#shes there because she wants to beyond just being his Pokémon. do you understand me

[salsa-di-pomodoro]

If lady sneasler went back home with Ingo i think eventually she would want to try battling with him. I mean it looks fun, everyone tells her it's a good bonding moment for both trainer and Pokémon and it's a golden opportunity to show off, why not? Who's going to stop her, the pearl clan?

Ingo takes a bit of convincing, out of respect for both her and the traditions of the pearl clan, but he relents eventually. He can't deny he's been wanting to do this as well. After a bit of training they have the time of their life destroying people's (read: Emmet, the elite four, other Frontier Brains and generally just other strong trainers (sorry i didn't include Elesa. I love her very much but she is not on their level methinks 😔. Id love to be proven wrong tho)) teams, with a mix of Ingo's old and new team and her as the ace for once in unregulated matches. (Turns out, noble Pokémon naturally have insane stats and therefore cannot partecipate in league matches or official battles. Ingo has to nerf sneasler/the rest of his team or use less Pokémon as a result, but he loves the challenge. He's thrilled when people defeat him.)

(Emmet takes this as a challenge. As long as his Pokémon are on board, he's building his way up to defeating Ingo when they're not holding back. He gets scarily close every time.)

I ran out of space in the tags but blankshippers dni pls. Let's stay in our respective lanes and not interact

[youllallriseintheink]

What if the plague doctor adopted the Pokémon kids?

Creepyalienghost explained to me that the characters she wanted for this are N, Guzma, and Cyrus, and that I could do a few others that I found interesting. Any adult characters on this list Doc will be interacting with when they were children. Also, I’m going to assume they could all be convinced that the pestilence is real and serious- it would be a dull ask if they were all running away from him because they think he’s a monster, after all!

Arven: the kid just found out that his parent is dead, and he’s pretty emotionally explosive to begin with. It’s not a stretch to think he might do something drastic like run off with the plague doctor for a bit. It also helps that he’s recently been researching alternative cures for the sake of his mabosstif- he already knows a lot about various medical treatments. He’d probably be cordial with Doc but take a long time to warm up to him. He would definitely want to return to human civilization once he’s an adult, but travelling with Doc for a few months or years would be a good way to get his head straight and decide if science and medicine is something he wants to pursue.

Cynthia: as a little girl, Cynthia longed for adventure long before she was old enough to go on them herself. Travel with a strange bird man with forbidden knowledge who’s probably going to meet with all sorts of paranormal creatures? Sure! The lessons would just be a means to an end for her, but she’d have the time of her life. She’d get homesick after a while and want to go home, though.

Lysandre: from a young age, Lysandre has wanted to help people. If you told him that he could go around and cure a vicious disease that only one other person knows about, he’d jump at the opportunity. He’d be frustrated with the lack of luxury and the lack of glory in it, as well as finding the lifestyle pretty lonely, but he’d go along with it anyway for a while before heading home. Hopefully, having experiences with people of all walks of life and travelling beyond the borders of Kalos will give him the perspective to not become the monster he does in canon.

N: as a kid, N didn’t understand how Ghetsis’ treatment of him was wrong. Unfortunately that means that Doc would have to forcibly rescue him and N would see it as a kidnapping. It would take some patience and explanation for N to see Doc as a caregiver rather than a threat. Afterward, though, he’d love the lifestyle of travelling between towns, seeing the sights of the world and helping others. He’d take well to being Doc’s assistant as well, since he already had both an interest in math and chemistry and experience in looking after hurt and abused Pokémon. It’s possible that he’d choose to live in the wild or to try to integrate into human society once he reaches adulthood, but it’s also likely that possible he’d choose to remain Doc’s assistant.

Cyrus: a relatively solitary lifestyle, a scientific cause to throw himself at, and a wise, serene and loving parental figure? Sign him right up. Cyrus would probably take very well to Doc’s lessons and do his best to impress him and be a good assistant. He would also look up to Doc immensely and, as he grows up, become a lot like him. He’d develop Doc’s positive but paternalistic attitude towards humans (they’re not so bad in small doses, now that he’s met more of them), his speech patterns (he’s already pretty close to having them), and his contentment. I can see them becoming like friends and Cyrus wanting to follow in Doc’s footsteps, perhaps even donning a mask of his own and coming to share a species with him.

Guzma: nothing about Doc’s lifestyle would appeal to him. Too boring. He might use Doc to get out of his abusive home and get somewhere he’d rather be, but after that, he’d run away and maybe try to rob him.

Colress: Oh boy, he’d be a handful for Doc. He’d listen to the lessons and be good at them, sure, but he’d also do his own crude experiments on the zombies and whatever other strange things Doc shows him, even if that requires stealing from Doc. Doc might have to put him back.

[shuuenmei]

partner

TWST OC Week Day 7: AU

BEFORE WE BEGIN:

For the last day of TWST OC Week, I picked AU and after some brainstorming, I decided to pick a Pokémon AU.

Or rather, a Pokémon crossover AU where Yuu (Rei) comes from the Pokémon universe instead.

This was a personal AU I had in mind for some while but placed on a backburner since I wanted to focus on the main fic first.

But with TWST OC Week, I thought it’s a good chance to revisit the AU again.

Without further ado, here we go!

I’m glad to be doing this event and it’s been fun!

Yuu doesn’t know what to expect when a seemingly mutated, talking, Shiny Zorua threatened to burn her if she didn’t hand over her clothes.

She only realized that she wore a whole robe and new attire, but internally panicked when her bag wasn't around, nor the fact that she has no Pokéball at hand.

So she had to trap the unknown monster back in the coffin she initially awoke to before escaping.

By luck, she met a petite, but older than he seemed student who healed her burns but the monster chased after her before being stopped by a man who claimed to be the Headmaster of this strange academy she was brought to.

“Ah, I found this bag and belt with peculiar looking metallic balls attached to it earlier, they must be yours, yes?”

The Headmaster waved his hand to show her belt with six Pokéballs intact and sling bag.

She hastily took the items and thanked the man. “Thank you sir... it seems my things were separated from me when that monster attacked me.”

“Attacked?”

He turned to the monster and frowned. “So it comes down to the fault of your Familiar.”

What, he’s not-

The headmaster didn’t listen, but the boy...student, with her, Lilia, listened and they talked along the way.

Checking the things inside her bag and her Party on hand as they did so.

________________________________________________________________

The mutated talking Zorua burned the whole room just shortly after the talking magical mirror declared that she had no magic.

The experiences and senses she honed as a trainer being the saving grace that lets her avoid the flames.

As the whole room set into a panic, she took a Pokéball that held her longtime friend, family, and partner.

Gazing at the ball for a moment, she murmured.

“Let’s go, partner. You ready?”

The Pokémon inside it nodded at her with a resolute gaze.

With a nod, she threw the Pokéball to the air.

“Gabriel! Sparkling Aria!”

Her long trusted Primarina landed gracefully on the ground and sang, large water bubbles formed all around them, appearing out from the air and the bubbles burst.

Water spreads all over and extinguishes the flames that appeared.

“Fnah!? My flames!” The mutated Zorua exclaimed but she paid no heed to what was going on behind or around her.

She’s only focused on seeing the flames gone and snuffed out.

In spite of the chaotic situation she found herself into, she’s glad that she’s not alone.

________________________________________________________________

Gabriel made quick work on the flames and the flames are gone by seconds.

The mutated Zorua was caught and she observed a red-haired student chant. “Off With Your Head!”

A large lock shaped collar was magically put in place at the monster.

After some words were exchanged, the boy turned to her. “This is your familiar, is it not?”

The Headmaster chimed in. “Yes! Do something about him! This is your familiar is it-”

Water was blasted on his face before the man could finish.

Turning to her furious partner, she chided. “Hey! I know you’re offended that he assumed that the mutated Zorua who threatened me to go naked is part of the team but you can’t just shoot a Water Gun at anybody!”

“Eh...? He isn’t yours?” The man repeated.

“Gabriel wouldn’t have been offended enough to blast water on your face otherwise.”

“I, I see...” The man looked at her Primarina, who only gave him an angry look in return, readying another blast of water.

“Come on Gab, calm down.” She held and stroked her partner’s hair.

“Pardon me,” The red haired boy called for her, “... you said he threatened you to what?” The red haired boy questioned.

“I woke up from the coffin because that monster,” She pointed to it, “burned the coffin, and then told me to strip naked from these clothes or he’ll burn me to death.”

Silence followed.

“...If that’s the case,” A lavender haired student with the red haired boy spoke. “it’s no wonder your partner is upset enough to attack the headmaster for his wrong assumption.”

She nodded at him. “Gabriel’s my longtime partner, I’d never replace Gabriel over some mutated talking Zorua.”

“Mutated what?”

“A Zorua.” She spoke. She had some suspicion about what kind of world she got brought into but she had to ask. “Do you not have Pokémon here?”

“...What’s a Pokémon?”

Oh boy.

________________________________________________________________

With the monster who called himself as Grim sent away, her status as coming from another world where, in their words, people tame magical monsters on a daily basis, being open news to the students present, but unable to return back to where she once came from, the Headmaster lets her stay around as he finds a way to bring her back to her original world, added onto his own surprise that she is a girl, and that the academy is actually an all-boys school.

She isn’t too worried about being trapped here for the while.

If anything, once the news of her going missing goes around, the Ultra Recon Squad and those from Aether Foundation would likely go and find her via the Ultra Wormhole.

They would have gotten in touch with Selene too by then.

Meanwhile, she was brought to an unused dorm that was planned to be repurposed on a later date.

She is now looking at her PC Box via the Portable PC, a new technology from Galar that lets you open your PC anywhere and anytime that is just recently applied in Sinnoh PC’s.

Speaking of Sinnoh... she was last walking around Route 214 back home, wasn’t she?

How did she get here-

Gabriel’s nudging brought her out of her thoughts.

“...Yeah, we should make the best of things for the time being.” She nodded.

At least the Pokémon in her PC Box are safe and the PC can still be used, even in another world.

Though she had to think of how she can manage to bring some of her Pokémon out and not get them stuck in the PC Box for too long.

She got enough berries, over a hundred, she last counted, obtained from renovating her Poké Pelago for years, so food for her Pokémon and her own person wouldn’t be a problem.

She knows the basic housework and the like at least, and can cook things decently.

She also got enough clothes, be it undergarments and others.

But first…

“We got a lot to clean up, don’t we?”

Gabriel nodded at her.

Time to get started.

________________________________________________________________

She would have gotten started if not for the monster she mistook as a mutated Shiny Zorua sneaking back in, only behaving once she threatened to have Gabriel shoot water at him if he didn’t, and dealing with the resident ghosts who were bothering her, thinking she’d be easy to play around with if it weren’t for Gabriel being way powerful for the ghosts to handle.

She had to convince the Headmaster to let the monster, Grim, stay if not for the fact that he’d do more harm if he is kicked out again.

“Ah, speaking of, would you like to register Grim-kun together with you as a student?”

“...What?”

The Headmaster explained. “We have some cases where students register as a 2-in-1 student due to circumstances. Considering that of yours and Grim-kun’s desire to enter the school, wouldn’t it have worked out?”

“...No, I’d rather register with Gabriel and my Pokémon than to register together with Grim.”

“Fnah!? Why!?”

She shook her head and reasoned, staring at the Headmaster. “You’re implying as if you want to replace my longtime friend, partner and family over a stranger. I refuse to have my partners be replaced by anybody.”

She looked down at Grim next. “And honestly, you still need a lot of work to do and understand what’s appropriate and inappropriate for people. Telling people to strip naked and burn them if things don’t go your way is not it.”

“...That’s true.” The Headmaster agreed.

“...I shall register you and… who would be your main partner?”

“Gabriel.” She spoke without hesitation.

“Alright, Gabriel-kun and Yuu-san. You two will be students from tomorrow on, while Grim-kun will be on probation until he is deemed ready to be a student.”

She nodded.

Sounds good to her.

________________________________________________________________

“So you’re choosing Popplio, young Yuu?”

Yuu nodded at Hala.

She is only twelve this year.

Her parents advised her to move with her cousins to Hau’Oli city, Alola, from Sinnoh last year and she still needs some time to get used to Alola weather.

It’s too hot, and she personally missed the cold, chilly air of Sinnoh.

Then her uncle suggested she try and take the island challenge and see if she can dethrone the first ever champion of Alola, Selene, who took charge three years ago.

With little to do beyond hanging around Iki Town and wandering around Hau’Oli, with her cousins off to their own adventures, she decided she might as well take it.

The Popplio clapped in glee and hopped towards her.

She held her first… rather, second, Pokémon, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Gabriel.”

Popplio welcomed the nickname with a cheerful bark. Followed by another cry of triumph.

Gabriel stared at the newcomer.

She noticed it’s gaze and introduced Gabriel to her technically first Pokémon she befriended.

“Oh, this stardust looking little guy? The name’s Aster. Aster’s not really someone I want to use in battles since Aster doesn’t seem like the kind to like fights right now, but Aster’s a friend.”

Aster the Cosmog smiled at Gabriel, excited at the thought of having a new friend.

[sage-nebula]

So, the good news: Ghetsis was not redeemed, he isn’t going to have a relationship with N moving forward, and although N was shown to wish things could be different between them, ultimately the whole situation was treated with the seriousness and gravitas that it deserved and N never once forgot the abuse that Ghetsis put him through, nor was he at any point willing to just brush it aside. In that regard, I’m very glad for how Masters handled the situation. 

With that said, though, the writing in Masters made me realize something else about how child abuse stories are handled in Pokémon, and that something else is . . . not good. Namely, I’ve realized there is a significant difference between how child abuse stories in Pokémon are handled depending on whether the abusive parent is blood related to the child or not.

First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way: There is a social stigma in Japan against adoption. This isn’t to say that children never get adopted, but that culturally adoption is looked down upon in comparison to having biological children, and as a result there are only a few hundred adoptions each year in comparison to the thousands of kids living in orphanages. (Although this isn’t purely stigma, since in Japan the biological parents can still retain legal guardianship over their children in the orphanages and can therefore prevent them from being adopted by families as well. They don’t do this maliciously, but instead might think, “I will be able to care for my child later” even if that never comes to pass.) Additionally, I’ve read before that the stigma is why adopted children often don’t refer to their adopted parents as “mother” or “father” but I can’t find that source now, so take that with a grain of salt.

Anyway, the point of me saying all of that is: Japan has a stigma against adoption and Pokémon is a video game series created by Japanese people. Therefore, it stands to reason that Japanese cultural beliefs (such as the importance of blood family over adopted family) can make its way into the series, even if the series itself is a worldwide phenomenon that they know will absolutely stretch beyond Japan’s borders . . . and I think that’s what has happened here, intentionally or otherwise. Basically, whether an abusive parent in Pokémon is redeemed or not seems to have very little to do with the severity of the abuse (including that which is shown to the audience), but instead everything to do with whether their children are biologically related to them or not.

First, let’s take a look at the abusive parent that was redeemed, Lusamine. In Sun & Moon specifically Lusamine is not once shown being anything but abusive to her children. Lillie tells a story of how Lusamine was kind to her a couple times in the past (dancing in the rain, co-sleeping when Lillie was sick), but that falls in line for abusive parents. Abusive parents generally aren’t abusive 24/7; there’s a well-known cycle of abuse which contains a “honeymoon period” stage in which, typically after an apology and a promise to do better, the abuser treats the victim kindly, which usually results in the victim believing that the abuser really does love them and that whatever abuse comes later (and it always does come later) is in fact the victim’s fault on some level, for failing to keep things stable. Regardless, we know that not only did Lusamine abuse both Gladion and Lillie terribly in the past (to the point where Lillie has trauma surrounding even the clothes she wears and has trouble getting new ones), but we also see her verbally and emotionally abuse them on-screen, and then we see her attempt to murder Lillie during the climax. While Lusamine was retooled into being a well-intentioned extremist in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, we again see her verbally abuse her children on-screen, to the point where when Hau says that Lusamine really isn’t a bad person after all, we see Gladion grimacing in the background. All told, we see Lusamine emotionally, verbally, and (with her attempted murder in SM) physically abuse her children on-screen, and yet she is still forgiven by them pretty much immediately, redeemed, and treated as if they’re a happy family with just a few unfortunate bumps in their history. I’ll note here, for anyone who isn’t already aware, that Lusamine is Gladion and Lillie’s biological mother, and this is obvious by how similar they all look even if you weren’t told repeatedly.

Now let’s look at the abusive parent that is not redeemed, Ghetsis. In the first set of Unova games, Black & White, most of Ghetsis’ abuse of N happens off-screen and isn’t revealed until the climax. Ghetsis had N raised in a castle underground where he was cut off from society. He was brought pokémon that had been abused so that he could be manipulated into thinking that all humans abused pokémon and that pokémon needed to be liberated therefore. Because Ghetsis needed N to act as King of Team Plasma and control the legendary dragon, Ghetsis didn’t directly abuse N during this time. Instead, he neglected him (N was primarily raised by his sisters, Concordia and Anthea), and psychologically abused him via manipulative lies about what the rest of the world was like. It isn’t until the climax when N has decided to disband Team Plasma and listen to what the player has to say that Ghetsis brings out the verbal abuse, calling N “a freak without a human heart” and revealing that he was only ever using N all along. In the sequel games, Ghetsis is similarly openly hostile to N again, showing that he has no intentions whatsoever of being a good father to him. He’s pretty terrible to him, even if we didn’t see very much of it (particularly in comparison to what we saw with the Aether family, whose abuse was also much more realistic than N’s situation), and pretty much no one would want him to be redeemed. But also it’s important to note that N and Ghetsis, despite having the same hair color, are for whatever reason NOT biologically related. 

And this is hammered home time . . . and time . . . and time again, particularly in this Masters event.

Now, I think most of us would agree that it would be hard to find a woman who would want to procreate with Ghetsis. Granted, Ghetsis isn’t the type of person who would care about consent, but I do think it’s reasonable to assume that Game Freak probably wanted to avoid those thoughts, even though it could have been very easily solved by having a female Sage who was also Ghetsis’ baby mama / wife (similar to how Ariana, one of Giovanni’s executives, is very obviously Silver’s mother). So I mean, from a taste standpoint, I can see why they wanted to go the adoption route with Ghetsis, even though they still made him and N have green hair despite not being biologically related for some reason.

But.

I still think it’s noticeable that they have the irredeemable abusive parent be the one who both had the least amount of on-screen abuse (and also the least realistic abuse) and also be the adopted parent, versus the one they bent themselves into pretzel shapes to redeem be the one with the most on-screen abuse (and most realistic abuse) who also happened to be the biological parent. The message that sends, to me, is that it doesn’t matter how badly you abuse your children in this world so long as you are their biological parent. In the end, you will be forgiven and they are beholden to you as family. Versus if you’re an adoptive parent . . . well, you were never as important anyway, so. I mean, why else would Lillie leave her loving adoptive parents of Kukui and Burnet to go back to her abusive mother in Sun & Moon? Clearly the blood ties were just that much more important. (Granted, Kukui and Burnet hadn’t officially adopted her, but they as good as. I’ll never stop being infuriated by that ending.)

 This is, to a lesser extent, even shown with Giovanni and Silver’s situation. Giovanni was, to our knowledge, never actually abusive toward Silver; in the one conversation we see them have in HeartGold & SoulSilver, Silver’s main issue is that he doesn’t understand why Giovanni is disbanding Team Rocket after losing to Red, and also he doesn’t get why Giovanni needs so many underlings to begin with. He thinks Giovanni is weak, and Giovanni just tells him that he’s wrong without really bothering to explain things. At most, Giovanni is aloof and distant with Silver, which makes Silver angry, but Silver’s bigger issue is with Team Rocket as a whole. Giovanni’s definitely not a good father, but he’s not an abusive parent on par with Lusamine or Ghetsis from what we’ve been shown, and the implication is there that they could potentially repair their relationship in the future. Even in this event, the tension between them wasn’t bad, just complicated.

But . . . they’re also biologically related. Silver is Giovanni’s son, we’ve been told this a million times, and it’s very obvious that Ariana is his mother. They’re biologically related. And so, even though Giovanni is routinely touted as one of Pokémon’s most fearsome villains, Silver will never actually cut him off completely / be able to do that because Giovanni is his biological father. The fact that Team Rocket is based on yakuza probably complicates things even further there, but all the same. If Silver had been adopted by Giovanni, I’m pretty positive that Giovanni wouldn’t care / Silver would cut him off entirely. It wouldn’t be seen as a “real” family.

And this all bothers me, because not only was my biological mother abusive, but my stepmother was the only one who treated me as a mother should treat her child. Similarly, my biological sister was complicit and even participated in the abuse I suffered as a child, but my stepbrother whom I’ve known practically my whole life is the sibling I’d ride or die with. To me, biological ties mean jack shit. Family doesn’t begin or end with blood; to treat non-blood relations as lesser is something that will never fail to raise my hackles. So to see it handled this way in one of my favorite franchises of all time . . . yeah, it’s more than a little upsetting. I understand why it’s happening, I’m fully aware of the cultural context that this series is being written in, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it, because I don’t.

And before anyone gets it twisted:

Both Lusamine and Ghetsis can rot in hell, NEITHER should have been redeemed. This is NOT me complaining about Ghetsis being treated as the piece of shit he is, but rather my anger at the fact that Lusamine got a pass because she birthed the children she abused, and Masters making that abundantly clear by having N and Ghetsis state in every single chapter of this event that they weren’t blood related. 

But anyway, it’s nearly 4am, and I need sleep. I can continue being angry about Pokémon’s handling of abusive parents at a later date.

[five-rivers]

Long Night in the Valley Chaper 3

“A mind affecting quirk?” asked the secretary.  “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” said Recovery Girl, grimly.  “If I had realized, I would never have left him alone while I reviewed the scans.  I thought it was something physical.  By the time we locked the campus down, he was already gone.”

The secretary found herself shaking, slightly.  Even retired, even barely able to use his quirk, the idea of All Might under mind control, under a villain’s control, was terrifying.  

“I’m going to put you through to the chairman,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.  “I’m sure he’ll mobilize every available resource.”  She pressed the button and sagged in her chair glad she didn’t have to make real decisions.  

Then the calls from the people in charge of the Musutafu mental-invasion training activity started rolling in.  As she answered the phone, she couldn’t help but think that All Might probably would have benefited from the training.  

.

Of all the things Tsuyu had expected to see while waiting to be directed to her room for testing, Midoriya fleeing from a group of heroes was not one of them.  

True, Midoriya had yet to come out of a class trip or event without some kind of trauma, but she’d been expecting villains to be the cause.  Not… whatever this was.  

Kaminari and Aoyama, started forward, only to be held back by Shouji, who just barely managed to catch his phone (he’d been playing a Pokémon game with Kouda).

“Hey!” said Kaminari.  “What gives, man?  Midoriya is in trouble.”

“Yes,” said Shouji, quietly, the lips on his extra arm barely moving, “and look at who he’s in trouble with.”

“We can’t just go barreling in,” agreed Tsuyu.  “We need to find the rest of the class and get out of here.”

After all, if one member of 1-A was in trouble, they all were.  

Aoyama placed his pointer finger and his thumb over his chin. “I have a better idea,” he said, “what do you say to a ~*sparkling*~ distraction to help our friend—and us—escape?”

Tsuyu followed his gaze and swallowed a sigh.  

People should really stop leaving electrical boxes out in the open like that.  It was basically a signed invitation.

(Izuku did not notice the power outage that occurred a mere fraction of a second after he burst out of the center’s doors, but if he did, he would have been grateful for the chaos it caused and the precious time it bought him.)

.

“That’s the room they were in,” said Fumikage, Dark Shadow screening him and the rest of his group from view.  “I believe that Hagakure was—” he hesitated “—there,” he said, finally.  

“Are you sure we should go after them?” asked Mineta.  “I mean, it’s Aizawa-sensei and the top of the class!”

“Since Midoriya is the only one who came out,” Yaoyorozu, coolly, “it’s probable that they’re either asleep or heavily outnumbered. Especially considering how out of character it is for Midoriya to leave them behind.”

“Unless he was targeted and was trying to draw them away,” said Satou.  

They considered that silently for a moment.

“Bakugou’s group was in that room,” said Jirou, pointing with ear jack.  “They’ll definitely be asleep by now.  Not to back away from a fight, but if we really think our class is in danger, we should get them out first, of only because they’re probably not at the center of this.”

“Hmm,” said Tokoyami.  “The fate of Bakugou, much like Midoriya, is often shouded in darkness.”

“I hate that you have a point,” groaned Jirou.  “Yaomomo?  You’re kind of in charge here.  I think it’s your call.”

Yaoyorozu made a rather pained looking face.

“We need to find everyone who hasn’t gone into a room yet, and we need to gather information,” she said.  “Maybe this is just a misunderstanding.”

Fumikage, for one, rather doubted it.  

.

This Deku was different again.  Older than the ones they had seen so far.

He was wearing the same clothes he’d had on when Shigaraki grabbed him at the mall, including that ridiculous ‘t-shirt’ t-shirt and the bright yellow backpack.  Ochako swallowed uneasily and looked back at Suzuki.  

Did Deku’s appearance reflect his understanding of the situation?  Did he think that what was going on now was like what had happened then?

Was he right?

(A part of her, a part that was very used to Aizawa’s logical ruses, was still hoping this was part of the course.)

“We already have proof you’re the traitor,” wheezed Suzuki. Despite sustaining so many wounds, beyond being out of breath he was currently unharmed.  Even his suit only had a few streaks of dirt on them.

“Deku’s not a traitor!” shouted Ochako.  “He’s risked his life for so many of us, he’s hurt himself so much-!  It’s ridiculous you could even think that.”  

Alright.  Perhaps the fight and general situation had Ochako more on edge than she’d thought.  

Or, perhaps, she was just tired of this jerk badmouthing one of her best friends.  

“I think,” said Aizawa, splitting his attention between Suzuki and the new Deku, “that anyone who actually knew Midoriya would tell you the same thing.  Assuming you asked.”

“What are you really here for?” asked Deku.  “Are you really working for the Commission?”

Suzuki wrinkled his nose momentarily, apparently affronted, but then started to laugh.  “You think we didn’t?  They came to us.  Aldera Middle School ring any bells?  Why don’t you tell your new friends you used to be—”

He cut off as Deku moved past them, smoothly dodging Aizawa-sensei, and performing a textbook-perfect takedown of Suzuki, complete with handcuffs and avoidance of Suzuki’s skin.  

(What was Suzuki’s quirk, anyway?)

“Wish I could have done this back then,” muttered Deku, hauling Suzuki around.  “What is your problem?”

“You can’t hurt me here,” said Suzuki.  “Are you scared of the truth?”

Aizawa pulled Deku away from Suzuki.  

“Midoriya,” he said.  “You are Midoriya, right?”

“I…”  Deku’s face scrunched up.  “I think so?  It—I think it’s more complicated than it should be.”

Ochako saw Suzuki get up before Aizawa did, and leaped forward, aiming for his face.  She missed. Suzuki’s fingers brushed against Deku’s cheek and the world shredded around them.  

.

Aizawa had known going into this that a dream world would be, almost by definition, illogical and annoying.  He had simply underestimated how illogical and annoying.  

Oh, the fight with maybe-Midoriya was straightforward enough, even factoring in his control of the environment.  But the aftermath was another story.  

Aizawa knew he’d been hit.  He’d been hit, solidly, several times.  Yet, he didn’t feel so much as bruised.  He was also, for some unidentifiable reason, wearing a suit, and his students, except for Midoriya, who had disappeared yet again, had been put in unfamiliar school uniforms.  

Speaking of which, they were now standing in front of a middle school, the beach nowhere in sight.  

Adding that to the fact that at least some items (e.g., Midoriya’s handcuffs) seemed to disappear when no one was paying attention to them…  

Aizawa’s headache was rapidly growing.  Not to mention—

“He practically admitted he wasn’t Midoriya!  What more do you want?” demanded Suzuki, who seemed to be ignoring the fact that he was being stared down by three hostile, combat-trained teenagers.  

“I want,” said Aizawa, “to wait out the clock.  Midoriya isn’t attacking us anymore, and I don’t particularly feel the need to snoop around in his head.”

Suzuki’s eye twitched.  “Saito isn’t waking us up until the end of the course, a full six hours from now,” he said.  “You want to have this stand-off for six hours, or do you want to find something that will help you protect the rest of your little gremlin students?”

“What do you mean, until the end of the course?” demanded Iida, adjusting his glasses.  “She’s supposed to let us out in an hour!”

Aizawa sighed, but kept his gaze fixed on Suzuki.  Iida could be a little too fixated on rules sometimes.  

“So?  No one will miss you until the lunch break, and that can be easily covered up!”

.

“We should call the school, too,” decided Momo.  “I think Principal Nezu likes Midoriya.”

“Huh?  Really?” asked Satou, surprised.

Momo nodded.  “Whenever Midoriya is brought up at student council meetings, he sort of… chuckles. He does that with Aizawa-sensei, too, come to think of it.  And All Might.”

“That’s terrifying,” said Mineta.  

No one said anything, because they didn’t really want to agree with Mineta, even about something so mundane.  

.

Sirens, from an ambulance called for Saito Yume, were just audible in the distance.  

Somewhat farther away, the principal of UA realized that calling the Hero Commission about Yagi’s disappearance might have been a tactical error.

In the Hero Commission headquarters, the chairman determined that, no, this was not going to be covered up easily, and started making alternate plans.  

.

“Then we’ll wait for the whole six hours,” said Aizawa.  “Consider it endurance training,” he told his students, “for stakeouts and whatever.”

“And whatever?” asked Todoroki.  

“If you have to deal with this nonsense now,” said Aizawa, “as students, it’s only going to get worse when you’re pros.”

“Ah,” said Todoroki, nodding sagely.  “I see.”

“Look, if you’re all so sure he has nothing to hide, what’s the harm in looking?”

“Kids,” said Aizawa, cutting off whatever responses the three of them were about to snap out, “don’t engage him.”  This was going to be a very long six hours.  Or five hours.  It had to have been at least one hour since they went under. Right?  It had to be, if the universe was fair.  

Oh, who was he kidding?

Suzuki sighed, closed his eyes, and straightened his tie. “I apologize,” he said.  “The appearance of that… projection unsettled me, and I have not fully explained why the Hero Commission has decided to act as it has in the case of Midoriya Izuku.”

“Who cares?” asked Todoroki.  “The commission sucks.”

Undeterred, Suzuki continued.  “I’m sure you have all noticed that Midoriya Izuku displays two quirks.”

“So do I and Aizawa-sensei,” said Todoroki.

“I what?” asked Aizawa.  

“Your floaty hair thing.”

“That’s just an emitter effect,” said Aizawa.

“But it works on your capture weapon,” said Todoroki.  “Midoriya showed me a diagram, once.  It was very convincing.  He said not to bring it up though, because you were probably hiding it from… villains… oh…”  He trailed off as he looked back at Suzuki.  

This was not, Aizawa reminded himself sternly, the time to have an existential crisis.  

He was having a talk with Midoriya when he got out of this.

“A secondary quirk that he only discovered in high school? You must see how far fetched this is. Not to mention his first quirk only—”

The ground rumbled.  Abruptly, they were surrounded by bright, approximately human-shaped blurs of color.  Because why not?  

Among those blurs of color ran tiny middle school Midoriya, because, again, why not?

Using the distraction, and something that had to be related to either a quirk or Suzuki’s greater experience with Saito’s quirk, Suzuki escaped their little circle and ran after Midoriya.  Aizawa’s students and, thus, Aizawa followed.

.

“Come again?” asked Vlad King, rubbing the inside of his ear. “I think I must have misheard you.”

“Yagi stole your car,” repeated Powerloader, sounding completely done with the world.

Vlad, still uncomprehending, blinked up at his coworker. “Is there, like, a student called Yagi?” he asked, trying to process the diametrically opposed concepts of ‘Yagi’ and ‘stole’ before even getting started on the ‘your car’ part of the sentence.

“No.”

With despair, his mind finally registering that the Symbol of Peace had stolen his car, Vlad said, “But he doesn’t even drive!”

.

Vlad King’s car was, objectively, rather terrible.  It was an antique, almost a hundred and fifty years old, manufactured when regulations were loose in the wake of the dawn of quirks. It was loud.  It was ugly.  The gas efficiency wasn’t terrible, but it came at the cost of high emissions.  The air conditioner was broken.  It had no back up camera.  

It had three things going for it.  One, it had a functional safety system.  Two, the ceiling was high enough for Toshinori to fit. Three, it had no GPS or tracking system attached to it.  

True, the vehicle’s other features meant that the car would be remembered and tracked sooner or later, but the point of this exercise was to get to Izuku as quickly as possible and then away from his pursuers as quickly as possible.  They’d leave the car somewhere after that.  Perhaps with the keys still in it.  Perhaps somewhere disreputable.  

… That would be rather mean to Vlad.  

Eh, thought someone who may or may not have been Toshinori. They were doing him a favor, honestly.

(It was a good thing Six knew how to drive.  Seven and Five with their fancy mobility-oriented quirks were useless.  Don’t even get him started on Mr. ‘I’m going to live in the woods and isolate myself from society’ and Ms. ‘driving laws can’t have changed that much in a hundred and fifty years.’  Unbelievable.)

Toshinori stopped the car.  The back door opened and Izuku slid in.  He shut the door and Toshinori started driving again.  

They didn’t speak to one another because they didn’t have to. Izuku started undressing, pulling on the clothes Toshinori had picked up for him quickly.  Hero merchandise, mostly.  Bright but anonymous.  Few would expect fugitives to wear something like this.  

“It’s soft,” said Izuku, quietly, rubbing the edge of the hoody between his fingers.  

“I’m glad you like it,” said Toshinori.  In the rearview mirror, Toshinori could see Blackwhip twine around his hands and wrists protectively.  His headache let up, slightly.  

They’d hide until the quirk wore off, and then they could determine their next steps.  

.

The commission president smiled at the heroes he had assembled.  It was a nice smile, an expressive smile, one he had worked on for a long time.  Right now, it said that he regretted the circumstances that brought them together, but that their presence cheered him, nonetheless. It said that he was putting on a brave front while delivering grim news.  

It had the desired effect.  The heroes leaned forward, with the exception of Hawks.  (Damn that truculent child.  Perhaps he was due for some retraining.)

“I regret to inform you all that former number one hero All Might, also known as Yagi Toshinori, has been abducted by the traitor Midoriya Izuku through the use of a mental quirk we believe he obtained from the villain All for One, publicly known as the Scourge of Kamino.”

.

Toshinori and Izuku had spoken to one another concerning hiding places and rendezvous points on several occasions.  It was a necessity when engaged in a shadow war with a two-hundred-year-old monster and continued to be so even after the war had come into the light.  

Toshinori currently owned most of them, through various serpentine paths, shell corporations, and semi-fictitious holding companies.  One could potentially, in theory, with great effort, reach Toshinori if one started with one of the hiding places and follow the horribly convoluted paper trail, but it was infinitely more difficult to start with Toshinori and arrive at one of the safe houses.  Mainly because Toshinori had so many completely legitimate holdings.  

Some of these places were older than they were, inherited, much like their quirk.  And the very oldest of these technically wasn’t ‘owned’ by anyone at all.  It didn’t exist on paper.  It had been made by an unregistered quirk during the dawn of quirks, when the government was in shambles.  Only two living people knew about it now.  Even All for One had never found the place.  

“We’ll be safe here,” said Toshinori, unnecessarily, as he opened the door.  The hinges were silent.  Toshinori had oiled them the last time he had restocked the pantry.  

Izuku nodded, then yawned.  Everything about today had been exhausting, and his brain still wasn’t working right.  

But was it really okay for him to sleep, to rest, when he had left his friends behind?

Why had he even done that?

Could he even call himself a friend when-?

Toshinori put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, and Izuku felt his concern soak into his bones.  The others were with him.  Uraraka, Todoroki, Iida, and Aizawa were not in danger, they reminded him.  Izuku (Nine) was.  The others were in good standing with the commission, more or less, and would likely remain so.  For all Suzuki’s posturing, it appeared he had no real evidence against Izuku’s friends, otherwise he would have used it for blackmail by now.  

Besides, Izuku wasn’t really the one to make the decision to run.  

Izuku frowned.  Was he?  Wasn’t he?

There was a bed in the little hidden house.  Toshinori pulled a set of sheets out of a small cabinet and began to make it.  Izuku retrieved and fluffed the pillows.  It was interesting.  He’d never actually been here before.  Toshinori had only told him how to get here, and yet…

But the others had been here.  One and Two, mostly, but Three had come a few times, and Four had gotten a lot of use out of it before he left the city entirely.  Five hadn’t really needed it—he’d been a pro hero, after all—but he’d kept the place up, just in case, and passed it on to Six when it was time. Six had been underground and had kept this place his ace in the hole, his last fallback.  Seven had learned of it from his notes since he hadn’t lived long enough to tell her properly.  So much had been lost…

Izuku shook his head and focused on the bed.  Wordlessly, he was coaxed into it.  It would be better to sleep, for now.  His attention wouldn’t be divided, and Toshinori would keep him safe.

.

“Trace,” said the commission president, looking at the second-youngest hero present.  The woman was just a little bit older than Hawks.  “With your quirk, I think you know why we called you in.”

The woman, who usually worked as a rescue hero, nodded enthusiastically.  “Yes, sir,” she said.  “I’ll need something of either Midoriya’s or All Might’s, and their last known location. We’ll be able to rescue All Might in no time!”

[arahul-abyssia]

Festive

Writing number 4 for Nintember (@starprincesshlc , @jklantern )! To hopefully escape the pit of Emotions™ that was the first three stories, here's some hopefully much much much lighter, more slice-of-life-ish fare.

This does correspond to prompts 16-20, but I got caught up in Real Life for a while, so it's going up mega-late, and also it's kinda... abridged from its original concept, and less polished. 'Tis the way the cookie hath crumbled this year...

~~ Horse, Color, Hats, World, Music ~~

Layna awoke to a loud and repetitive hooting in her ear. She blearily turned her head to the side to find a pair of black-framed bright red eyes staring at her with interest. It took several moments of staring before she was mentally present enough to avert her gaze, sit up, and look out the window at the horizon. As she had expected, the sun had only barely risen fully above it.

She turned back to her greeter. “Relos! How many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up?”

Relos merely, and quite literally, hooted with laughter and flew off out of her room. Layna knew it was futile to keep telling him not to wake her, not because of any obligation or the masterful internal clock of his, but because he knew she didn’t like it and he was a mischief-mongering imp.

Normally, she’d roll over and try to get a few more minutes of sleep, but that day was the first of one of the best weeks of the entire year, and she didn’t want to miss a single moment. She quickly pulled herself from her bed, cleaned and dressed herself, grabbed the pack she had prepared the night before, and hurried downstairs, hoping to get through the delightfully aromatic kitchen and out the door before--

“Aaaalwaaaalrwaaa!”

Standing between Layna and the door was the soft pink-and-cream form of Infra, who was gazing up at her with strikingly accusatory eyes, her hands on her hips.

“Yes, Infra, I know I haven’t eaten.”

“Laaalruuwaar!”

“It’s the first day of the festival and I want to do as much as I can! I’ll get something from one of the vendors.”

“Luulrwarraalyaaa!”

“Ugh…! Fine, if it’ll make you happy.”

Begrudgingly, she returned to the kitchen and sat at the table, as Infra went to the stove, gingerly placed an assortment of breakfast foods onto a plate, and set it before Layna, smiling at her with fairy-pink eyes that had nary a semblance of her previous visage. Unlike the rest of Pokémon in her family’s home, who were all quite content to leave the human part of the family to do as they pleased, the Audino practically operated like another mother to her, as if she needed a third one on top of her human two (who also were often subject to Infra’s mothering). Somehow, she had learned how to do a whole plethora of human home tasks and chores, and she never let Layna leave home in the morning without ensuring that she’d eaten. An outside observer might wonder why a Pokémon was apparently her morning caretaker, and not either or both of her mothers, but with both of them having jobs that began long before dawn, it was simply how things were in their house.

She had to admit that Infra was a surprisingly good cook. This evaluation, however, was not based upon the food that she was at that moment rapidly stuffing into her mouth, but rather upon the numerous meals from days where she wasn’t dead-set on going elsewhere as soon as possible. That morning’s breakfast, while certainly of Infra’s normal calibre, was given no time to rest upon Layna’s taste buds, and may as well have been tasteless for all she cared.

As soon as the last bite of egg left her fork, she jumped to her feet, practically threw the plate and silverware into the sink, and darted for the door, calling out as she left, “‘Kthankyoubyyyyeeeeee!”

Infra was not impressed with her, as projectile kitchenware was dangerous and eating that quickly would likely give her a stomachache, but she’d have time later to worry about such things. Her next task was to prepare food for the rest of the Pokémon scattered about the house, who all were beginning to come to consciousness, probably due to the clatter of cutlery, and she set about with the same dutifulness and joy she always did.

Layna, of course, hadn’t even a single neuron focused upon Infra’s judgment, as she was far more concerned with sprinting down a steep road with wanton abandon, the countless colors and lights and tents and tarps of the festival visible in the distance. It had already entered full swing, always beginning with the dawn, and she wanted to explore as much as she could. She had considered bringing along some of the Pokémon, but not long later decided to bring them along later in the day instead. She did not know why she made this decision, nor did she care.

The streets that had been blocked off for the festival were already bustling with people and Pokémon alike, almost each and every one nearly as energized as Layna was. She promptly began to wander the streets, turning and spinning and looking about enough that she ought to have made herself sick, but this had not lasted for even five minutes before she was drawn to a larger vendor stall by an overpowering floral and fruity aroma.

As should be expected, an impossibly wide variety of flowers and fruits were on display, some having been made presentory and others still being attached to their plants, with countless more options upon the boards hanging from the awning.

“Well, hello there, young miss!” said one of the farmers behind the stand. “How can we help ya?”

“Oh, I’m just looking right now, sir.” She paused a moment, then was overtaken by a rather sudden curiosity. “There are so many flowers and berries here, how do you manage to pick and move them all?”

The farmer chuckled. “We have a lot of help, ‘specially around this time of year. Lot of it comes from extra hands, but it would still be impossible without the help of all our Pokémon, like ol’ Sitrus here.”

At this, he gestured to a Mudsdale beside him, which Layna had somehow managed to miss entirely.

“She’s lovely! And so… big…! I’ll bet she must be really strong, too!”

“More ‘n any of us could’ve expected! And she’s friendly, too; wanna pet her?”

Layna’s eyes immediately lit up. “Would I?!! I mean, uh, if she’ll let me…!”

The farmer laughed and brought the horse forward, and Layna tentatively reached up and placed a hand on her face. Sitrus took a moment to consider her latest contact, then, judging her satisfactory in that esoteric way few can ever decipher, leaned in to her touch. She giggled and stroked her a few times more, noting her fur’s strange combination of roughness and softness, before pulling her hand away. Sitrus, in turn, snorted a puff of hot air at Layna’s face before backing into the shade again.

“Aw, that means she likes you! Well, let me or any one of us know if ya want anything.”

“Will do, thank you!” Layna had no intention to buy anything at that time, not when there were countless other things to do and find and see at the festival. She proceeded to bury her face in several of the flowers around the stall, enveloping herself in their different, yet undeniably pleasant, scents, before scampering off to find some other point of interest.

She could have easily checked the maps of the festival area, which were scattered on boards and holographic signs all about the city and even available online, but this sounded boring and unfun, so she did not. Upon her winding, meandering, unfocused path through the streets were innumerable stalls and stands and attractions to take note of--more fruits and vegetables, tickets to special shows on later days, a ferris wheel to ride with someone else later, foreign cuisine and sweets--but it was not until she overheard the faint but unmistakable sound of music that she was drawn in once again.

Upon the boardwalk was a small stage with a frighteningly energetic group of musicians, surrounded by an even more enthusiastic crowd. They seemed to be in the middle of a rendition of a song Layna heard on the radio nearly every day, an anthem for Trainers detailing their goal to “Catch ‘em All.” She never saw the appeal--both of the song and of the objective--but it apparently spoke quite well to most others.

As they finished their performance--and on a much more somber note than the original song did--their main singer pulled the microphone from its stand and began pacing the stage. “I hope you folks are enjoying the show! Now, however, I’d like to take a break from the hype, and sing something a bit slower, something that’s… rather close to my heart.”

Layna watched as a Toxtricity--which had evidently been playing with the rest of the band, but which, just like the Mudsdale, she had failed at first to notice--stepped forward and began playing a slow guitar piece. The lead singer waited a moment, then began to sing a ballad in a tongue Layna could not understand. It was one she was certain she had heard before, but could not manage to identify it any way beyond that it was not the common tongue known by almost everyone across the world.

She tried to stay and listen, but immediately found that, beautiful though his singing was, she was not in the mood for slow music. Along with a small chunk of the band’s crowd, she turned and left, and returned to her aimless wandering and exploration.

Eventually, she found herself in a quarter rife with food vendors, most of whom had one or two individuals calling out and offering free samples. By the smells and descriptions alone, she was greatly tempted to take every single one she could. Of course, her mothers would likely have tried to limit how many she took so that she wouldn’t spoil her appetite for lunch, and Infra would surely have balked at the notion for the same reasons; also, most of the food in the area was rather far from being healthy. Indeed, she had significant reason to not do what she wanted to do.

However, none of those individuals were here to remind her, and as it turned out, the aromas were very persuasive. Layna marched forward and nabbed every sample in sight, only barely stopping to enjoy them before moving on to the next, and only doing so because of the crowds and lines slowing her down.

Her frenzy ended not fifteen minutes later, and as she looked about to find her next target of interest, she realized she had wound up on the very same street she had started on. Obviously, this would not do, as there were so many other, more interesting circles to walk in the festival’s streets.

However, with home being so near once again, she had half a mind to return to grab something to combat the rapidly rising sun, whose rays were just beginning to take too much precedence over the comfortable morning breeze…

“Twee-tweeoo-twrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

Or maybe I won’t have to after all!

A black-and-brown blur was barrelling toward her from the sky, making a frankly obscene level of noise. She stood firm and faced it, staring unblinking at the rapidly encroaching avian, before ducking at a perfect, precise, and repeatedly practiced moment. Like clockwork, Layna’s vision was shaded by an off-kilter hat (which she quickly adjusted), and the feathery form of a Taillow alighted upon her shoulder, whose face she began to delicately stroke.

“Thank you for bringing me my hat, Lond! Wherever would I be without you?”

“Twrrrt-t-twiii!”

“Wait, no, don’t tell me: Infra wanted me to not burn in the sun and you wanted to not be stuck inside with Relos.”

“Twrr-twrr-twrr!”

“I thought so… well, now that you’re here, how about sticking with me for a bit of exploration? I’m sure there'll be plenty of stuff to try!”

Lond pretended to think for a moment, then gave another enthusiastic chirp.

Layna giggled. “In that case, we mustn’t waste any more time! Onward!”

And with no decay to her exuberance, she sprinted off into the festival once more.

[bills-pokedex]

Crown Tundra: Part III

{Reminder: If you’re just here for headcanons, please blacklist powerverse!}

{For the rest of the story, be sure to check this blog’s crown tundra tag!}

Just before dawn, a blast of cold air jolted Bill awake. He sat up and stared into the darkness for a second, then looked to the only square of light in the room: the wide-open door. His heart jumped, and he reached down onto the bed next to him, only to find a very empty, very cold space where Lanette was supposed to be.

He was dressed in his snowsuit and out the same door barely five minutes later, with Foxglove by his side.

“Foxglove, scan the air for Lanette’s aura. Whatever happened, she can’t be far.”

He twisted around, scanning the town for any sign of his partner while biting off Old Johtonian curses. Nothing at his feet. No fresh footprints in the new snow. No bright flash of red hair in the graying dawn. How could that be? Was it—

At his side, he could feel the air shift, and in his head, he felt the pressure of Fox exerting his power. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the golden streak of Fox’s body whip through the air and head directly for the forest beyond the fence and statue. Bill bit back another Johtonian curse and gave chase into the trees.

It didn’t take long after that. The two of them came to a clearing, and there, Bill’s heart settled, both literally … and figuratively.

Lanette rested beneath a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Her eyes were closed, and her glasses were missing, so she must have been taken. But at least whoever took her had the foresight to give her a coat and boots. Could’ve used enough foresight to give her pants beyond the flannel ones she had. Still, she was there and not broken and in a pool of blood, so … small blessings for the time being, Bill knew. He started forward, intending on swooping down to check on her, make sure she was okay, then gently carry her back to the cabin. But before he could cross the clearing, a force threw him back across the clearing, and he landed hard on his seat.

To be fair, he was never really all that great at immediate foresight.

Picking himself back up with a groan, Bill gazed straight ahead to see Fox already engaged in a battle of psychic blasts with a strange pokémon. He blinked, taking in the creature’s silhouette. Small. Thin limbs. Deer-like face. Large crown.

“The legendary!” he gasped. “Fox! Shadow Ball!”

Foxglove whipped his free hand back, and an orb of pure, inky darkness formed in his claws. He threw it forward, swinging it towards the head of the other pokémon, but it extended an arm beneath Fox’s and touched its chest with a green glow. Fox seized and writhed at the creature’s touch as a green light engulfed them both, and the Shadow Ball dissipated from its claws harmlessly.

“Fox,” Bill breathed. “Hold on!”

He leapt forward, first on his feet, and then with his wings as he slid from one form to the other. His claws burst into violet flame, and he swung, severing the connection between the pokémon and Fox. Forcing himself between them, he struck out with one Dragon Claw after another, driving the legendary back until they had space, and then, he reared back, fangs flashing with white light, before snapping down on the creature’s crown with a Crunch.

Barely a second later, the thing threw him across the clearing again with one more Psychic. He caught himself at the last second, righted his flygon body, and landed harmlessly on the snow with Fox flashing into existence by his side. The pokémon hung in the air across the clearing from them, rainbow embers of psychic energy flicking off its slender body. Bill and Fox waited for it, waited for something to happen.

And something did.

“Impressive.”

Bill looked to Lanette, who was standing at the edge of their makeshift battlefield, but he knew right away something wasn’t right. After all, it was hard not to notice, what with the blue aura surrounding her and the blue glow in her eyes. She pushed off the ground and floated forward, coming to a rest again next to the pokémon.

“I can understand you just fine without a medium,” Bill said. “Let her go. I don’t want to fight you.”

“I would rather not fight you either,” the creature said, through Lanette’s mouth. “My name is Calyrex, King of Bountiful Harvests. I saw what you did yesterday. Thank you for restoring my statue. No human has ever been so kind to or curious about me.”

Bill eased out of his fighting stance and glared at Calyrex in exasperation. “Are you ignoring me?”

“Not at all,” it replied. “I know you asked me to let your friend go. And I will. But first, I need to ask of you one more favor.”

“If you’re going to keep this up, maybe I should catch you and sort all this out later,” Bill muttered.

He closed his eyes and focused on pulling the dragonfire back, on reforming his body back to what it should have been … but neither moved. His eyes snapped open, and he looked down at his hands, willing them to change shape. Nothing.

“What?”

“Human,” Calyrex sighed. “Among my many powers is the ability to influence minds, as you can see with your friend. Though my power is greatly diminished, it is not so difficult a task to make you temporarily forget how to change form.”

A chill passed over Bill, both figurative … and literal this time. Slowly, he raised his head, then swallowed hard.

“Ah … w-what?” he stammered.

“Please. I beg of you.” Lanette’s body shifted forward, clasping her hands together. “Please help me.”

Bill shuddered as he stared deep into Lanette’s face. Then, he looked past her to the legendary.

“If I help you, you’ll let Lanette go? And let me change back?” he asked.

“Of course.”

Bill straightened. “Well … all right. I don’t know what I can do for a legendary of all things, but…” He trailed off right at the moment that it hit him that he was helping a legendary pokémon.

Oh blazes. What was he even doing? Oh, sure, working directly for a legendary was more than an honor. No one got chosen by a legendary but heroes, or those pure of heart, or exceptionally strong trainers, and here he was, actually about to accept a task from a legendary! But oh. Oh blazes no. What could it possibly be? Calyrex surely wouldn’t overestimate his power, right? Sure, he held his own in a battle against a legendary, but that was one legendary! He’d gotten lucky; he couldn’t possibly battle another.

Lanette’s face smiled, and through her voice, Calyrex said, “Long, long ago, the people of this tundra worshipped me as a god. They gave me offerings, and in return, I blessed their lands with my immense power. But as the years wore on, the offerings the people gave me grew leaner and leaner, until they’d stopped altogether—and with it, my power grew dimmer and dimmer too. Now, you see the last vestiges of my abilities: the control over one human … and the control over one set of memories. Thus, this is why I need you.”

Bill tensed. Here it was. He was about to be tasked with some monumental, sisyphean thing, a task he could never hope to accomplish. Maybe he would need to retrieve an offering fit for a god. Maybe he would need to restore a god’s power itself. Maybe he would—

“I need you to find out what the townspeople think of me.”

Bill blinked. “That’s … that’s it?”

Calyrex nodded. “Yes. Is there something wrong?”

“No! I just…” Bill rose to his full height again, this time with relief. “You couldn’t have come to a better person. I’m a researcher; finding things out about pokémon is what I do. Trust me—you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted to know from their perspective by noon.”

Calyrex had Lanette’s expression light up, and she clapped her hands with joy, and Bill’s heart didn’t know whether to melt at the sight of Lanette’s happiness or to turn because he knew that wasn’t Lanette.

“Wonderful!” Calyrex exclaimed. “Then I will meet you here again when the sun reaches the top of the sky.”

And with that, Calyrex vanished, along with Lanette, leaving Bill and Fox standing in the clearing. One second ticked by. Then two. Then finally, Bill felt a presence in the back of his mind, followed by a voice he knew was Fox’s.

So how did you plan on questioning the townspeople when you’re stuck as a flygon?

Another second went by, and then Bill bit off one more Old Johtonian curse.

[meltangospelhour]

Notes on Reverie & Discipline: Chapter 1

Format: 1st Person Narrative

Chapter Rating: R / +17 [Implied Sexual stuff/it's smut]

Summary: This story was written after and based upon the 2020 GOFest that's been collecting dust. It's a first person recollection of thoughts after certain events, as well as repressed feelings coming to the surface between three characters in particular.

Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

Blanche

Comparing notes is how we’ve come to conclude our daily routine. It has been logical to do so; our research overlaps quite a bit. As you know, I oversee the handling of evolutionary components and deducting the requirements; Spark is an expert when it comes to breeding and handling Pokémon in their infancy; and Candela, in matters of improving overall stats of a Pokémon, which can involve a combination of stardust and candies.

To address it as Spark would: “Candy makes the candy.”

...Ahem.

So, because candies can trigger the evolutionary outcome of a Pokémon, it is inevitable and without question that I would be working alongside Candela quite often. It’s a fate inescapable. Even if we’ve discovered nothing new, she and I will come together out of a habit that’s formed over the course of these years. If one of us is too sick to appear in person, we’ll connect virtually. In all matters of candy, stardust, and now Rockets, there is always something to discuss.

Such evenings are somehow intense, yet still quiet. Cozy, if you will. The way my partner shifts from being so analytical in one moment, into a giggling fit the next, was a pattern that alarmed me in the beginning. Are you really a scientist, I’d wanted to ask countless times during our first sessions. Now, I’m happy to be a witness to the gamut of personalities that find themselves called into the field that are Pokémon studies.

Candela is far more crafty and even more calculative than I had come to imagine. If she loses, she still somehow wins. I have to work hard for my victories against her; she loses gracefully, but you will have most certainly earned that victory. Countless times, I have created elaborate defenses, counting on her weaknesses--proven and potential. And, repeatedly, I have seen her sidestep them before she’d even touch the surface of my hard work.

As if I were the purest ice, she sees right through me.

With her, there is no hesitation in matters of reading my face, my eyes, the way my fingers move, the pace of my breath, the tone of my voice, the quivering of my lips. Even down to the way I dress, she knows the language I speak past my mask, intentionally and not.

I could, at times, feel where those eyes went. It was distressing, yet oddly… alluring. That reaction has yet to change.

Within six months of observing me, she once asked of me: “You’re upset; aren’t you?”

“And why do you think this?” I sharply quipped.

“Your braid; it’s underhanded. When you’re in a better mood and have your hair braided, you’d usually opt for an overhand technique. Right?”

I found myself paralyzed; she was right. My Lapras had come down with Pokerus. While the virus itself is generally beneficial, it doesn’t make the course of the disease any easier to endure. Seeing someone you care about in pain and discomfort weighs heavily on the mind. As always, I kept my more guttural emotional responses suppressed. The issue of anyone knowing what my Lapras was going through wasn’t the problem; the issue was the potential of my raw emotions stifling my work.

I found myself angry; I had lost control. To opt for a euphemism so many are wont to make: she thawed past my glacial barrier. With this knowledge, would she take advantage of it?

She did, only…not in the way that I’d feared.

Candela stopped by to make sure my Lapras was comfortable, and told a story about how her Infernape, then a Monferno, came down with it. The Pokémon's massive head now resting in her lap, my research partner sang to it a lullaby that I’d never heard--Only to realize along the crescendo that it was Lugia’s Song in a different key. My Lapras, for the first time since falling ill, found enough will to make sound beyond agonized moaning and hummed along with her.

I looked on at the scene that churned impossible-to-pinpoint feelings from within: a woman who I’d feared, and, in a panic, further embraced water-types into my repertoire. Only to find that she seemed relieved I had done so while jovially complaining about needing a real challenge. Now doting upon the very Pokémon who could potentially, with its gains in its newfound recovery, could likely better withstand her team, if not devastate it, if I calculate my strategy accordingly.

It dawned upon me that she saw herself as a small part of something much bigger. If we were strong together, it was all that mattered to her.

She’d said to me some time ago, not the exact words, but akin to: Battles are frequent. They are won, they are lost. But war only has one victory, and that is the victory to focus upon.

That resonated true, especially now.

The feeling of partnership and friendship remained stable. However, something else within felt threatened.

...Something deeper that I’d repeatedly denied myself.

❄❄❄

I’ve worried. I’ve found myself knotting up within. I hadn’t fallen ill. I began to follow the pattern that was behind this sudden nuisance. One of the GO Rocket leaders we were up against is a person from Candela’s past. Someone close to her. A rival and a close friend. In a passing and annoyingly irrelevant thought, I immediately processed the possibility of them being doubles partners in that not-so-distant past.

I found myself thinking about it more, wishing to see the fight they’d engaged in in that field. I thought more about them than I did Cliff. I feel so terribly sorry for Cliff; Giovanni is unworthy of a man that loyal. But I found my thoughts wandering more often to a point that could be deemed unhealthy at worst, counterproductive at best.

The Salamence were the ones that drove my thoughts into this descent. Candela had one that she loved so dearly. That is not to say that she didn’t love her Pokémon equally, but her closeness and address of the dragon seemed so very unique in of itself. To compare, she addressed her Moltres with a certain deference, as we often did with our signature birds. To further illustrate the relationship, one could say that they were our patrons and we, their scions, in a sense. With the Salamence, however, there was a certain reminiscence and determination that I could never understand--

--Until I learned of Arlo’s possession of a Salamence. Though, his was tainted--as far as I was aware. Likewise, this could all be fallacious; I could be bringing up Sierra and Candela’s Houndooms, mine and Sierra’s Lapras, or Spark and Cliff’s Tyranitars. These coincidences potentially had just as little-to-no grounds for concern.

...Right? Of course. Of course, I’m right.

The Salamence themselves shouldn’t be a detail worth my mulling over; however, it drove my curiosity as to who filled the ranks of Arlo’s non-tainted team that Candela had, from what Willow said (who recounted what Candela told him) requested to battle. For old friends who dedicated themselves to the world of Pokémon battles to have matching Pokémon, or Pokémon who were romantically involved, it was often seen as what one might call a ‘cute’ gesture.

A cute gesture between old friends…

...Old friends who could be considered to be of ‘marrying age,’ no less…

To share a pair of dragons was no small matter in certain cultures. After all, Arlo is presumably Kantonian, or perhaps Johtonian; Candela is--

If the dragons are or were mates, then, possibly--?

(I still do not know Candela’s exact age. Her appearance is considerably younger than Spark’s, despite her being the eldest. I attribute this to a number of factors alongside her own healthy habits. One of my admins even teased that Valor’s old guards biologically engineered their higher ranks to fit a certain ideal, to which I immediately dismissed, but considered the potential sciences for my own personal application in terms of enhancing my own mental aptitude permanently.)

In addition, I suppose Spark being very open to discussing Sierra, but Candela’s withholding of Arlo, fuels my ruminations. Spark and Sierra have shared no past, but the level of transparency he was willing to offer is to be appreciated.

“...Has she mentioned him to you?” I asked Spark while watching Elekid and my Metagross play together.

“Nope.” He was careless and quick to reply. I wish he’d not assume before speaking.

“...You’re aware of whom I’m asking about?”

“Yeah,” Spark laughed. “Candela and Arlo. It’s all over your face.”

He wasn’t being careless, and I was wrong about him.

Sporting the audacity to gesture around the proximity of my own face with his finger just to drive his point home, I felt anger well inside of me. And yet, I wasn’t sure who or what I was angry towards. I quickly deducted that I was mad at the situation itself; that I had let my feelings over the situation shatter my façade. He didn’t need to ask “who” due to the fact I had, apparently, exposed my emotions out in the open more than I’d anticipated.

“I suppose that Professor Willow is the only one that Candela had spoken with in-depth about him. Are you not curious?” I asked Spark.

“Of course I’m curious!” he said as Elekid went flying. Nonchalant, Spark raised his hand to catch the flying ball of flailing and laughing energy. He was many things, but the manner that his ‘mother Beartic’ side often activated, as effortlessly as taking a breath, never ceased to impress me.

“You know what, though? When Candy’s ready to speak, she’ll speak! ‘Sides, it’s not like she’s got anything we can actually use! I mean, what’s she going to say? Dude likes boxers over briefs? What are we gonna do with that? Mail him thongs?”

I was fortunate that my anger had found focus. Spark was right; it was pointless. The thirst for my knowledge was driven by my own selfish desires, nor was it hampering Candela’s performance. If anything, it was a fuel.

And yet, my desires persisted. And grew.

...How would she know what sort of undergarments he preferred? Why would you even use such a crass example, Spark? They were only close friends. Nothing more.

I have had days where I absolutely abhorred Arlo. I’ve yet to speak with him; and yet, the reports from trainers and the fact he’d hurt Candela was beyond enough.

I had nights where I reveled in our time -- OUR time -- comparing notes with one another. That time Arlo could have shared with Candela, had he behaved and not fled like a spoiled coward, now belonged to me. Her closeness as she leaned over to see my work along the scattered papers and array of holo-screens...

...The firm, caring squeeze of her hand upon my shoulder;

...The warmth voluminous breasts brushing against my back when she leaned in for a closer look;

...The tenderness and melody of her voice uttering my name, telling me how proud she was to be my partner.

...The scent she wore that often compelled me to lick my own lips.

...I’ve experienced guilt for this indulging. We are working. I always kept still and drank in those moments. I dismissed the apologies from her when she soon realized how close she leaned over me as I worked in my seat and at my desk. For the record, I do not like it when anyone invades my space uninvited. I’d not prefer it.

But this? This was acceptable.

Desirable.

I always kept my voice to a whisper when I forgave her, and kept my face close to hers. At first, it was never planned; a pleasant accident. But, after conducting enough research regarding such gestures, I found that it was a way to sate this growing need for her I had within. To quell the steam without crossing the professional line, so to speak.

I began to realize that part of myself had lost control for her. Close to my proximity, I could feel her warmth, combined with that warm, sweet, spicy perfume that most certainly had traces of Salazzle pheromones imbued within. Alone and in the darkness of night, I then found myself yielding to the temptation of vivid fantasies and succumbing to the will of my own wandering hands.

I felt safe to do so.

Then, from within a dream, something clicked.

Awakened by epiphanies is the norm for my course of sleep. I keep a notebook upon my nightstand for such moments. However, this was the first time I felt too horrified to write. I didn’t want the degradation of my thoughts towards carnal desires to be committed to any tangible memory.

Still; it was a thought that felt as if I were gazing down a void that could envelope me at any time. I kept wanting to know just how close they had been.

Why are the notes on him so vague?

Why so much hatred just because of Candela?

Did she break your heart, losing a Pokémon battle?

Or stealing your potential title?

Am I missing something?

You seriously cannot justify abusing Pokémon because you lost against her!

You wanted the leadership position; didn’t you?

No, that’s too easy. That can’t be it.

Sometimes that’s all there is to it, Blanche.

Perhaps I’m committing the sin of over analyzing things. I still recall Cliff’s message, chiding me for ‘thinking too much.’

(While his observations are… sound, that did nothing to gain the upper hand against me in our previous battles.)

Perhaps these concerns I ruminate upon weren’t merely carnal desires. Perhaps they were more...

[He is sly and manipulative.]

That note. Who’s being manipulated? Why mention this useless detail in our dossier?

I can only compare him to anything but. I’ve met Rattata who were more sly than he.

Small. Loud. Does nothing but preach. Preoccupation with humiliation, and announces frequently for his desire to not be embarrassed. And yet, he seems so simultaneously proud and disgusted of Rocket. That isn’t very manip--

“Wait.”

My need to annotate took precedence over my stubbornness. This might be important. I took only a few notes; short ones for column [A]; extensive ones for column [C]. [C] would come to explain [A]. I will make [C] explain to me [A].

And yet, weeks later, we found ourselves standing beside one another. The subsiding heat from the summer sunset radiated upon us in the glow of victory as we watched the GO Rockets flee. With the aid of Victini’s blessing, we were able to overwhelm what could have become a potential disaster beyond words. One may call such a scene ‘romantic.’ Perhaps that would have been the moment where I should have confessed to her. Perhaps share a kiss? That’s how that sort of thing works; yes? Two warriors, victorious in their pursuits, succumbing to their long-repressed desires. In those stories Candela loved so much, it always seemed to play out that way.

Almost always. There was that one spy novel she complained for an entire week about.

Despite my successful duel with Cliff fresh upon my mind, I set aside enough space to recall what I’d observed of Candela and Arlo.

(Due to the sheer number of witnesses, Spark and Sierra’s battle was not worth recalling and was quite straightforward; to this day, and apparently to Sierra’s chagrin, people still speak of it extensively.)

I had witnessed the Valors; leader and traitor, from a distance; the unreadable faces; the wordless, pre-battle lingering. The reflection of the sunlight in Arlo’s spectacles from my position obfuscating the legibility of his emotions--while Candela, so expressive as can be with her enrapturing eyes, was no more different from when challenging one of our trainers. She radiated so much vivacity; and yet, she told me absolutely nothing.

...That was the point; wasn’t it?

My recollection was suddenly interrupted by that familiar voice so warm and bubbly: “I guess we won’t have any notes to compare tonight, huh?”

“...I suppose not,” I replied. Of course not; we were uncovering details at an amazing pace; my personal concerns aside.

Still, my chest began to ache, caused only by what I could only ascertain was due to tension. Candela; invite me to something after our dinner with the Professor. Ask me something, anything. A showcase battle? A doubles battle with Spark and the Professor? Chess? Would you… Care to spend the night? Anything? I couldn’t look at her. I looked at everything and everyone else around me but her. I knew that if I did, she’d call me a Piplup and ask what was wrong. Not that I minded, but I wasn’t ready to allow myself to react to that the way I desired to do so in public.

She said nothing.

Before I could take command of the situation and extend my own invitation, I finally directed my eyes where she was supposed to be.

She was already gone.

I last glimpsed her waving to Spark and Professor Willow before mounting her Rapidash and taking out beyond the valley’s treeline.

I took a step forward to call out to her, to simply give her the similar dismissal/greeting that I often did by announcing her name; but the echo of the sound of my heel clicking down on a flat rock seized me by surprise, thus disrupting my usual vocal range into a far more embarrassing octave.

It was the reverberation of both my voice and that step that suddenly alarmed me. Something about that echo, in my mind’s auditory hallucinations, made it feel as if I were speaking in a chamber.

No, a theatre.

What would have been something of a charm in a natural, open space--to hear one’s voice echoing in such a way--triggered a visualization of all the notes that I had taken, and what I had bore witness to today.

Something’s up. I was now beyond determined to find out just what it was.

Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

[streetsteel]

.: Maika

(watch out kiddos it’s big headcanon time I don’t know how long this will be but bEAR WITH ME)

Here she is. The incense aficionado. The myth. The legend. The absolute powerhouse that is Maika. Jay’s best friend and his ace. Don’t tell her there’s ghost types in the area, she WILL burn sage and start purifying the whole place.

Depending on the verse, Maika will appear as a Kadabra or an Alakazam. But she’s been around for a long, long time. 

In Chizue’s family, it is tradition to pair an Abra with a child when they reach three or four years old, so they can have a companion, learn to socialize with Pokémon and get attuned to the psychic vibes the Abra line emits. In Jay’s case, the pairing happened much earlier—nearly two weeks after his birth, for Chizue’s own Alakazam had an egg that hatched into an Abra. From that moment on, they were put in contact and imprinted onto each other rather quickly, always napping together, playing together, and (to Chizue and Wes’ despair) crying when the other cried. Two peas in a pod, really. 

Now, many kids are raised around Pokémon, this is something that happens often. But when a newborn is in contact with what turns out to be a top-percentile, pure psychic type, extremely strong bonds are created, sometimes going way beyond expectations. 

The link that formed between Jay and Maika was born from simply being in contact while they were in a still very malleable and fragile state—and, in Maika’s case, not exactly in control. The imprint was natural and grew with them. Both have always been particularly sensitive to each other’s emotions when they were young, which lead to suspect that there was a connection between them, but neither Chizue or her own Alakazam thought it’d run that deep. 

Thirty years later, this bond has grown into something that would defy even some psychic specialist’s logic. Both Pokémon and trainer are so tightly bonded to each other that they can tell how the other is feeling while not even being in the same neighborhood. Maika being a strong Kadabra, she can initiate telepathic conversation whenever she pleases. Jay, being a simple human but still having this affinity with psychic types, needs a physical contact with Maika if he is to initiate, although he does prefer to speak aloud. They’re in better control of that link and can mute it off if the other one needs privacy, but it’s always a presence somewhere.

Not that it comes only with perks. This link is ever present and has roots deeper than they suspect. To them, they’re just very in-tune partners; in reality, they’ve imprinted so much on each other that severing that link would be akin to losing a major organ and a part of their soul, which could send them in a long-term state of shock at best. 

Jay would trust Maika with nearly anything, and the other way around goes as well. They’re buddies of a similar temperament, Maika being a little quieter and in better control of her emotions but still snarky. They often sit together to try things that are a bit more outside the box out of sheer curiosity—Maika using psychic barriers to create invisible stairs did get them to spend some time giggling and having fun with it, for example. But when she evolves into an Alakazam after the events of ORAS, things will take a different turn and trust takes an even deeper meaning. 

Emergency situations require quick thinking and fast reflexes. It’s not a surprise, Rocket tried to target Fox a few times, without success. But when a sniper actually managed to get a clear line and Maika noticed at the last minute, she just went with it and tugged at their bond to create a barrier that would’ve been at an impossible distance for her to deflect the shot. This, at face value, was seen as Fox himself creating that last minute force wall to thwart that assassination attempt—and it earned him a reputation which did bolster Wildfire’s resolve a little. To Jay and Maika, it was the discovery that she could use that link as a tether and send her own power through it, a bit like a signal boost through her own trainer. It’s a one-way road, and it takes more than it gives. Jay can’t tap into it, but Maika can. It’s still a shock on Jay’s system and can cause nosebleeds, nausea, migraines, even blackouts. It’s not something they use all willy-nilly—in fact, they do their best to avoid it. But should the need arise, Jay trusts her. To a point where if he went blind, he’d trust her to dive into his head and rearrange the electricity flows in his brain to open up other means of perception. Giving her the permission to rewire him should things go south tells a LOT about how much Jay trusts Maika. 

ASIDE FROM THAT WHOLE LINK META. She has a temperament that matches Jay’s in the way that she’s a calming factor for him, like the cold intelligence that will calm that emotional volatility down. She has a dry sense of humor and actually loves poetry and haikus. And if someone talks to her like she’s one of the more animalistic Pokémon/to patronize her, she’s ready to tear ‘em a new one. She’s very much her own person, and sees her relationship with Jay not as a Pokémon-trainer one, but a best friends/family/partners in crime one. It’s about trust, respect and understanding at a deep level. She has a slight maternal tendency, but knows when to give Jay and the other members of the team their distance so they can process stuff themselves. 

She’ll also totally squint at ghost types like ‘yes I know you’re spooky please drop the gimmick y’ain’t helping anyone with that attitude,’ but really, that’s the type rivalry speaking. Because ghost types really make her want to close her third eye so she can’t see their bullshit.

She’s also a lover of crystals and stones, and she’s pretty good at making small charms you can wear (and will probably make you one if she really, REALLY likes you). Will definitely drag Jay in new age stores just to get some incense packages and a few little esoteric trinkets.

[pikachu78109]

Could you give me some angst with Milo, Piers and Gordie? I live and die for Milo angst aaah;;;

((I feel sorry for these gentlemen))

Milo

“Is that all you got to show for yourself?”

“You’d think he would give a challenge. Has he grown soft lately?”

“Nessa kicks more ass than he does. Not surprised though,”

The comments were relentless. You’d think that after a few years of being a Gym Leader, the comments that fans made wouldn’t mean as much. However, there are some weeds that just don’t disappear that easily. Milo knew that being a Gym Leader had its sore moments, especially considering the fact that he’s the first Gym Leader that challengers face during the tournament. And as the first Gym Leader, it’s prohibited that Milo doesn’t use any of his strongest Grass type Pokémon, due to him being the supposedly easy stepping stone challengers can defeat. There are times when the losses did not affect Milo much, because he is okay with losing. After all, isn’t being a Gym Leader suppose to be an opponent that can offer a challenger a chance to beat and earn a badge? Every Gym Leader knows this and some take their losses with humility, such as with Opal and Kabu, while other Gym Leaders can get frustrated, as for Nessa and Raihan. Milo took his defeats with humility and didn’t mind at all if he lost. Battling can be a good time, but for others, battling is seen as competitive.

Milo knew about the ugliness of battling and what it can do to die hard fans who have certain levels of expectations. They can look at Nessa and comment on how her battling technique shines far brighter in contrast to Milo’s, whose more subdued and prefers to show little. With Nessa, her fan base revels in how much she improves and strives forward, thus making her popular among many people. Though Milo does get praise from his fans, there are plenty who lurk in the shadows and are typing away on their phones, commenting on how Milo’s battling performance has gotten weaker. Due to that kind of attention, it has caused Milo to become very self-conscious on him being a Gym Leader. A few comments that get underneath his skin, they manage to rip a chunk of esteem, spatting it out with such ferocity and judgment that it has gotten to be....sickening.

“Why can’t Milo be better?”

This question has been tossed around a lot and, frankly, this question plagued Milo’s mind. He wished he could tell his fans why, but due to being in a circle of professionals, the answers are concealed in confidentiality. The Pokémon League has been aware of the activity that has been going on, which Milo wonders if they happen to monitor any of the activity going on with the other Gym Leaders. Still, this was Milo’s business, with which he tries to conduct himself as the gentle, friendly giant. It wasn’t a facade; that’s just who he is as a person, because being overly competitive like Raihan or Nessa just didn’t suit him. He couldn’t bring himself to look in a mirror and stare at his reflection, trying to mimic that confident, almost superior attitude that his friends have. Despite being able to put on a smile and walk out onto the pitch with ease, that nagging insecurity of being a pathetic excuse for a Gym Leader latches on to Milo, like a weed poisoning the flowers beauty.

Piers

Music has always been a part of Piers and who he is as an individual. Growing up, his father was a musician who used to go around the Galar region, putting on shows here and there during halftime during the Gym Challenge. Over time, his father retired from that profession and settled down with his life long sweetheart, which eventually leads to the here and now. Piers sticks to music like glue. Separating the singer from the microphone is a no go, which is why Piers insists on taking his portable mic everywhere with him. Hey, you never know if someone wants a concert. But, lately over time, the relationship between Piers and his music has been put on hold ever since he became Gym Leader. This was not his choice. When Piers first told his parents that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, his mother told him that by doing so, he wasn’t going to get anywhere in life. His father got lucky because he was able to get sponsored by people who saw musical talent in him, which is rare to come by in Galar since the region focuses more on battling than anything else. By announcing his dream in front of his parents at the tender age of ten, Piers felt himself being sucked down into a pit of roadblocks and detours. Taking part of the Gym Challenge was also not a choice that Piers made. Instead, his father knew someone who he was good friends with and had him sponsor Piers to take part. Regardless of his negative feelings of the entire thing, the Gym Challenge proved to be somewhat worthwhile and it even inspired Piers to use Dark types since he has a fascination with them.

However, over the course of his Gym Challenge and beyond, Piers began to feel burned out from the whole Gym Leader gig. The idea of repeating battles over and over and being forced to Dynamax your Pokémon at the tail end of a match started to lose its rhythm with Piers. Especially the Dynamaxing. As a kid, Piers took zero interest in the whole Dynamaxing appeal. He thought it looked cheap and something that made battling quite unbalanced given the extra power up. Given that Spikemuth was nowhere near a Power Spot, which was a mandatory requirement for every Gym in Galar, Piers was put into Circhester’s Gym for battling matches much to his dismay. After a few more matches that involved pointless Dynamaxing, Piers outright refused to Dynamax due to the disrespect of being able to battle in his own city because of a minor issue. Because of his announcement, it left Piers facing both criticism from the fans and some media outlets, who took Piers’ words as disrespectful to the Pokémon League as well as to the culture of the Galar region. Still, there were some Gym Leaders who were understanding towards this, such as Milo, Kabu, and Raihan.

After a few years of battling in his home city, Piers became a lot more cynical to battling and he found time to jot his feelings down into lyrics as upcoming songs for his concerts. This entire journey for Piers has been a back and forth ride where Piers wants to show how great Spikemuth is without Dynamaxing and him wanting to pursue his own passions of being a singer, the latter of which he wants to achieve. There are many factors that keep holding him back though, such as being a disappointment to his family if he decides to quit, being portrayed as selfish when all he wants to do is pursue his passions by the media and his fans, or just...fearing everything altogether. Luckily, Marnie helps console him and, to some extent, the grunts of Team Yell. Not a large music fan base, but they keep Piers from getting too discouraged.

If Piers can manage to break away from the battling environment altogether, then that would be a song worth singing.

Gordie

Gordie loves his mother, let’s just make that clear. Despite the arguments, there’s no bad blood between them. As the eldest child in the family, Gordie has a lot on his plate. For one thing, his siblings. Although they give him so much strife, he loves them. Gordie wouldn’t trade them for the world. Secondly, his relationship with Melony, his mother, has always been a positive one. I mean, this woman is part of his fan club for goodness sake! Still, with the positives, there are some negatives that have nearly tempted Gordie to cut ties with his family. Being a person who specializes in Rock types, Gordie never became interested in Ice type Pokémon. Sure, Snom looks adorable but Gordie finds Rolycoly to be even cuter! Melony has always known that Gordie likes Rock types, something of which she doesn’t understand but tries to. However, even when she tries to be a good mentor to Gordie, she doesn’t know a single thing about Rock types which causes her some frustration.

Gordie has dealt with his mother’s tough love before, especially considering he has faced her as a Gym Challenger before during his time in the Gym Challenge. Their match was something like a spectacle, but it proved difficult when Gordie tries to convince Melony that he can be a good Gym Leader without using Ice type Pokémon. Over the years, once Gordie became a certified Gym Leader, he would run the Circhester Gym alongside with his mother, which proved even more difficult. Both the mother and her son would not see eye to eye as much and everyone around the city took notice of this and would try to steer clear. One argument in particular has caused some emotional harm to both parties, more with Gordie whom once said that Ice types are useless in the heat of battle. This set off Melony, who returned his remark by saying if he didn’t spend so much time with his Rock type Pokémon, he would’ve saw something differently and be a better Gym Leader.

That argument set off a week long tension filled silence, with Gordie not speaking to his mother at all. At home, it got worse with Gordie moving out and staying at his apartment until things settled down. If until things settled down. At some point during the prolonged silent treatment did Gordie decide to call his mom to apologize. Even with the apology and the two making some progress to mend their relationship, Gordie knew that there would be no common ground between them aside from being related. The strain settled in and it frightens both of them that one day they might never see eye to eye again. It’s a fear that no parent and child should ever have to face.

[taehyungiestummy]

Stuck -- Chapter Twelve

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Word Count: 3000

           “Just a few more hours, princess,” Taehyung’s voice is the first thing I hear as I stir awake. “Have a nice nap?”

           “Mmhmm,” I smile, stretching as best I can in an airplane chair.

           “That’s good,” he kisses my temple. “How do you feel?”

           “Good,” I rub my eye, noticing my lack of glasses. “Tae, my way to see.”

           “Glasses, cutie,” he chuckles, handing me my case. “Still waking up?”

           “Yeah,” I yawn, rubbing my cheek on his shoulder. “I guess all this traveling caught up with me.”

           “Are you talking about last night? I am so sorry.”

           “It’s not that,” I force my eyes to stay open. “I forgive you Tae. Babe, I’m the one who messed up. Jimin is a good friend of both of us, and I know how you get insecure. I am sorry.”

           “No, you don’t need to be sorry. Just know, I am going to be better. They are our friends, and I shouldn’t get jealous. I’m the one who will be spending the rest of my life with you.”

           “It’s good that you are a better person now, and you have grown. Being jealous over you friends is bad. Now, I am okay with you being protective when we go out.”

           “Like, to award shows? Of course I’ll be protective. You won’t leave my sight.”

           I smile, “I love you.”

           “I love you, jagi,” he kisses my temple. “Tell me about your Instagram videos.”

           “I posted a clip of me dancing, and now people want full videos. They love how I give a new twist to your dance.”

           “We should dance together,” he lowers his voice. “Just the two of us, at home, in our bedroom.”

           My cheeks are ablaze in seconds. “I don’t think so, so.”

           “Nervous?”

           “For my first time?” I whisper. “It’s only natural.”

           “What about singing?” Taehyung brings his voice up to normal level. “Posted any clips of your lovely voice?”

           “No, I am not confident enough to do that,” I shake my head, resulting in nuzzling further into Taehyung’s arm. “You are so comfy, babe. I might fall back asleep.”

           “No,” he whines. “I want to talk to you more.”

           “What is there to talk about?”

           “Well, when we get home, I am going to show you so much love. So many kisses and cuddles.”

           “I look forward to it.”

           “And I am going to mark you up,” he teasingly nibbles the top of my ear. “You can do the same to me.”

           “I will,” I choke out. “This is all so embarrassing, but I like it.”

           “It’s so sexy,” he coos. “Princess, you do crazy things to me. You’ll never understand.”

           “Oh, I understand. I have to watch you perform all the time, and it does the same thing. You are so hot on stage.”

           He wiggles around so he can use the hand of the arm I’m leaning on to grab my hand and intertwine our fingers. “I guess that’s true. I don’t know how you keep your hands off me. It’s hard for me to.”

           “Well, you are a dirty boy,” I smirk. “Is that all you want to talk about?”

           “Are you really tired?”

           “Is something wrong, Tae?”

           “I’m just lonely and bored. Plus, my phone died.”

           I giggle, “Grab my DS from my bag. I’ll play some Pokémon.” I give his hand a squeeze, pulling away and sitting up. “Can’t have my Tae-Tae sad.”

           As I place my glasses on my face, Taehyung gets my DS and starts it up. It’s sweet moments like this that I live for.

           “Do you want to play, babe?” I giggle as Taehyung begins exploring with my character.

           “No, no,” he looks down at me. “You play it way better than I ever could.”

           “I can teach you,” I grin up at him.

           “Not this time. I just want to watch you, princess.” He presses a kiss to my lips. “I’ll play a game for you to watch when we get home.”

           I press my lips to his for a few seconds, feeling my heart swell with happiness. “Put that down in the notebook of things I want to do.”

           “You get to playing,” he hands me my DS, giving my cheek a kiss. “I’ll get my notebook out, and make sure it is up to date.”

           I look down at the device in my hands, getting right to playing. “You are beyond sweet, oppa. All I do is stay by your side. I don’t have a notebook of things you want to do.”

           “You don’t need one, because just being with me is enough. I’ll plan what we do, and make both of us happy.”

           “I still like surprising you,” I nibble on my bottom lip.

           “Don’t go overboard. I love you when you are just being you. You surprise me in little ways every day.”

           I rest my head on his shoulder, “People think you aren’t that smart, but they are so wrong. You may get a faraway look sometimes, but you always know just want to say to cheer me up. You just like to be silly, but you can be serious.”

           “This is why you are the only girl for me,” Taehyung rests his head on mine. “For now and forever.”

********

           I sigh in content as Taehyung runs his fingers across my upper arm as he has his arm slung across my shoulder to keep me close. People are rushing around us as we walk with the group through the airport. Cameras flashing, security leading the way, and girls shouting whatever comes to their mind.

           “Taehyung and Amber, you are too cute!” A girl shouts out from nearby.

           I smirk under my black face mask. I’ll admit, Taehyung and I are a cute couple right now. The two of us are dressed up in the same outfit: black t-shirt, black sweats, black sandals, and a black face mask. Taehyung has headphones in, listening to a playlist I made for him. I have nothing in my ears to block out the noise.

           “This way,” a man’s that’s with us to keep all of us safe, motions for us to exit out a door. Direction is changed, and in the next moment we are outside. The bright warm sun kissing my skin.

           “Finally, fresh air,” I take a deep breath.

           Taehyung leads me to the van that will takes us home, helping me into the back. “Careful, baby. No need to rush.”

           I smile, slipping my backpack off my shoulders and placing it on the ground. Then I sink into the right seat. “Why so protective? I wasn’t going to trip.”

           Taehyung is next to me in the next few seconds, pulling me onto his lap. “I heard some rude things, and I just want you safe.” He unhooks both our face masks from our ears.

           “Like what?” I loop my arms around his neck.

           “Things about your body, our relationship, and just nasty things. I’m glad you didn’t hear any of it. People can be terrible.”

           “Too focused on you,” I smile.

           He places kisses all over my face, “As you should be, so you don’t wander off.” His large hands grip my hips, and giggles leave my lips.

           “Tae, you are so silly,” I capture his lips with mine. “But, kisses are always nice.”

           “So, let me continue,” he mumbles against my lips before connecting them again.

           “Stop,” Yoongi’s voice breaks Taehyung and I from our make-out. “No more. I have to ride home with you.”

           I scoot off Taehyung’s lap, cheeks heating up. “Sorry. Are you sitting back here, brother?”

           “No, I’ll stay in the middle,” Yoongi takes a seat in the middle right seat.

           Jimin climbs in next, a smile on his face. “How are the two love birds?”

           “Fine,” Taehyung pulls my legs to lie over his lap. “It went downhill when we stopped kissing.”

           “Tae,” I squeal, slapping my boyfriends chest. “Come on, kissing isn’t everything.”

           “It isn’t, but kissing you is like a drug. I can’t get enough,” he rubs his nose against mine.

           The door to the van closes, and with the five of us, Namjoon now in the passenger seat, we take off.

           “So, cutie, do you still have to pick up your dogs once you’re dropped off?” Jimin turns to look back at me. “Or did Emily drop them off already?”

           “The second the plane landed, I texted her, and told her how far away we were,” I answer, grabbing Taehyung’s hand. “Our puppies should be patiently waiting for us.”

           “I’ve missed Holly,” Yoongi sighs.

           “My jagiya has missed our dogs,” Taehyung wiggles his fingers in my grasp. “So it’s good to be home for a little bit.”

           “Namjoon-oppa, what are you doing up there?” I call up to the man in the front.

           “Texting my lovely girlfriend,” Namjoon replies. “She’s coming over to the dorm, and your dogs are waiting for you at you apartment.”

           “Oh, Tae, we need to clean when we get home,” I bring his hand up to kiss his fingers. “House party at our place tomorrow.”

           “Finally,” Jimin teases. “I’m assuming take-out. You shouldn’t cook. You’ll be tired.”

           “I can cook,” Taehyung pouts.

           “Not that good,” Yoongi snarks.

           A giggle bursts through my lips, but I slap my hand over my mouth in an instant. “Sorry babe.”

           Taehyung presses a hard kiss to my cheek, “No worries, princess. I can get you back,” he smirks.

           “Gross,” Jimin groans, turning around in his seat. “Don’t talk about your bedroom life around us.”

           “What?” I stammer out. “No, oh goodness. Tae and I, we, we have never done anything. I swear.”

           “Aw, little one, are you flustered?” Yoongi teases. “We know Tae takes it a tad far, giving you hickeys. Good to know sex is off the table at the moment.”

           “Stop,” I whine, hiding my red face in my hands. “It’s personal, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

           “We just sleep in the same bed, nothing more. We’ve been together for a few years, but sex is not for our relationship at the moment,” Taehyung says.

           “Tae,” I whine. “Please, no more. This talk is going to make me explode from embarrassment.”

           “Good, you don’t need to be thinking about it for a long time,” Yoongi says. “Stay a kid, Amber, for as long as possible.”

           “I’ll always be a kid,” I pull my hands away from my face. “With Tae, I’m sure it will be easy.”

           “Aw, jagi, your cheeks are so red,” Taehyung leans forward to rub our noses together again. “You are too cute. That’s why I love you so much.”

           I giggle, shoving him away. “Shut up.”

           “You only love her when she’s acting cute, Tae?” Namjoon questions.

           “I love all of her,” Taehyung messes with the hem of my shirt. “All her personalities, and her looks. She’s my perfect princess.”

           “So, when you get married, will she be promoted to queen?” Jimin asks.

           “If that’s what she wants to be called,” Taehyung looks at me with a curious twinkle in his eyes. “Jagi, would you want to be called queen?”

           I shrug, “I’m not sure. Do I have options?”

           “Hm, I think wifey would be cute.”

           “I really like that,” I tenderly smile. “Does that answer your question, Chim-Chim-oppa.”

           “Yeah, it does, cutie,” Jimin glances back at me.

           The rest of the ride is filled with random small talk about concerts , fans, and music. Finally, the attention is off me, and my face can cool down.

           “I’ll see you up there, babe,” I give Taehyung a chaste kiss, rushing into the apartment building. The elevator will be way too slow, so I run right for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Thanking my workouts for keeping me in shape.

           “Come on,” I fumble with my keys, struggling to open the door. Barks sound form the other side of the door, making my heart swell. “Calm down,” I take a deep breath. Then, I hear the door unlock, and I’m inside my apartment. Haipeo and Keyowo are on me in an instant. Yips and happy whines coming from the two dogs. They try licking any part of my skin they can find.

           I fall to my knees, tears pouring out of my eyes. “Hi babies. Oh, mommy is home. I missed you so much.”

           “Perfect timing,” Taehyung’s voice fills my ears minutes later. “Are you okay, jagi?”

           I sniffle, “Just happy to be home.” I look back to see my boyfriend standing in the doorway with our luggage. “They missed their mommy,” I giggle as Haipeo licks the tears off my cheek, and Keyowo nuzzles my leg.

           Taehyung chuckles, “Of course they did. I hope I get some love. Probably when you are taking a shower.”

           “I should get going then,” I smile. “They missed their daddy, don’t worry. The three of us love you so much.”

           “I hope so,” he smiles back. “Come on, you need a cleansing shower. Then lots of cuddles.”

********

           If my house could always have as much life as it does on this day, then there’s no reason I would ever have to leave. All my friends together in one place lifts me up, and I feel better than ever.

           “Thank you both to the moon and back for bringing the food today,” I smile at Emily and Nari as we stand in the kitchen.

           “It was fun,” Nari pats my hand. “And you just got home, so we had to do it.”

           “I did make a cake,” I look over at the smorgasbord: Noodles and rice, salad, cheesy potatoes, soondubu stew, roasted chicken, and my cake.

           “It smells so good in here,” Emily leans on the counter. “Everything tasted great.”

           “Seconds in a little bit,” I giggle.

           The day has been a bigger hit than I could have imagined. Our own Forth of July party, and great open house to show the boys how we live.

           “Are you home for five days this time?” Nari speaks up.

           “Correct,” I look around at the boys that have made a home in mine.

           Seokjin, Namjoon, and Hoseok are out on the balcony talking about who-knows-what. At times they seem serious, but then they will burst into laughter. Yoongi is on the floor by the couch surrounded by the puppies. His gummy smile hasn’t left his face since the dogs came up to him. Holly loves Haipeo and Keyowo, so I can see a lot more playdates in the future. Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung have been playing video games for hours. They barely stopped to eat. As long as they have fun, I can’t complain.

           “I’m just happy I got to spend some time with Namjoon yesterday,” Emily snaps me back into the conversation. “Staying at the dorm with him was what I needed.”

           “And now you are spending time with me,” I boxy smile. “Nari, did you catch up with Jin?”

           “Very much,” Nari’s gaze flitters to look at her boyfriend on the balcony. “We do well apart, though. Probably because we both work so hard, and chill time rarely has us thinking of the other.”

           “That’s better than me,” I sigh. “being away from Tae is never easy.”

           “I think I did okay,” Emily runs a hand through her hair. “Calling every night helped, and Skype is a blessing.”

           “It’s a good thing your job allows you to travel, Amber,” Nari smile. “Taehyung truly is your angel.”

           “Well, angle is a bold statement,” I chuckle, turning to look at my boyfriend.

           Taehyung is already looking at me, and it makes a blush rise to my cheeks. His blank face turns to a smug smirk at my reaction. He runs his tongue over his lips, winking as he sits up on the couch. Then he blows me a kiss.

           “I’m sorry girls, “I look back at my cousin and best friend. “There’s a boy on the couch who needs me.”

           “More like wants,” Emily smirks, pinching my cheeks before I slap her hand. “Go ahead, though. We’ll go to our boyfriends.”

           “Movie later, right?” Nari asks.

           “Yes. This party is far from over,” I giggle, turning so I can walk over to my boyfriend.

           “Baby,” Taehyung reaches out for me, making grabby hands. His tongue wetting his lips once again.

           “Oh, Tae, so silly,” I plop down on the couch, giving him a quick kiss before snuggling into his side. “Did you need me for something?”

           “Just wanted to cuddle, since I don’t want to play whatever it is they are playing.”

           “It’s FIFA,” Jungkook glances back at us. “And it’s two player, so you can’t play anyways.”

           “That’s okay,” I wiggle around as Taehyung wraps his arms around me. “We can watch.”

           “You can play next, cutie,” Jimin smiles back at me. “If you want.”

           “I’ve never played,” I place my hand on top of Taehyung’s that’s resting on my hip. “And, sports games really aren’t my thing. I’m okay watching.”

           “Just speak up if you want to play,” Jungkook nods. “It is your house and system.

           The two boys turn back to the TV, and I look up at Taehyung.

           “Are you having fun, jagi?” Taehyung kisses my forehead.

           “A ton,” I tenderly smile. “Our home has so much life. I always want it to feel like this.”

           “Another thing to write down.”

           “I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay awake for a movie,” I yawn “People still tire me out. Even friends.”

           “You’ll just snuggle up to me and sleep,” Taehyung runs his fingers through my hair.

           “Or, she can snuggle up to me,” Yoongi speaks up.

           “Just squish me between the two of you,” I giggle. “Share me.”

           “Tae will just hog you,” Yoongi shakes his head. “But we can try it.”

           I smile, “Good. That’s what I like to hear.” I focus on the video game being played by Jungkook and Jimin. “Now, shush. I need to learn this crazy game.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hope you enjoyed reading! A bit of a shorter chapter, but that happens. I would love to know what you think so far! :D

[throwing-summers-at-the-walls]

Hi, i hope you are feeling good! Im better than yesterday so i can finally answer you. First of all: i am so happy that you shared your fanfiction! i had a great time reading it! Im always open for more recs. Maybe your all time favorites? Or if you know some good h/c these are always welcome :) And YESSS please send me a link to your fanvids. -- yeah 13rw was super cursed. haha i also watched season 1 but thankfully i was able to sto watching becaue i could feel it making me feel bad (1)

I agree the suicide scene was just cringe (but i think i remember reading somewhere that they cut it out? idk) and overall this show just gave me the feeling that there was no hope and things are always getting worse instead of better and i hated that. but enough of that cursed show. can i just say i really admire how open you are about your feelings (like being suicidal and that) i realy, really admire this about you. i have so much respect for you that you can just share your feelings here (2)

I have never heard of ace attorney but that story you described sounds really good. and i get reading sth that isnt good for you and still doing it (because im a dumb bitch too :D) -- okay i might accept that Root will never grow on you (but i thought so too and look at me now :D) but i havent fully given up yet :)-- yes thats the girl. i think it was really sweet when she said that to Shaw. and i think Shaw appreciated it that someone tried to figure her out instead of just writting her off (3)

Shaw is really cool and definately also a badass and in combination with John its just great! but you will have to suffer trough some Shoot.  but maybe, maybe you will end up not hating Root. hope dies last (idk how the saying goes in english, sorry). -- Did you ever ship Caresse (in a romantic way)? cause sometimes i do and sometimes i dont and i get so confused about it :) but i think most of the time i like them more as friends. anyway her death really sucked and you are right with (4)

her death and them losing the library it felt like a different show (i mean i guess it was a different show then). i kinda get your feelings about the destroyed library because i also really loved it (and im really bad with change) but i dont think it affected me as much as you. but yeah i still missed the library very much. and while the subway is a really cool new place its not the same. (also the subway is super dark cause its underground and idk it just makes the whole thing less homey) (5)

Yes he is everything! such a great, interesting character and i wish there were more John-centric episodes! (like ones that explored his character more). that was one of my biggest dislikes of the later seasons that John wasnt featured as much anymore. i think he chuckled a few times in the show but a real laugh? i cant remember one :(  -- He did promise Joss to talk to Tyler so @show were is that talk? -- if seen the vid its awesome! thehiddenmemory has some great poi vids! (6)

yes i think so too. Like Grace would probably be relived and thankful that Harold is still alive and maybe they would even try again but eventually she would figure out that she cant trust him after lying to him for so long or sth like that and Harold would ofc realize that he is in love with someone else now. And then he finds out that John is still alive but stayed away cause he didnt want to get in the way of Harold/Grace. But then Harold comes back. And when they meet again John is like (7)

you came back for the machine? what about Grace. But Harold tells him he came back for John not the machine and then they kiss and have a happy live with Bear (sorry i got a little carried away here :D). -- Yeah Zoe is really hot and she needed more screen time! -- i hope you have a good day and i hope i havent messed up the numbers on the asks! :)

Hi ! I'm finally free from the resits, I hope you're doing okay with your thesis 💛

Sorry for replying late, there was the exam resits, and I read a bunch of fics, then I fell into pokémon and started bingewatching it. (Also I had a breakdown during therapy today so I'm gonna finish writing my answer to distract myself - it's been sitting in my drafts for so long rip)

Thank you !! It was a very personal thing, I'm really happy you liked it !! Your support and your comment made me thrive 💛💛

Tbh I was surprised to see it get kudos given that the only intended audience was my self projecting ass 🤣

So, my fav fics (my fav fic ever is in French, rip to y'all bc it's so good):

I am, I am, I am by RavenWhitecastle

Actually check the entire series this work belongs to: The Sinner and the Saint. I haven't finished it yet but I love it (I just skipped the explicit fics bc I don't like smut or sub!John)

Breaking All The Rules by talkingtothesky

Outsider Perspective by Neery

A Really Private Person by astolat

Hamartia (the hero's fatal flaw) by astolat

If Only for Tonight by spacemutineer

From Here, Where? by AKMars

Stroll by TheaNishimori

and the world was gone by lunarcorvid

a light that never goes out by vindicatedtruth

Limitations. by Michaelssw0rd

Reel you in and spit you out by Michaelssw0rd

All I Want For Christmas Is You by richmahogany

By What Power I Am Made Bold by brinnanza

Aftershocks by darringtons

At Certain Hours It All Breaks Down by nogoaway

construction of a kingdom by the_ragnarok

You Take Me Higher Than I've Gone by talkingtothesky

All Together Now by beadedslipper

I'll Let the Waters Still by brinnanza

Birthday Tradition by talkingtothesky

Things My Father Taught Me by KRyn

Truth is in the Eye of the Beholder by infiniteeight

Better Luck This Time by Lisztful

Motivations by JenNova

What's On the Table by cortue

In Another Life by Della19

I Thought We Already Were by talkingtothesky

Misunderstandings by thisstarvingartist

This is already fucking long omg so for the h/c: my bookmarks filtered with Rinch and h/c

Here's my playlist, it's mostly Rinch, but there are a few not Rinch vids, plus some scenes I like

This is long enough already, so it's time for a read more. Also, warning, we be talking about suicide

The portrayal of suicide is cringe most of the time anyway. If my suicidal ass can find a list of suicide methods and their lethality in 2 mins on Google you'd think writers who are supposed to do some research would be able to find them too but no they're like "ah yes slicing wrists" even though it's literally the shittiest method 🙄 (I just don't understand why slicing wrists seems to be such a popular method in the collective imagination ? It's weird.) At least in 13rw she took aspirin and cut herself vertically instead of horizontally but still, no hesitation wounds, and she dies even though she only got 4 wounds iirc ? I know more about jumping off bridges than slicing wrists, but it kinda sounds like bullshit to me. Also Netflix once suggested "beyond the reasons" to me, it's a sort of discussion with the cast and crew of 13rw and the only thing I remember is a moment of intellectual masturbation abt how they "opened a discussion abt suicide" 😬😬😬

They may have cut it out it's not impossible, idk I didn't hear about it, but it's not like I look for info about this dumpster fire lol. Maybe they faced backlash ? Wouldn't be surprised given how shit the show was. And yeah it has a hopeless vibe, I mean that's how it be when you're suicidal, but I didn't like it either.

You're sweet 💜💜 it's interesting that you find it respectable or admirable, I don't have an external point of view, so I'm just like 🤷 it is what it is. I understand where you're coming from though, I guess it's still quite a taboo subject, and suicidal people don't always feel comfortable talking about it, so me throwing around that I jumped off a bridge must be surprising. I'm detached enough from my suicide attempt that I'm able to talk about it without much of a problem, and I'm not really suicidal anymore.

Dumb bitches unite 👏👏👏 we be out there reading shit we shouldn't read

Yeah I think it's nice how the show didn't portray Shaw as a bad person for not having "normal feelings". Well, hope makes one live as we say in French (idk the English saying either lol) but don't hold much hope about me liking Root lmao

I used to ship careese bc they kissed in the crossing, but then I read some Rinch fics and I just ended up falling into it to the point where I stopped caring about careese. Now I think their relationship works better as a friendship.

Yeah all that change really puts me off... It just gives me "bad spin-off" vibes. Especially since there is less John :( and less Rinch :((((

Lmao yeah I just have a lot of feelings about early poi hgkfglrk. Also :/ I'm sad about the subway being less homey pls I just want happiness ?? I swear this show destroys my heart on top of owning my last braincell (brb changing my blog title to this lmao)

Mood I need all the John-centric eps, give me m o r e characterization and development and backstory and feelings hhhhhhh. I love him so much I just wanna spend more time with him. And that's what fics are for ! Yeah thehiddenmemory is so talented ! Astolat made some good ones too, on top of writing really good fics ! (Our fandom has been blessed with the presence of one of the ao3 founders hell yeah)

Also, remember how we talked abt the poi subreddit ? The other day I left a comment on there, wild I know. It wasn't a discussion about the last seasons though, I'm not crazy, it was about the impact poi had in our lives so I said it literally taught me English. Who knows maybe sometimes I'll comment again lol. I just don't wanna meet one of those people who prefer late poi over early poi.

Allow me to uuuuh write something based on what you said. Don't ask me how John survived with no major injuries, my man got that Thick Plot Armor alright. Hope you appreciate me getting carried away sjdkdksk it's kinda rushed and the first part isn't that good bc idk how to write Grace I'm just here for that sweet sweet Rinch stuff

Harold is eating breakfast with Grace in her kitchen – he can't think of her home as his home – when his phone vibrates. It's a text from the machine. It's a surprise, she barely contacted him since... He blocks the thoughts and the images coming to his mind. The machine sent him a picture. When he opens it, his heart misses a beat. Right here on his screen is a silhouette he thought he would never see again. His phone vibrates again. Another picture, this time it's unmistakably John, wearing his signature suit, Bear next to him. Transfixed, he stares at his phone until he feels Grace gently touching his arm. She goes straight to the point.

"Is it John ?" He looks up in confusion, but before he can say anything, she adds, "I hear you call him in your sleep every night."

"It's him, yes." He doesn't want to explain. He only wants to see John, to touch him, to tell him how much he loves him.

"You should go back to him. I like you, Harold. I am deeply relieved to see you alive. But I've been thinking, and... It's not working. This, us... You aren't really the man I fell in love with, the man I grieved... I can't trust you anymore." She doesn't say 'You lied to me' but Harold hears it all the same.

~

Harold sits on their bench. The machine indicated John often comes here. Soon enough, his arms are full of Bear, and John is standing in front of him.

"John. How are you ?" he asks when Bear finally calms down.

"Busy. And you ?"

Harold eyes him suspiciously – John once said he was busy when he was bleeding and way too close to death – but he seems to be well.

"I'm fine." He doesn't have time for awkward small talk." I thought you were dead. Why didn't you contact me ?"

"The machine told me you were with Grace. I thought you wanted to come back to your previous life. I didn't want to crash into it and ruin what you had."

Harold wants to be angry at him, but he understands. He did the same with Grace.

"You would never ruin anything. Besides, my relationship with Grace... didn't survive my lies. She's very dear to my heart, but she's a part of my previous life, as you said."

"So you came back for the machine, and the numbers, like the good old times ?"

Harold gets up from the bench.

"I came back for you. You are an important part of my life. The most important part."

John smiles, finally. He takes a step towards Harold, they're so close they could kiss. Harold reaches out, grips his shirt and slowly inches closer. He's still afraid of being rejected but John wraps his arm around him and kisses him. The kiss is over too soon. John's smile is even wider when they part.

"You're the most important part of my life too," he says before kissing Harold again. "You will stay ?"

"Always."

Damn I live for sappy Rinch stuff.

Bitches decided that Harold saying "always" is peak Rinch. It's me I'm bitches.

Also ofc I had to make a reference to number crunch, who do you think I am

Anyway. I hope you have a good day ! 💛

[ckret2]

My Son’s Favorite Pokemon

Fandom: Pokémon, Detective Pikachu movie Characters: Harry Goodman, Tim Goodman, and Detective Pikachu Words: 2200 Summary: Harry adopts a Pikachu to give his estranged son for his thirteenth birthday. Notes: *casually spends the whole fic dodging the fact that we don’t know the name of Tim’s mom or grandma* Inspired by this post, which @dialovers linked to me. Warnings: Proofing is for people who aren’t riding on the high of posting fic for a movie that’s been out less than a week.

"He's going to be over the moon when he receives you," Harry told the newly-adopted Pikachu sitting on his lap. "You're my son's favorite Pokémon. He loves Pikachu. When he was a kid—a younger kid, I mean—he used to make up fantasy dream teams—you know, wild things, with crazy rare mythical Pokémon—half of his dream teams had Palkia, and one of the lake guardians to calm it just in case they ran into Dialga, heh—that's Tim. Big dreamer and smart as a whip."

For a moment, the bubbling excitement in Harry's chest abated. He had no doubt that Tim was as sharp as he'd ever been—no doubt, even smarter now—but was he still the excited little dreamer Harry remembered? Harry's mother-in-law said Tim was still making good—well, okay—grades in school, he wasn't getting in any trouble; but he kept so quiet these days, she had no idea what was going on in his head. He hadn't talked about the League in over a year.

Harry pulled himself from his worries. "Anyway," he said, and the Pikachu turned its gaze away from the bus window back to Harry's face. "Every single team he dreamed up—every one—had a Pikachu on it. He's always wanted to have a Pikachu."

The Pikachu smiled up at him, and Harry wasn't sure if it understood what he was saying or if it was just happy to hear its own name so many times. The shelter he'd picked up the Pikachu from didn't know anything about its training history—it came in a little roughed up, but no more or less than would be expected of a typical wild Pokémon or a Pokémon that had recently been in a battle directed by a trainer and hadn't had time to heal—and they had no idea how much human language it had learned to understand, if any. But that was okay. It was well-behaved, it was socialized around humans, and it didn't have any problems with unprompted shocking. Tim could teach it the rest in time.

Harry felt his excitement growing again. Tim's thirteenth birthday was two days away, and according to his grandmother, he still hadn't gotten his first Pokémon. Harry couldn't wait to see Tim's face when his dad showed up with a Pikachu just for him. He remembered how Tim used to smile when trainers passed through with theirs, or when he was clinging to the chain link fence surrounding the patchy dirt battlefield at the neighborhood playground to watch kids battling.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd seen Tim smile. He didn't have much to smile about, in the year leading up to... And then Harry hadn't seen Tim at all in over a year and a half, except in pictures his grandmother sent. He always looked so solemn.

If anything would make him smile, it would be a Pikachu.

The bus slowed, and Harry told the Pikachu, "This is our stop." He scooped his hands under it in preparation to carry it, but to his surprise the Pikachu nimbly climbed his arm, tugging and stretching the sleeve of his jacket, to settle on his shoulder. "Hey!" He reached up to pat the Pikachu. "You comfortable up there?"

It happily chirped, "Pi-ka!"

As he stood, he saw a woman sitting across the bus aisle quickly drop her head, fighting back a smile. She'd probably heard him gushing about his son to the Pikachu. He felt a lot more conspicuous with a Pikachu on his shoulder—people kept looking at him and smiling. As if his good mood needed to be buoyed any more than it already was.

He couldn't wait to get up to his apartment to talk to Tim. He pulled out his phone, dialed, and put it between his ear and unoccupied shoulder while he searched through his massive mess of a keyring—lock box keys, PO box keys, several keys from old cases he thought might be needed again in the future, a dizzying array of keychain cards for the stores he frequented—looking for the lone little key to his mailbox. He wasn't going to tell Tim about the Pikachu, but he could let him know he was coming to see him for his birthday. Maybe drop a couple of hints to get him excited.

The Pikachu leaned forward to peer at Harry's many keys, the mailbox door, the mail he took out of it. "You're a curious guy, aren'tcha?" He handed a piece of spam mail to Pikachu to see what it did with it, just as Tim picked up.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Hey, kid!" And suddenly, he didn't know what to say. It had been—how long?—almost three months since he'd last talked to Tim? He had to sound cheerful. He had to sound loving. He had to sound dadly. And that was hard, because he was cheerful, and loving, and a dad, but suddenly he didn't know how to act all those things at once for the benefit of a kid he hadn't seen in a year and a half and spoke to on a quarter-yearly basis—was he being dad enough? Did he sound fun and fatherly enough to compensate for three whole months of silence when he couldn't think of an excuse to call his own son? That was a lot of pressure to put on the first five seconds of a phone call. "How's—how's it going?"

"Fine."

He waited a moment to see if Tim was going to add anything else, until the silence was verging on awkward and he hurried on: "Did I catch you at a bad time? Are you busy?"

"No."

Okay. Monosyllabic. Yeah, that was fine, Tim was almost a teenager—jeez, Tim was almost a teenager—he was probably, probably picking up the uncommunicative teenager schtick. Harry glanced at the Pikachu to make sure it wasn't going to lose its balance as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. It was nibbling on the corner of the envelope he'd handed it. "Well, I—wanted to wish you a happy early birthday! The big 1-3. I can hardly believe it." He couldn't believe he'd missed the entire 1-2.

"Yeah. Thanks, dad."

He pulled out his keyring again, and started the laborious search for his apartment key. "And your grandma tells me you still don't have your own Pokémon, huh? Getting a little up there, aren't you? I thought you were gonna have a whole team by thirteen." Okay, it wasn't his most subtle segue—was it just him, or was it a lot easier to covertly interrogate suspects and interview witnesses than it was to pick his own kid's mind? Was that a problem other detective-dads had?

"Yeah, no, I—I don't want a Pokémon."

Harry dropped his keyring. "What?!"

"I changed my mind."

"You ch— But you love Pokémon! You've always wanted to be a trainer."

"That's a kiddie dream, dad," he said, like two-days-from-thirteen-year-old Tim had vast wisdom far beyond that of mere eleven-year-old Tim. "It's basically impossible to make a living as a trainer. Especially in the League circuit."

"Yeah, but..." Harry looked down at his keys in dismay, as though their ungainly sprawling collapse to the floor were somehow representative of the progress of this conversation. "But some people do. You know, the really good ones." He half knelt to pick up his keyring; Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, grabbed it, and held it up for him. He held the mouthpiece of his cell phone out to whisper, "Thanks."

"Those are just statistical outliers. They skew the data. It makes it look like more people succeed than really do." Harry's mother-in-law had said that Tim was getting really into math these days. Tim's grades had dropped after his mother's death; by now, he was shakily passing in most of his classes, but recently he'd shot up to star student in math. He must have got that from his mother. Harry had to pay someone else to tell him how to do his taxes.

He finally got his door unlocked; Pikachu squeezed in the moment the door was open wide enough for it to squeeze through. "When did this change?"

"I dunno." Tim's tone was dull and defensive, like he resented having to tell his dad about changes in his interests. "It's not a big deal."

It was a big deal to Harry. It was the biggest shift in Tim's life since—well—since the last time Harry had seen him in person. "So... you don't want any Pokémon? At all?" Harry looked down at the Pikachu. It was sniffing at the potted plant under the window. He hissed, "Hey! Fss fss! Fss!" and gestured for it to get away from the plant. He had no idea if the leaves were safe for a Pikachu.

He almost missed Tim saying, "No? Not really."

"Huh." For a moment, he wasn't sure what else to say. He considered, Would a Pikachu change your mind? but was afraid it wouldn't and that his presumption would just embarrass them both. Tim said he didn't want a Pokémon, so...

In his mind, he could still picture the smile on Tim's face when Harry handed him a Pikachu.

He didn't have any other excuses to prolong the call. "Well... I guess I'll s— Do you want me to visit for your birthday?" He could already feel his stomach winding up and preparing to sink; he knew what the answer was going to be. He should have just said he was going to show up. If he could still offer the Pikachu, he'd have had a reason to declare he was coming, instead of asking his own son for permission to see him.

But even though he was Tim's own father, he didn't feel like he had the right to demand to see him, even on his birthday—especially on his birthday. If there was ever a time when he had the right to demand Tim's company, it had been right after he moved to Ryme City to find an apartment for them. When his mother-in-law had called to say Tim was refusing to come, that was when he'd had a chance to veto a grieving eleven-year-old's decision and tell him he was coming anyway.

But he hadn't. He hadn't want to hurt Tim even more by making him move when he wasn't ready. He'd thought he'd get Tim to come later; but now, it felt impossible to ask. Like, in that moment, he'd somehow forfeited his right to be Tim's dad.

"No, that's okay," Tim said; and, right on cue, Harry felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. "You don't have to."

I want to, Harry wanted to say; but after a year and a half of being so careful not to push his son, he couldn't push now. "Okay. I'll—I'll call you, all right?"

"Sure."

"Happy birthday, kid."

"Thanks. Bye, dad."

"Bye." It wasn't until the exact second Tim hung up that Harry realized he hadn't said I love you.

With a sigh, he sank down on his couch, dropped his head into his hands, and ran his fingers through his hair. Pikachu tentatively padded on all fours between his feet to look up at his face. It was still holding its junk mail in its mouth. It had chewed off one side of the envelope. "Hey," he said wearily. "Change of plans." He wondered if he could return the Pikachu to the shelter, quickly decided that would be a pretty heartless thing to do, and said, "I guess you're gonna be staying with me a while instead."

"P—" It plopped down on its little yellow tush so it could take its envelope out of its mouth, looked up at Harry again, and said, "Chaaa!" A smile twitched at the corner of Harry's mouth.

The Pikachu ripped at the gash it had made in the envelope, noticed the colors of the decorative border on the paper inside, and pulled it out. It unfolded it, held it up, and examined it. For a moment, it looked like it was consulting a little Pikachu-sized folding map.

Harry huffed a laugh. "I'm not gonna be able to leave you in the apartment. Pikachu are really high energy, right?" That had been one of the reasons why he and his wife had decided not to get Tim a Pikachu when he was too young to be responsible for it—they would have ended up doing all the work to burn off its excess energy. "You're gonna make me really stick out when I'm on the job, though. Everyone looks at a Pikachu." He propped his chin in his hand, looking at the Pikachu consideringly. "Maybe if I got a hat to disguise you..."

Pikachu had lost interest in the spam, dropped it, and was now wandering over to the TV. It got up on its hind legs to sniff at the screen. Harry wondered if it could smell electricity.

Tim would know.

"What do you say? Wanna try out detective work?"

It twisted to smile at Harry over its shoulder. "Pika pi!"

Comments/reblogs are welcome! If you want to leave a tip or like the fic on AO3, the links are in my description!

[sage-nebula]

My problem with the “let the adults handle things" is that the protagonist and Hop are just okay with that and actually listen? kids aren't like that?? In every other story with children and main characters they get told stuff like that but still don't listen anyways and actually works and save the day. But the real reason is that it was probably the original plan but the game got rushed and had to scrap it and cut corners

This might come as a shock, but kids are people, and therefore aren’t a monolith. “Kids don’t listen and wouldn’t be okay with that” isn’t a statement that can be made with 100% accuracy because just like all adults are different, all kids are different. Some kids will stomp their feet and throw tantrums when they’re told no. Others will accept it. It depends on the individual child, as well as the circumstances involved.

As for these specific children and circumstances:

The primary time that Leon and Sonia say “let the adults handle this,” Hop wasn’t actually present. He shows up after the cutscene has already unfolded. Even if he had been, Hop hero worships Leon. He wants to surpass Leon because surpassing him means being just like him. He’s crushed after battling Bede not because he lost, but rather because Bede tells him that he’s making Leon look bad. Hop apologizes to Leon the next time he sees him. What all this means is that if Leon tells Hop to do something, Hop is 99.9% likely to do it. If Leon says, “Stay back and let me handle this,” Hop will. This is evidenced by how, even though Hop runs past Raihan and others to get to Leon in the climax of the story, he at first hangs back and lets Leon handle Eternatus, confidently telling the player that Leon can do it. It’s only when Leon fails and is injured that Hop steps up to battle Eternatus alongside the player, Zacian, and Zamazenta. So yes, it makes perfect sense that Hop would listen to Leon because Hop hangs on Leon’s every word and has since he was very small. He trusts and believes in his brother implicitly and, even after deciding to cheer for the player in the Championship match, later confides that he didn’t really think the player was capable of defeating Leon.

As for the player, they have no personality outside of what you give them. For me, I’ve been playing Pokémon games since 1998. I’m absolutely beyond tired of having to save everyone’s asses because the PokéWorld can’t go two years without facing another crisis. I don’t want to be the hero anymore. I don’t want to be the Champion anymore. I was exhausted at having to be the Champion in Alola. This isn’t a job that appeals to me, it’s not one that I want. So if Leon and Sonia say, “Go continue your adventure, we’ll handle this,” my response is, “Thank fucking god” because that means I can fuck back off into the wilderness and continue exploring. I don’t want it to be my job to clean up whatever bullshit mess Chairman Rose or any other villain has caused. I am here to explore lands I’ve never seen before, to catch and train and play with monsters, and battle alongside them in battles I choose to participate in, too. That’s all I want to do. Any other bullshit is just a giant pain in the ass that pulls me away from what I’d rather be doing. And since I feel that way, the player character in my games feels that way, too. After all, when I play, the player character isn’t actually a kid. She’s actually an adult in the body of a kid. But she’ll pretend to be a kid if it means someone else picks up the slack and saves the world for once (even if she ends up having to do it anyway, sigh). She deserves a damn break.

All of that said:

In every other story with children and main characters they get told stuff like that but still don't listen anyways and actually works and save the day.

That’s exactly why it’s refreshing that this wasn’t the case in Sword & Shield. I mean, yeah, the player had to intervene anyway because that’s just how video games work, but it was nice that for once in this series’ history the adults actually tried to do something. The only other time this has happened was in Black & White, wherein the Gym Leaders and Alder stepped up to make a stand against Team Plasma. Otherwise, the adults are 100% useless in every single game, even the ones where the villain is threatening genocide, and as an adult myself, I really hate that. Sure, kids need stories where people their age are being heroes, absolutely. But when adults don’t even try, and instead happily leave everything on the shoulders of a child, I get aggravated. It shouldn’t be up to actual children to save the world, and it was so refreshing to see a Pokémon game where that was recognized, and where the Champion himself was seriously injured trying to make sure that didn’t happen.

Lastly:

But the real reason is that it was probably the original plan but the game got rushed and had to scrap it and cut corners

Yes, Sword & Shield had a limited development time that led to some things getting cut (such as the National Dex, tragedy though that is), just as every game since Gen VI has. However, I can confidently say that this is not one of them because of the characters involved.

Sonia has, in my opinion, one of the richest characterizations and most realistic stories out of almost any other Pokémon characters from the games. At the start of the game, she’s in her twenties and has no idea what she’s doing with her life. She’s retired from battling after dropping out of the Gym Challenge in her youth, but she dropped out of the Gym Challenge because she lacked the confidence to face the obstacles it presented, not because she wanted to do something else. The fact is, Sonia doesn’t really know what she wants to do. We know that she went to school at one point (her fake assistant in the post-game mentions that Sonia does have a doctorate), but she doesn’t have any actual research she’s working on. Instead, she’s a self-appointed assistant for her grandmother, even if what she does is mostly just meander around the lab . . . reading or organizing materials, I guess.

But after her grandmother gives her a kick in the pants and tells her to go find something she wants to do, she manages to do just that. She finds something that ignites her curiosity and her passion, something that makes a difference in her life at the very least, and possibly the lives of everyone in Galar. She finds her confidence, her drive, and her purpose. At the end of the game she’s the new regional professor, more sure of herself and her place in the world. And as someone who only just very recently left my 20s, I can say that Sonia’s story in this regard is very, very Millennial. Most twenty-somethings have no idea what they’re doing with their lives. And while they probably won’t figure it out as quickly as Sonia did (I’m still working on it myself), her struggles are very relatable and real. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into her character and her writing. Game Freak gave her a lot of love.

With all of that said though, Sonia being hyper-aware that she is an adult while Hop and the protagonist are kids is something that is present from the very beginning. She brings it up when you first reach the wild area, for instance. She makes it known that she has more experience and that she is therefore watching out for you and for Hop (particularly since Leon frets over Hop, as Sonia also points out). Sonia telling the protagonist to just keep enjoying the Gym Challenge while she looks into things is 100% in character for her. It’s characterization present from the start.

And the same goes for Leon. Leon, who became Champion at age 10, and therefore has had to shoulder the burden of being Galar’s Champion for over a decade, knows exactly what it is to have too much responsibility at too young an age. Sonia notes that Leon “practically raised [Hop]” (which is odd given they have a mom and at least one grandparent, but nonetheless), and also that he worries about him constantly. I believe Raihan says something along the same lines. And we see this from Leon as well, with him questioning you about what was going on with Hop when he runs into you in Hammerlocke after Hop’s battle against Bede, and then talking about how he’s going to seek Hop out to talk to him again. Leon doesn’t want Hop to so much as feel bad, much less be in actual danger, even setting aside the fact that Leon feels greatly responsible for the safety and happiness of everyone in the Galar region and therefore feels that it is his responsibility as Champion to face any threat to any of that head on. (Which, it is his responsibility as Champion to face threats to the region, but Leon takes it too far in that he feels he’s responsible for everyone’s happiness as well, which in turn contributes to how unhappy he actually is being Champion). So considering the fact that Leon is very protective of Hop and feels strongly that it is his duty as Champion to deal with any burden Galar faces, it is 100% in character for him to wave you off with a smile as well. That’s not a “we cut this corner because of time,” this is a, “We understand the character we’ve created and we’re staying true to him.”

So, to summarize: I disagree with everything you said. Goodnight. 

[ask-the-guiding-light-cast]

Guiding Light turns two years old today!

It’s crazy to think this all began only a couple of years back... and also hilarious it falls on the same day as “International Mystery Dungeon Day” over on Twitter. More after the cut. This is gonna be a long one, so I appreciate anyone willing to read this. ^^

For a long time, I had been a casual consumer of fan fics. It started in the late 2000s when I was in a Spyro craze thanks to the more story-driven Legend of Spyro trilogy. I had an itch that I needed scratched and FFN fulfilled that to some extent. I also looked at some Mario fics, including Paper Mario: The Temple of the Sun, which I greatly enjoyed and thought did a good job adapting the formula that made Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door so beloved and putting a unique spin on things.

But it was until the early 2010s that I actually started getting back into Pokémon games with Gen V. After Emerald, I fell out of touch with Pokémon for a time. When Gen VI came around, I dipped my toe into the fandom through Twitch livestreams, but also through reading a few anime-based fics that are very long and still going, even now. 

At the same time, I ended up buying PMD: Explorers of Sky... and damaged my cartridge before I could properly finish the game with my Vulpix/Riolu team. So, I watched cutscenes for what I missed on YouTube, then got Gates to Infinity and, later, Super Mystery Dungeon and had fun with both of them... though more for the stories and characters than the actual gameplay. Truth be told, I don’t care much for roguelikes at all.

It was during the gap in time between Super’s release and the first official footage of Sun & Moon in mid-2016 that I found myself hit with a recurring thought: “What if someone made a PMD story where the hero and the partner are forced to fight one another with the fate of the world at stake?” I wound up (loosely) brainstorming an idea for a PMD story revolving around an antagonistic Hoopa character who would use its ring portals to collect entire communities, including the Pokémon living in them... all so that he would never be bored. This would lead him to “collect” the partner to add to his “toys,” so when the hero shows up, he’d sic the partner on them.

But that was as far as I got with the idea. I ended up graduating college and took a job with late evening hours. It left me pretty tired and exhausted and unmotivated to do much of anything. I withdrew from the parts of the Pokémon community I was involved in.

Then the Generation VII games came out and, while divisive in the fandom, I found myself really liking some of the concepts. There were so many times when I thought, “Gee, I wonder what this would be like if it were in a PMD game?” For example, one of the ideas I had was a sort of edgy rival rescue team akin to Gladion, which would have a Midnight Lycanroc, a Zoroark, and a Type: Null character in it.

So, toward the end of 2016 and early 2017, I started creating an idea for a Choose Your Own Adventure story with the intent of putting it on this really small forum I was a part of. It would be a Gen VII-themed PMD story, but because I didn’t think that sounded interesting enough, I decided that, not only would the human keep their memories, but they would be from the real world and be a major Pokémon nerd. The idea was that the choices the readers made would affect the relationship between the human and partner. I even came up with a point system. The more points the readers earned for their choices, the “closer” the relationship the hero and partner would have and the happier an ending the story would get. If the hero and partner couldn’t stand each other, one of them would likely end up working with the bad guy and winning. If they became steadfast friends, they’d work together to save the world.

Unfortunately, the forum shut down before I got too far into planning it, so I shelved the idea and continued focusing on my job. And things stayed that way for several months, until I ended up getting into med school and scrambling to move.

During the downtime I had when I wasn’t doing moving related stuff, I decided to look at FFN again and found Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Defenders of Warmth. I wound up reading through the entirety of the story quite quickly. I guess you could say it sparked something in my head. The fic itself focuses on what, at the time, was the newest Gen (Gen V). It also has multiple humans and is set on a continent separate from the canon locations (which were just the Air and Grass Continents, since Gates and Super didn’t exist when the fic was written). In short, it renewed my desire to pursue my idea of a Gen VII-flavored PMD story.

So, I set about creating my story outline. It is so... so much different from the actual story, though I’ve gone into that in previous posts (search for #amby answers). Originally, I used Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as the framework for the fic: an alien invasion in a colorful, comedic world. I took more specific cues, too. Zero was meant to be a (mostly) silent antagonist a la Princess Shroob, for example.

The problem was, I really didn’t have much confidence in myself or my abilities. I’d like to say I was writing for myself, but I really did want validation, too. I think any author is lying to themselves if they say they don’t feel this way at some point. Because of this, I figured if I put the fic on FFN, it would get ignored. The site’s huge! There were, at the time, around 85k fics in the Pokémon section alone. (That number’s since gone up to over 90k!)

Given I had experience with forums, I decided to post it to Serebii, because the fic community seemed much smaller and more open to giving feedback to one another. In an effort to try and, y’know, establish some connections, I actually read other pieces and reviewed them before posting any stories. This also helped me build up a backlog of chapters and prove to myself I enjoyed writing this enough to keep going.

When I finally did post the fic, it was a bumpy start, for sure. I do think I made a lot of mistakes out of the gate, including uploading chapters way too quickly for readers on Serebii to (reasonably) try to keep pace. That probably cost me a few potential readers... or made them silent readers who I never ended up hearing from. Which is why I’m especially thankful to @girl-like-substance (who I can seem to tag, drat) for all of the well-thought-out feedback given throughout the fic’s run. I don’t think I would’ve made such significant strides in my writing otherwise... and there are plenty of long-running fics where the quality tends to stagnate.

In any case... it was thanks to a request from @deliriousabsol to put the fic somewhere more mobile-friendly that I chose to mirror Guiding Light on FFN starting in October 2017. I would’ve kept going on Serebii had she not asked so nicely, so she’s the one you can thank for it showing up there! (She’s a fellow author who does cyberpunk-themed fics and art and her characters have cameoed in the fic.)

And, honestly, I’m just... beyond shocked at what wound up happening to the fic once it hit FFN. Well, actually, for the first several months I was lucky if I even got a comment when I put up a chapter. I’m not sure any of the people who first commented on FFN still follow the fic anymore. I haven’t seen/heard from them at all, so I assumed they moved on with their lives.

In any case, around March of 2018, the word count on FFN passed 300k and... somehow, the fic starting getting more attention. Like, a lot more attention. This was... not really something I was even remotely prepared for.

(Yes, this means there’s gonna be a giveaway. More on that later.) I never would’ve thought I’d reach a number like this. I never imagined I’d meet another PMD author who’d be willing to do a fun collab (thanks @virgil134, Spiteful Murkrow, and Namohysip). I really did not imagine that I’d ever get fanart of characters that I wrote (huge thanks @thebreak-ofdawn, @ask-nicky-and-others, and @cresselia92). I mean, above everything, I not expect the fic or characters to resonate with anybody the way it wound up.

A part of me feels like I don’t really deserve it. I’ve made a lot of serious gaffes with writing this. When initial Serebii feedback had people intrigued by Shane’s jerkass attitude (when I didn’t actually intend for him to come off as a jerk), I dialed things up in the hopes I’d keep their attention. It probably cost me readers. Then there’s the slow pacing of the early episodes and the mistake of making Special Episode 3 as long as it was... which my speaks to my (bad) tendency to give into some of my strongest impulses even though I had an outline I was trying to stick to.

And, I mean, there’s also some of the “shamlessly shameful” stuff I’ve done with the fic. I’m not fooling myself. Guiding Light has grown progressively more furry and, uh, probably fanservicey, too. All the big furbait (and some scalebait) ‘mons are accounted for. There’s a lot more sexual humor when I initially promised myself I would stay away from romance and keep everything platonic. I practically turned Xerneas into waifu bait, if some of these asks are anything to go by. This blog certainly didn’t help in that regard. Maybe I’m just being my usual nervous self? 

I am worried that this fic’s performance has, somehow, affected my thoughts and behavior. There are very popular fic authors who let their popularity get to their head... or chose to open up Patreons (something that makes me uncomfortable) or start doing things like taking commissions for written pieces, which is understandable... though I think it’s an easy way to lose your passion for writing. I guess some of that worry stems from a debacle I learned about on a Discord server I’m in, but that’s not something I’m comfortable discussing publicly. 

And I haven’t even talked much about the blog itself. Like, it somehow passed 100 followers? Where? When? How? I don’t actually draw stuff like many other Pokéasks. And, like, for a lot of folks, I have no idea if they’ve actually read the fic or just check in on the blog. It’s the same with the fic, I suppose. If you’re a silent reader/follower, I would really love to hear from you! I promise... I don’t bite or anything. I’d love to know what (if anything) you’re thinking. And if you’re a blog that’s following this one and we haven’t interacted, please feel free to reach out! It’s honestly hard to tell if people like what I’m doing, so any feedback is always appreciated.

In any case, if I haven’t lost you by now, I guess all I can say is... thank you. Thank you all so much for all of the support... whether it’s on the fic, the blog, or both of them. I really do hope this final episode can meet your expectations. I’ll try my very best to make this an ending to remember. Nothing would make me happier than to hear you guys enjoy it and feel it does justice to the PMD series.

Sorry for all the rambling. The inbox is open again if you’d like to send any messages for the ficaversary. Again, thank you all so much! You’re the best!

[misanthropecopy]

         Musky, damp and dark were a trio of words Psyche would use to describe unfamiliar cave she resided in. Nestled in some deep canyon of red earth, rain poured down over land outside, ceaselessly reflecting Mewtwo’s sorrow. Sitting next to a bonfire she built, cloak and scarf draped over artificial physique, amethysts bore down upon blue crystal clone had in hand worriedly. 

         Mewtwo hoped she was making the right move, doing this.

-----

         “Six months!?” came the dismayed questioning, of a shiny female Meowstic. 

         Psyche nodded. “In the very least until any suspicious, human activity dies down around here.”

         Synthetic Pokémon had called a meeting of all the elders plus adult villagers inside central cavern, to discuss Team Rocket most likely discovering her whereabouts and what their next steps might be. Idea legendary proposed earned her a wave of concern from numerous faces, but Sundapple was the first to verbally object. Soon, female Meowstic shook her head.

         “But you have never been gone that long before. Wh-what if this Team Rocket finds and captures you? What if-”

         “I do not like this anymore than you do, Sundapple. However if I continue staying here they are practically guaranteed to threaten whole village, in order to get to me. If I do it this way, I can hopefully redirect their attention elsewhere and make them believe I have no personal ties here,” Psyche interjected. 

         A sound of one clearing throat aired, prompting everybody to turn their gazes on old, male Meowstic. 

         “While that much is understandable, are you certain it is wise for us to actively try preventing any humans from coming here at all?” Skystripe asked. 

         “It would only be for a temporary time. Although almost all of Team Rocket typically has the letter “R” on their signature uniforms, they are capable of physically blending in with regular humans,” Psyche explained. Dubiousness continued being displayed on constraint Pokémon’s visage, but then something unexpected happened. An Alakazam stepped forward, and actually supported genetic Pocket Monster’s plan. 

         “It is wise that we do this, Skystripe. There is a reason villains such as Rocket continue to allude authorities and plague earth. They disguise themselves on a regular basis and although yours and my own telepathic powers can read a person’s current thoughts, we can not delve into an individual’s subconscious on the level which the clone can,” he said, earning himself many shocked looks. 

         “Still though,” a Tangrowth named Mama Shrub chipped in. “If we just go n’ cut off all them humans from getting here, they’ll suspect something is up sooner or later. We at least got to let Wulfric and his ‘mons inside, so they don’t get worried.”

           Psyche’s tail fluctuated, in thought. Snowbelle city’s gym leader was adored, by all Pokémon who lived here. Even those who despised interacting with humans the most respected old man and Psyche would admit that despite possibly rough exterior elder possessed a warm heart. Thus if village abruptly started shunning him, he would only grow all the more concerned along with curious. 

         “You can allow Wulfric, and humans you know that have had my personal approval inside,” synthetic beast stated. “Anyone you are unfamiliar with however, do not take any chances.” This stirred up murmurs of approval within crowd, that is until Trouble piped in. 

         “Not to be a downer, but you guys are forgetting something: Those machines. Though not all of them are capable of seeing past our illusions, some might. Plus they ain’t alive, so you psychics can’t usually detect them. Who’s to say those drone things won’t come back and follow one of us returning to the village when we need to get out and gather food or something?”

        “Believe me, I have considered that and I may have come up with a solution.” Pools of deep purple then set sights on a specific Pikachu and Dedenne, situated in front of a small crowd possessing both their own species. “We have asked you to interfere with electronic signals of man’s technology, before and it appeared to work. Do you think you can expand your use of electric wavelengths further, to detect machinery in the area? Surely devices like that must give off some kind of charge.”

         At this a slightly wrinkled Pikachu placed paw under his chin, whilst female Dedenne twitched her nose in thought. “Now that you mention it, they do give off a pretty subtle charge,” he said. “The trick for us fairy types is feeling it past all that no-good metal,” chimed in antenna Pokémon. “But yep, yep. I think most of us can.”

         “That will have to do,” Psyche said. “Because if anyone wants to travel beyond the village boarder, I think it would be best to take one or two of your species along, if only so they know when those devices are nearby.”

         There were some other problems which needed addressing, backup plans to calculate and negotiations or compromises to form. Once they were satisfied, Psyche dismissed the meeting and watched them all disperse to their sleeping quarters; calm outwardly, but riddled by anxiousness underneath. After gathering cloak and scarf then putting them on, she was about to leave when a voice abruptly halted her. 

        “You will probably be needing this, if you want to stay in touch with us.” Turning around to face Lucario, sharp hues then took note of gems he was carrying. 

         “Crystals?” Psyche inquired. 

        “They are from a place called the tree of beginning,” fighting type explained. “I often would carry one of them around with me, as I had a tendency to wander off. Though no matter how far I was, I could always communicate with John when he had possession of the other crystal through the usage of our auras. That is before he... changed.”

         A sympathetic expression was given to the Lucario in response, as she knew simply looking at them must bring up bad memories like anything related to origins did for her. Taking one with telekinesis she then glanced at unusual jewel, before putting it in one of cloak’s pockets and diverting focus upon experienced warrior once again. 

         “Thank you, I know this must not have been easy.”

         Hearing this, Lucario shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

-----

         Finger traced the edges of crystal gingerly now, as observing or feeling what glow it emitted gave artificial being a sense of familiarity. Clone had SEEN this type of rock before, many times in her dreams. She was certain of it. Where they came from, the tree of beginning had a very recognizable ring to it as well. It felt like psychic was piecing together the puzzle of lost memories, only they were not her own to begin with. What connection did legendary have, with this domain? Did it involve the Mew she was cloned from? Maybe she could go there and find out? A huff was then released from her nostrils, before she put crystal back into pocket and lied down upon rocky surface. 

         Since Psyche was one the run, she might as well take full advantage of her precarious predicament while it lasted.