokemon, I was, however, a tad too late as calls of alarm rang throughout the group. They ran deeper into the corridors, but I saw it, only for an instant an F Unown with a bright blue body. Its body caught the faint light in the corridors its body glistening.

I lost sight of them as I sat there dumbfounded, the small smattering of stories I’ve heard through my life of odd-colored Pokemon coming to the front of my mind. As I realized this I gave chase but it was too late they had disappeared, I ran out of the underground ruins to the research center telling them what I saw. I was laughed at, I felt disheartened after not being taken seriously, a blue Unown how ridiculous right?

I left the ruins with my spirits lower than ever, after all, what was I going to do? Becoming a trainer seemed to be out of my league and I had been laughed at by researchers without a question no matter what I claimed to have seen, maybe Pokemon weren't even my calling. I started towards Violet city apologizing to Cecilia for being such a failure of a trainer. It was at this point Cecilia seemed agitated in my arms, she had been sitting quietly for all this but now started wiggling to get free. I placed her on the ground and she started scolding me, as I don’t speak to Pokemon I didn’t understand her completely but I understood her meaning, I couldn’t give up.

After getting that point across she walked up to me pushing her bulb against the blue of my pants looking up at me then pushing against my pants almost glaring at me trying to make me understand. Finally, I understood blue, she wanted me to find the blue Unown I lifted her up explaining how Unown was very rare and the one we saw was long gone by now but she had gave me an excellent idea. We made it back to the Pokemon center and I start to research, and sure enough stories, a small number of photos with different species of Pokemon with different colors, and claims from some to have hatched them from eggs.

I felt an obsession take root in my heart, this was it, this is my calling I would research this strange phenomenon. Take definitive proof of each species odd colored members, I would be the first to do so. I would become a shiny hunter.

#the first of hopefully a series #Pokemon #shiny journals #journal snippets

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fereality-indy · 7 years

Text

Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region: A Pokemon Falls AU

Pokemon Falls: Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region

by fereality

Chapter One

Narrator: As we begin this day we happen across a sign that reads 'Welcome to the Gravity Falls Region, Home Of Professor Pines!' or least it did before a pair of kids on the back of a Pokemon barreled through it.

“Hi everyone, my name is Dipper Pines and the girl behind me on this Gogoat is my sister Mabel Pines. You may be wondering why we're currently running away from an unimaginable horror, well let me tell you what happened.”

Flashback To Earlier In The Day

We now find ourselves looking upon the inside of what appears to be the lovechild of a Pokemart and a tourist shop, the Poke Shack. The heart and soul of the town of Swindale. Along one wall there were your normal escape ropes, potions, and various healing items. But spread throughout the rest of the shop there were T-shirts, snow globes, poke dolls, and other useless trinkets. A museum full of Pokemon fossils and other local oddities was ran by the owner Stan Pines. Now I know what you may be thinking, what is a world famous Pokemon professor running a tourist trap museum in a small town like Swindale? Well that's where you would be wrong, the museum isn't ran by the illustrious Professor, but by his silver tongued twin brother. But I digress, our story isn't about either of them, Nor is it about the portly handy man who comes once a week to give the Shack a once over. It's not even about the teenage red head currently sitting behind the counter reading a magazine article about the band 'Koffing and the Toxics' out of the Unova region. No our story is about the two tweens that are just walked in the front door. Though the were a boy and a girl is was easy to see they were twins.

“Alright Grunkle Stan, we've been here a week already. When is Grunkle Ford gonna let us get our Pokemon?”, The male twin asked jamming one hand into the pocket of his blue vest, while adjusting the brim of his hat with the other.

“What, you mean you guys weren't sent up to be free labor for the summer?”, Stan asked back with his own dry humor, “Dipper are you two trying to say something about the way I've been treating you? Like you said you've only been here a week and you're already to just leave a lonely old man.”

“Grunkle Stan, no. It's not like that,” The female twin said as she reached into her purple Morelull covered sweater and pulled out a sticker book. Pulling out one she slapped it on her great uncles tuxedo jacket, “It's just that we've already waited two extra years due us moving so much thanks to dad's job transferring him so much the last couple of years. We just want to finally go on our Pokemon adventure.”

Looking down at the sticker Stan saw that it was gray with a pick Pokemon in the center. And when you factor that in with the lettering on it, it read 'I'm Happiny to see you!'. That play on words caused to old curmudgeon to smirk.

“Alright tell you what, I need some signs hung up in the woods to advertise the Shack here. You never know when some suck, er some trainer might see the sign and decide to come visit our humble Shack. While that's being done I'll see if I can get Poindexter's nose out of his studies long enough that I can find out about your Pokemon,” Stan said as he slid a stack of arrow signs out from behind a shelf of hats., “Now who wants to go hang them up.”

“NOT IT!”, both twins yell simultaneously.

“Also not it,” the handyman called from outside of a window.

“No one asked you Soos,” Stan called towards the window.

“Touche,” Soos the handyman replied before he continued to walk on around the side of the Shack making sure nothing had come loose overnight.

“And no volunteering from you Wendy?”, Stan asked the teenage redhead.

While not even looking up from the paragraph describing how Roxie uses her Koffing as a fog machine during her shows Wendy barely reaches out blindly and says, “Oh no, they're too far away.”

“Alright smart alice,” Stan grumbled for a moment before he turned back to the twins and said, “Ok, then. Eneeny, meeny, minie, you!”

He was pointing directly at Dipper.

“But Grunkle Stan, I don't want to go out in the woods without a Pokemon. I'd be defenseless if I got attacked. And I always feel like they're watching me, waiting on me to step out there alone.”, Dipper tried pleading.

“None of the Pokemon around here will attack you if you don't have a Pokemon Dipper,” Stan replied before adding under his breath, “unless you provoke them.”

“What was that?”, Dipper asked, swearing to himself he heard Stan say something extra.

“I said you have nothing to worry about. Now go get those signs hung up,” Stan said as he shoved the signs into Dipper's hands and pushed him out of the door.

Out In The Woods Surrounding Swindale

Dipper had been out in the woods for nearly two hours and was finally down to his final sign to hang up. And surprisingly he had yet to encounter any Pokemon or other trainers but still it felt like he was being watched.

“Ugh, Grunkle Stan. Nobody ever believes anything I say,” Dipper said s he went to hammer in the nail to hang up the last sign. When the head of the hammer hit, he heard a hollow metallic sound from the tree. Feeling around the trunk of the tree he discovered it held a secret panel. Opening it he saw some old fashioned mechanical apparatus, he played with the buttons and levers. Behind him there appeared an opening in the ground. Walking over he peered in and saw an ancient Pokedex. Picking it up he saw that someone had written inside the cover that read 'Trust No One'. He then realized this version of the Pokedex had a small qwerty pad below the screen. It still had a charge, so he began to look through the listings. He saw several listings he recognized, but there were more that looked different than any he remembered reading in his studies. About half way through he saw the entries appeared to all revert to the descriptions he was used to seeing. He then saw there appeared to be other files in the Pokedex, including some type of log. Opening to a random page he read 'Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed. I'm being watched. I must hide this Pokedex before they find it. Remember: They have their fingers in everything in Gravity Falls, there is no one you can trust.

“Hi oh,” Mabel said as she appeared behind him.

“Ahh,” Dipper called out. He had been so engrossed in reading the entries that he hadn't heard her walk up.

“Whatcha got there?”, Mabel asked him looking over his shoulder at the Pokedex, “Some nerd gadget?'

“Let's get back to the Shack,” Dipper said looking around to see if there was anyone else watching the them, “Grunkle Stan may have reached Great Uncle Ford by now.”

Back At The Shack

“It's amazing! Grunkle Stan said I was being paranoid, but according to this Pokedex, the Gravity Falls region has this secret dark side.”, Dipper said bringing up one of the log entries and showing it to Mabel. It mentioned

“Whoa! Shut up!”, Mabel said as pushes Dipper.

“And get this! After a certain point, the entries just.. stop, like the guy who was writing it... just mysteriously disappeared.”, Dipper continuedas he righted himself. As he was about to explain some more the doorbell rings, “Who in the world would use the doorbell here?”

“Well, time to spill the beans.”, Mabel said as she knocks over a can of beans that just happened to be sitting on the table, “Boop. Beans. This girl's got a date! Woot woot!”

As she finished talking she falls backward into the chair, giggling. Dipper just sat there for a moment staring at his sister.

“Let me get this straight: in the time I was gone, you already found a boyfriend?”, he finally said getting over the shock of what she said, “I though this summer was about our Pokemon adventure, not romance.”

“What can I say? I guess I'm just IRRESISTIBLLLLE! And who's to say I can't do both,” Mabel said as she looked at her brother with her cheerful grin. She was about to continue when the doorbell rang twice more. Getting up she called out, “Okay. Coming!”

As Dipper sat looking at the Pokedex when Stan walked into the room, “Whatcha looking at there sport?”

Grabbing the first thing he could reach Dipper opened up a magazine before looking at the cover, “Uhm, BlackGlasses for Old Men.”

“That's a good issue,” Stan said before taking a drink of his can of Pitt soda, “Talked to Ford's assistant earlier, he said he'll have him call as soon as he gets back from the field.”

Mabel walked back into the room standing next to some teen in a black hoodie, “Hey, family! Say hello to my new boyfriend!”

“Sup?”, the teen said with a slight nod to acknowledge the people in the room.

“Hey...”, Dipper replied.

“How's it hanging?”, Stan asked in a way of greeting.

“So, what's your name?”, Dipper asked looking the character who claims to be dating his sister over with a protective glare.

“Uh,” the teen started shiftily looking around, not expecting to be questioned, “it's Norman!”

Mabel feels his arm as she began to speak, “Oh. Little muscle there. That's...what a surprise...”

“Where did you two meet?”, Dipper asked as he continued his scrutiny of his sister's paramour du jour.

“We met at the cemetery. He's really deep,” Mabel said looking up at Norman.

Dipper grabbed his sister and pulled her to the side. Once they were around the corner and far enough that he was certain the teen couldn't hear in a whisper Dipper asked, “What in the world were you doing at the cemetery?”

“I was scouting it as a place to possibly find some Pokemon, like a cute Litwick or Pumpkaboo.”, Mabel replied without missing a beat. She lended back and waved at Norman, “I was helping a Pansage that looked to have lost a fight when he introduced himself. He was so sweet, wanting to make sure there was nothing wrong with poor injured Pokemon.”

“Well I don't trust this guy,” Dipper said pulling out the Pokedex, “Remember what that log page said 'Trust No One'.”

“Well, what about trusting me, Dip Dop?”, Mabel asked as she booped him on the nose.

“I do trust you,” Dipper sighed, “it's him I don't trust.”

Mabel pushes him away as she backed into the living room. Before she makes it all the way in she said, “Dipper, listen to me. Norman and I are going on a date, and I'm gonna be ADORABLE, and he's gonna be DREAMY.”

“Bu-bu-but -,” Dipper stuttered.

Turning around once she was fully in the other room she added, “And I am not gonna let you ruin it with one of your crazy CONSPIRACIES!”

“Well their not crazy if their true,” Dipper softly called back to her as she walked over to Norman.

Mabel walked over to Norman and asked, “Well what are we gonna do?”

“You wanna go hold hands or... whatever?,” Norman said as he turned to head out of the living room.

“Oh, oh, my goodness.” Mabel giggled. Looking back towards Stan and Dipper she called out, “Don't wait up!”

Norman points at Stan and Dipper with gun fingers and runs into the wall as he turned back around on his way out.

Not wanting Grunkle Stan to find out about the Pokedex, Dipper headed up to the room he and his sister shared. As he sat on his bed he thought, 'There was something about Norman that wasn't right. I decided to consult the Pokedex's log.'

As he scanned through the entries he came across one talking about the group that the author was worried about. Skimming over the chapter he read the following, 'Though my investigations have not been able to produce a name, the group is known in certain circles for attempting to steal any Pokemon that could be considered oddities; like shiny Pokemon or even those with abnormal moves. If they were different, then this group wants them and they aren't afraid to use force (or other means) to get them. While I have not bee able to gather any concrete evidence of the groups existence, I have encountered those who have fallen victim to this groups crimes. I have noticed that the descriptions of the people thieves have them all dress in highly similar fashion whether they act in groups or are singular in their efforts. The outfit that has been described to me is a rather dark ensemble consisting of a hooded jacket, dark or black pants, and various adornments. I know this is a vague description, but I believe it is done this way due to their propensity to recruit from the areas youth.'

Going over what he had just read Dipper's mind came to one conclusion, Norman was a member of the group the author was worried about and he must have been sent to woo Mabel so that the group could gain access to what ever Pokemon his great uncle Ford was currently studying. He needed to go save her. He rushed down stairs and outside to find Stan leading a tour of the Shack's oddities.

“Stan! Stan!,” he called out from the back of the crowd. They were packed so close together he could barely see his Grunkle, let alone be heard by him.

Out In The Woods

“Finally, we’re alone.”, Mabel said as she sat down on a log only partially facing Norman.

“Yes. Alone...” , Norman said as he reached towards the zipper on his hoodie.

Mystery Shack

“Stan! Stan!,” Dipper continues to call for his Grunkle, who was explaining how the rock he was showing off only looked like a Geodude and was not in fact an actual Geodue. He finally gives up as he sees Wendy pull up on a GoGoat and runs over to her saying, “Wendy! Wendy! Wendy! I need to borrow the GoGoat so I can save my sister from an evil Pokemon stealing organization!”

“Sure. Have fun,” Wendy said as she handed Dipper the reins to Gomper, the Shack's emergency transportation. (Stan was to cheap to get a golf cart, especially when he had a Skiddo that he was able to evolve into a GoGoat for transportation. As Dipper climbed on she added, “Don't go hitting any pedestrians now, ok.”

As Dipper was just about to head towards the direction he last saw Norman and his sister head, he was stopped by Soos. Soos held out a baseball bat as he said, “Heard you say you're after an evil organization, this may help.”

“Thanks,” Dipper said as he took the offered item.

“And this is incase you come across any buried treasure,” Soos added as he handed Dipper a shovel.

“Thanks again,” Dipper said before he headed out to the woods.

“Better safe than sorry!”, Soos calls towards him from where he left him

Cut Back To The Woods

“Uh, Mabel, now that we’ve gotten to know each other, there’s...”, Norman exhales, “...there’s something I should tell you.”

“Oh, Norman, you can tell me anything!”. Mabel said as she got up and turned to look at him, but deep inside she was thinking, 'Please be a vampire, please be a vampire!'

Taking a step back Norman started, “All right, just... just don’t freak out, okay? Just... just keep an open mind, be cool!”

He then unzips his coat and throws it off; underneath he's wearing a spandex biking outfit.

“Is this weird? Is this too weird? Do you need to sit down?”, Norman said as he signaled towards an offshoot of the path they were on, “Guys come out here and help her.”

At that four other spandex wearing guys, two pushing tandem bikes, came out from the offshoot and joined him in attempting to help Mabel. She continued to stare at their outfits in shock. They all seemed to just be beginning to grow beards as there was scruff on all their chins but Norman.

“R-r-right, I’ll explain. So! We’re the Gnomes. We're a bicycle gang. First off. Get that one outta the way.”, Norman started explaining.

“Uh...”, was all Mabel could say at the moment.

“Well, first off my name's not Norman. I’m Geoff, and here we have Carson, Steve, Jason and...”, Norm, no Jeff, said as he was attempting to introducing his cohorts. Turning to the last one he said, “I’m sorry, I always forget your name.”

“Schmebulock,” the dark haired member of the Gnomes said, “but everybody calls me Lok.”

“Schmebulock! Right, sorry Lok.” Geoff said smacking himself in the forehead in the process. Turning back to Mabel he said, “Anyways, long story short, us nomes have been lookin' for a new queen! Right, guys?”

“Yeah, a queen.”, the other Gnomes agreed.

“Heh. So what do you say?”, Geoff said as he taps Steve who pulls out a pink spandex shirt, “Do you want to join our little gan..., I mean group. Blah! Can’t talk today!”

Mabel pushed the proffered shirt away as she spoke, “Look... I'm sorry, guys. You're really sweet, but, I'm a girl, and you're a gang, and it's like, "what"? Yikes...”

“We understand. We'll never forget you, Mabel.” Geoff said as he and the rest of the Gnomes look sad.

Mabel smiles as it seems the things have ended on a good note for her at least.

Geoff the looked up with a gleam in his eye, “To tell you the truth we only wanted you to join so we'd have an in with that old fogey in the research lab. But since you turned us down we're gonna kidnap you.”

“Huh?”, Mabel responded as she processed what Geoff just told her. The next thing she knows the Gnomes have grabbed her and are proceeding to tie her up. At this point she begins screaming.

Cut To Dipper Riding Gompers Through The Woods

'Don't worry, Mabel! I'll save you from those thieves!', Dipper thought as he barreled down the path as fast as Gompers would take him. Suddenly he heard Mabel yelling out “Help!”

“Hold on, Mabel! I'm coming,” Dipper called as he steered Gompers towards the sound of her voice. In a matter of moments he comes to the clearing where he sees his sister being tied up by a group of spandex wearing teens. Hopping off Gompers he says, “This is not what I expected.”

Grabbing the bat and holding it horizontally in front of him he bum rushed the five Gnomes, catching them off guard, and once they had hit the ground he grabbed Mabel and rushed back to Gompers. Tossing her on he jumped into the saddle and sent Gompers heading back towards the Shack. It was only after they were moving that he took time to untie Mabel.

“I told you I didn't like him,” He said as he worked on one of the knots.

“Sorry, he just seemed so nice.”, Mabel said looking a little downhearted.

From behind them they hear Geoff calling out, “You think you can stop us, boy? You have no idea what we're capable of. The Gnomes are a powerful gang! Do not trifle with the those you can't handle.”

Looking back the twins see that Geoff was behind them on a mountain bike while the other four were on a pair of tandem bikes. As they got closer Dipper was suddenly attacked by a Patrat and a Rattata. First he grabbed the Patrat and hit the pummel of the saddle with it before throwing it off. Mabel then tried to grab the Rattata and ended up punching Dipper in the face as the Rattata let go, but it did succeed in grabbing Dipper's hat as it fell away from the rapidily moving Gompers. Schembulock and Jason stopped long enough to get their Pokemon back in their Pokeballs.

“Dipper watch out!”, Mabel called as she turned back towards the direction they were heading.

Dipper turned around just in time to see that Gompers was taking them straight through the 'Welcome to the Gravity Falls Region, Home Of Professor Pines!' sign that was on a cliff just outside of Swindale. As Gompers landed they took a hard roll but ended up just behind the PokeShack. Gompers was down and would not be able to help them anymore.

“Thank you Gompers,” Mabel said as she checked on the GoGoat, “I'm sorry you got hurt trying to help me.”

Gompers sort of nuzzled her hand and chewed on the sleeve of her sweater.

“This is the end of the line for you,” Geoff said pulling out a Pokeball.

“Stay back, man!” Dipper said swiping at the air with the bat to keep the bicyclists away.

Geoff released a Wooper before calling out, “Wooper water gun.”

The blast of water that flew out of the blue Pokemon knocked the bat out of Dipper's hands and away from the twins.

Dipper and Mabel grab each other and scream, “Aaahhh!”

Collecting himself Dipper looked around quickly, “Uh, where's Grunkle Stan?!”

In The Shack

While holding up a Toy Polywhirl with a string pull swirly pattern stomach Stan says to a group of tourists, “Behold! The world's most distracting object.”

As a group the tourists say, “Oooh...”

As his own eyes start to nearly glaze over Stan says, “Just try to look away, you can't! I can't even remember what I was talking about.”

Back Outside

Geoff and the Gnomes are looking threateningly at the twins with his hand on Wooper's head Geoff says, “It's the end of the line, kids! Come quietly before we do something crazy!”

Trying to protect Mabel, Dipper steps between her and the Gnomes. As he takes one good look over the group he whispers back, “There's gotta be a way out of this!”

As if Arceus had heard him a green blur flew in between the twins and the bicycle gang, knocking Dipper back to Mabel. As he got a better look he saw it was a Pansage. He also notice it had gauze wrapped around it's head and on it's left arm. Looking over at Mabel he saw that she seemed to recognize this Pokemon.

“You're the Pansage I helped earlier, aren't you?”, Mabel asked as she took in the sight of the twins protector.

“Sage,” the Pokemon called back over it's shoulder

“And you want to help us now?”, Mabel asked the Pokemon who she had found hurt earlier and who was now risking his own well being to try and help her and her brother.

“Sage,” he said with a nod of his head.

“Thank you,” Mabel quietly replied.

“That's so touching,” Geoff called out, “Not. Wooper watergun.”

The Pansage rolled to it's left and dodged the blast. With a call of 'Sage' four vines flew out from it's back and began striking the Whooper.

“Guys, give me some back up here.”, Geoff called to his gang.

As one the other four threw out Pokeballs. There was the Rattata and Patrat from earlier and joining them was a Sentret and a Lillipup.

“Yeah, whatcha gonna do now? It's five versus one,” Geoff started asking when suddenly the air was filled with seeds as the Pansage began using bulletseed.

“I, ow, don't, ow, know, ow, about you boss, ow, but we're running away, ow.”, Carson called out as he and Steve hopped on their bike, their Pokemon already back in their Pokeballs.

“Alright, ow, retreat, ow.”, Geoff called as he pulled his fainting Wooper back into his Pokeball, “We'll get you back for this!...”

As new barrage of seeds pelted him before he was even done speaking. He rushed to his bike at pedaled away as fast as he could.

As soon as he was away the twins rushed to the side of the Pansage.

“Thank you, than you.”, Mabel said as she hugged the Pansage.

“Mabel, we need to get him inside. He's still hurt,” Dipper said as he began to help bring the wounded Pansage into the family area of the Shack.

=======================

Well here we go, this is the start of my Pokemon AU for Gravity Falls. While I had fun starting this one and I will be writing more it is also the first that will be cut if things get to be too much. Next chapter the twins will be getting their starters and begin their journey.

Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:

Gravity Heroes, A Superhero AU. A few months after the Mystery Twins head home from Gravity Falls Mabel gets a call from Soos telling her that Dipper was found turned to stone out in the woods. The problem is Dipper is standing right next to her. This leads them off to a new adventure.

Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents.

Gravity Falls Valor Force Rangers, In summer of 2016 an ancient force has arrived in Gravity Falls intent on finding weakened layers of reality that are prevalent in the area and exploiting them. Realizing fear is one of the ways to find the weak points, he and his evil henchman have begun corrupting both creatures and objects in order to terrorizing the populace. Taking a cue from a friend he met while stuck on the other side of the portal, Ford recruits five 'teens with attitudes' to combat this threat.

The Curse, thanks to a misunderstanding Wendy is targeted by a fairy curse. This is a short story following what happens afterwords.

I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the Gravity Heroes AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up.

Again I'd like to give a shout out to dusk4224, EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.

Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.

#Pokemon Falls AU #Gravity Falls #Dipper #Mabel #AU

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thiswebsiteisbooty · 7 years

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On the EVO donation drive

If you’re reading this on Tumblr and still following me you probably know that I pretty much only come around to post about EVO and then peace out a few days later. I’m not sure how many of you that is because Im not 100% on how the new dashboard works but if you are here then you know I’m around a little early. But I’m posting *about* EVO anyway so there ya go.

If you’re reading this on Facebook then I know a lot of you guys probably only have at best a passing knowledge of what EVO is but you’ve seen me post about it, particularly Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 a lot, so I’m just gonna ask if you guys have any spare money please consider donating here:

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/evo-2017-player-vote-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3

Your money goes to the Make-a-Wish foundation, and you make a guy you know personally really happy as well.

And as a final pretense before I really get into this I’m just gonna be honest this is gonna be pretty rant-y, so it might not be a super focused read and will probably contain a few expletives so just be pre-warned.

Originally I was gonna come here and I was going to break down the poll game by game, essentially breaking down why I felt like each game shouldn’t be voted for and why Marvel should. But as it stands right now the winner is going to be either Marvel or Pokken, so this is mostly going to be centered around why I think Marvel is the most deserving game, and why I feel Pokken just might be the least deserving, or at least one of the least deserving.

And every time I look at that generosity page my stomach does flips because it’s literally like a best/worst case scenario. But the funny part about this entire situation is I feel like Marvel shouldn’t even be on this poll. Marvel absolutely *should* already have its spot. Regardless of how you the individual might feel about Marvel 3 in particular, Marvel vs. Capcom has been practically synonymous with EVO. Up until only last year Marvel, be it 2, 3, or Ultimate 3, has always been sort of the penultimate game for EVO, only behind whatever Street Fighter was out at the time. I don’t know if I agree with IFC Yipes in that Marvel made EVO (mostly because I haven’t been around *that* long), but I do agree that without it EVO never would have reached the point that it has. And you look at Marvel 3 specifically, and that game has been a staple of EVO through damn near every iteration of Street Fighter 4, even lasting long enough to share the stage with Street Fighter 5, outlived who knows how many Netherrealms games, Soul Caliburs, Tekkens, Personas, you name it. And that’s not to knock (most) of those games but to make a point that not even taking into account 2, Marvel 3 specifically has been a prefixture of this event for a long ass time

And never mind the countless moments that the game has given us. Back in 2013 what was one of the top things people talked about when EVO was over? Justin’s absolutely incredible run, beating odds on favorite Chris G and going on to nearly defeat Floker to win his first Marvel 3 EVO. Then there was the following year when he clutched it out against F Champ and beat Chris G once more to finally actually do it.

Hell even last year, Chris G, despite being the odds on favorite to win several years in a row, *finally* went ahead and took the one tournament that had alluded him for years. And the year before that when KBR (even though I dont much care for him) became the first non-American to win Marvel at EVO.

People have known for a minute with MvCI on the horizon that this was probably going to be Marvel 3′s last year at EVO, and so people were gearing up for it’s proper final sendoff and now you’re telling me that Marvel might not even be *at* EVO?

And I know there’s a lot of people who agree with me on this because every where I go, even from people who voted for different games, even for people who voted for Pokken, I keep hearing the same thing: “I’m voting for Pokken, but Marvel absolutely deserves to be there”

“Marvel shouldn’t even be a part of the poll”

“There shouldn’t even be a poll, Marvel should take that 9th slot”

And don’t even get me started on how tight I am that there are not one but TWO Smash games, games that barely even qualify as fighting games, games that a good chunk of the FGC never wanted around in the first place, at EVO, but Marvel might not. Especially since y’all are a good chunk of the people pushing for Pokken (which we’ll get to trust me). If I hear one more Melee player complain about Melee being on Saturday and not Sunday while Marvel might not even *be* at EVO I honestly might lose my shit.

And I mean no disrespect to my Smash 4 community, particularly the local Nebraska scene cuz y’all know I have nothing but respect for you guys. My problem really mostly is with Melee, that relic of a game that people just cant seem to let go of. But it’s so funny to me at how often the Smash crowd, particularly Melee, talks about how much they don’t need the FGC and yet they won’t leave.

But it isn’t even really about that. I could sit here and talk shit about Melee all day long but you know whatever. They have there spot and that’s fine. But suffice to say that if it were up to me, Melee would get booted in favor of Marvel in a heartbeat.

But let’s talk about this poll for an honest minute though. If you remember the donation drive they did a while ago and compare it to this one, the last one blows this one way out of the water. Every single game on that list was at least, you know, a fighting game, with actual communities that would absolutely show up to play. I mean there was Melee and Brawl of course but again shit, at least those two games are closer to fighting games than shit like Windjammers, and Nidhogg. There wasn’t goofy meme-y shit like those two, and ARMS. And dont get me wrong I’m excited to play ARMS but THAT GAMES NOT EVEN OUT YET (and before anyone brings up “Injustice 2 isn’t out either” just know that in my book that game can go fuck itself for about the same reason. BUT EVEN THEN, that game at least has a known community that will come out and play it). We don’t even know what community, if any, is gonna come out for ARMS, by that point, since it’ll be coming out 1-3 months before EVO (I’d remind you that ARMS doesn’t even have a set release date. Just “Spring 2017″), that game isn’t even gonna have any real advanced tech discovered yet, if there even is any to discover. Not that any of those stand a chance at winning at this point but the fact that they were included kinda pisses me off. I can kind of see Windjammers since a lot of the FGC likes that game but Nidhogg? Do most of yall even remember that game? And ARMS? REally?

I know someone’s gonna be like, “Well the last donation drive had Divekick, and Fighting is Magic”. And I was one of the first people to say that FiM was probably the weakest, meme-ist option put up there but you know, that was happened because the FGC is filled with trolls. If you remember, the only games that made the donation drive were games that got at least 500 votes on the Facebook poll and I’m pretty confident that 490 of FiM’s votes were trolls being trolls. And at least in Divekick’s defense, that game was made by a dude from that community, for the community. Divekick is basically one massive FGC in joke anyway so if Divekick had made it, it basically would’ve been a big thank you to one of the FGC’s own.

But I think what makes me the most upset about the whole situation isn’t even just that Marvel might not get the proper sendoff that it deserves, but that it’s Swan Song stands a strong chance of being snatched away by Pokken. And just, let’s review Pokken for a sec.

First off, this was the game that was being removed from Japanese arcades in droves because nobody gave enough of a shit to play it. And we’re talking about a culture that loves both Pokemon AND fighting games, and they wanted absolutely nothing to do with that game.

And then, when it came stateside, those of yall that watched tournaments saw that pretty much ever ad breakthere was a little vingette for Pokken. They tried their hardest to get people to actually care about this game, and yet... you pratically had to dig through the Twitch trenches just to find Pokken tournaments. People weren’t watching, and people weren’t entering. Then it got to EVO because Nintendo money, and it had one of the lowest entrants and viewer rates of any of the games there.

Then post EVO, a lot of majors didn’t even run the game because people weren’t entering or watching. And speaking of Nintendo, I would remind you that Nintendo themselves have since dropped Pokken from their Pokemon Championship Series. So not even the parent company gives a fuck about the game at this point.

So with all that being said, never in a million years did I think that Marvel would be neck and neck with Pokken. KI, maybe. MKX, maybe. Shit I figured even Windjammers had a better shot than Pokken and yet here we are.

And you might wonder where the fuck the money is coming from if nobody gives a shit about Pokken. Simple, its coming from Smashers (and you can go check smash websites, most of them are advocating super hard for Pokken), and people who are just fans of Pokemon and will throw money at anything Pokemon. And look I love Pokemon too. It’s top 3 favorite Nintendo franchise and might be top 5 favorite franchises of all time. But I have no doubt in my mind that a lot of the people throwing money at this, barely know what EVO is, probably don’t even know the dates of EVO, and have 0 intentions of watching that game at EVO much less showing up to play the game. Case in point, Shofu is out here on Twitter advocating and donating to this game, and you would think that Shofu, who runs one of the biggest Pokemon related YouTube channels, would probably have a lot of Pokken content right? Well guess when the last time he even posted a video about the game was. I’ll save you the search, it was 6 months ago. One of these videos were, ironically enough, entitled “time to come back”. And then there were two more videos within the same time span, and he hasn’t touched the game since.

And this is kind of the additude that I’m talking about. I read a tweet earlier that summed it up perfectly. About how people never want to watch or come out to support Pokken, and then want to wonder why there aren’t any Pokken tournaments. That game died forever ago. You might even argue that that game was dead on arrival but even if you don’t, then you have to agree that there hasn’t been a game that died out quicker than Pokken did. For all the shit people gave SFxT at least that game lasted a couple of years as opposed to about 3 months. And at least that game had some potential at release, instead of being booted from Japanese arcades Y’all are throwing money at this game and I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to once again have abyssmal turnout/viewership.

And that’s to me, is the most upsetting thing. That Marvel stands a shot of being robbed by a game that people don’t actually care about, but has a fanbase that will throw money at anything with Pikachu’s face on it. If it were KI, I wouldn’t be super happy, but it would be ok. MKX, kinda upset because I hate that game but you know what, fine. Or even Skullgirls which to me would be best case scenario, if your top two games were SG and Marvel because easily and measurably those two deserve it. Skullgirls is a fantastic game with an ultra dedicated community that only got treated like shit by EVO. I have no doubt in my mind that had SG’s won the last donation drive that game would be one of the biggest in the FGC right now and might even still to this day be a mainstay at EVO. And so if *any* game was gonna be Marvel, I’d wish it to be Skullgirls. But at least I can say of any of the games I mentioned above, people would come out to play it, and support it. In the example of MKX, it would be the exact same people that would be playing Injustice but fuck, at least it’s *someone*.

And I know someone’s gonna be like “well what did you ever do for Marvel?” and yeah, I’ve never been to a major, because I don’t have money like that. But at least every time there is something local for the game, I go out and play. I took time off of work and drove an hour out one time just to get 0-2′d in Marvel on a couple of occasions, but at least I went out there. And I’m out here watching the streams, watching the VoDs; 90% of my “watch later” playlist is Marvel shit that I didn’t get to watch live.

And with that said, yeah I’ll admit that a bit of it is personal for me. Marvel is absolutely my favorite game out there right now. Without Marvel 3 I probably would not care about EVO and the FGC as a whole. But that’s why I don’t want to see it get robbed of a proper sendoff by a game that’s just gonna die out again the minute EVO is over.

#a rant #read if you want #probably not gonna get into a discussion over it though tbh #EVO #EVO2k17 #FGC

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