#so now the rest of my really good Pokémon are all ghost or dark types

[existentialcrisis-24-7]

I recently found my 3DS and also found my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire game and guess who just lost 8 hours of their life

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello. I would kindly request something for the Pokémon AU please. Gil still recovering from the whole poison thing and everyone there is helping him whenever they can, even Thenas most stubborn Pokémon. Thank you!

"Shit!"

Gil stumbled, nearly toppling all the way over before a psychic aura caught his fall. He blinked as he floated upright again. He would have expected Ninetales or even Froslass to be responsible for it, but it was neither. "Uh, th-thanks."

Gallade just glared at him, picking up one of the bags and walking out of the room.

It had been a harrowing week, Gil had learned. He was only leaving their room in the pokemon centre because they needed it for more critical patients. He wouldn't be cleared to work again for a while. He wanted to insist that he was fine, but he felt weak. And he had put Thena and Teddiursa - and poor Dragonite - through enough.

Thena looked like she hadn't slept all week. And she and their little cub wouldn't let go of each other for anything--it was like when he was a baby all over again. He kept catching them staring at him, like they were expecting him to get worse again.

The Audino and Chansey had looked him over and given him a full pass if he rested. Even the human doctors and nurses agreed he could be released.

"Hey, move slowly," Thena whispered as she came over to him. She tucked herself under his arm as if he had been limping and needed a crutch. "You're coming straight home, anyway."

Gil eyed the doorway where Gallade had all but stomped away with his stuff. "He doesn't seem too happy with me."

Thena's eyes drifted away. "It's been a tough week--on all of us."

That implied that Gallade had been worried for him too. But Gil thought it was much more likely that the Blade Pokemon was frustrated with him purely for the stress he had caused Thena.

Gil paused, making Thena halt with him. He raised his hand to her cheek. He knew it was impossible, but he could swear she had lost weight in the week he'd spent in bed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled for him, at least. But it really only served to emphasize that she had dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks felt sunken and she was lacking the usual sparkle she had. Naturally, her eyes were as vibrant as a dawn stone, but now they just seemed...sad. "I'm happy you're on your feet."

He sighed as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I really put you through hell and Hoenn water, huh?"

She didn't disagree with him, but she patted his chest. "You're coming home, that's all that matters."

"Has Dragonite been staying with you?"

"Yes, although I fear we'll need more room," she lamented in good humour as she helped him drag himself out of the room and from the poison ward all together. She gave him a poke, "no more big pokemon."

"So I shouldn't come home with a Tyrannitar or a Snorlax, you mean?"

She laughed, and he felt better as soon as he heard it. "Absolutely not--keep it small. No bigger than a Munchlax."

Even young Munchlax could be hundreds of kilos in weight, so that really wasn't an option for their little house on the hill either.

"Froslass?"

"Hey, I'm okay," he smiled at the ice/ghost type hovering close. He must have really scared them all if she was floating around completely visible. "I'll get some rest and be good as new."

Dragonite gave him the biggest, saddest eyes a dragon could muster.

"Oh, come on buddy," Gil chided lightly. Dragonite leaned down to let his snout be petted gently. "Don't look at me like that. You can come and see me as soon as you're done work."

"Teddi?"

Ah, their sweet little bear cub, growing up so fast. Gil patted between his ears, finally in good proportion with his head. "You too, buddy. You can't skip work to stay home with me."

Teddiursa pouted a little, but Thena nuzzled the crescent moon in his fur and pressed a kiss there. "You are a junior ranger, my Luvdisc, you have responsibilities."

The pressure from his Mama made him pout even more, even cross his little arms. But he agreed, "Ted-Teddi."

"You sit," Thena helped him into one of the seats in the main waiting area. She set Teddiursa in his arms as well, "I'll get your ride ready."

He figured it would be Dragonite, like always. But Dragonite's harness did require some holding, even with the safety buckle. Maybe she'd called a pokemon taxi. He sighed.

"Gal-Gallade."

Gil blinked as Gallade set his bag down at his feet and sat next to him. He leaned forward, resting his weight on his knees(?) in a way that would have Thena scolding him to sit up straight. "Thanks."

"Gal."

Gil idly rubbed Teddiursa's back, seated on his knee. He looked at Gallade. "Sorry, for all this, I mean. I'm sure it hasn't been easy on you."

Gallade looked towards the front doors of the pokemon centre. His concern wasn't really for himself, but for his trainer. "Gallade."

Gil winced. Thena had been through too much because of this. Gallade was right to be angry with him. "I'll make it up to her."

"Lade," he scoffed. Gallade was a pokemon of few words, especially when he had to listen to them.

Gil ruffled his hair, a subconscious move in substitute of reaching for his ranger hat. "I didn't mean to get poisoned, y'know."

Oh, now it was the silent treatment.

Gil rolled his eyes. Gallade had been increasingly hostile since the beginnings of his and Thena's relationship turning romantic. He sighed, "look, I'll take care of her. These things...just happen."

"Gallade!"

Gil startled, as did a few other patrons. He hadn't expected such a strong rebuttal about taking care of himself. "Uh, I usually take care of himself-"

"Gal-Gallade, Gal," the pokemon rolled its eyes. He even crossed his arms and rested one of his feet(?) on his knee(???).

"I do," Gil scowled at the childish feeling argument--and with his girlfriend's pokemon, no less. But he watched Gallade's annoyed eyes and shifty body language. He sat back again. "These are the risks of the job, bud. I know that, and Thena does too."

Gallade said nothing.

Gil moved a little in his seat. Gallade was far past the age when it wanted to be petted like a Skitty. But he tried to catch its eye, "I am sorry, though. I know I worried you all."

Gallade had been worried about him. And now that he was better, he could experience the fighting/psychic's full annoyance as a result. "Gallade."

"I know." Gil had heard all about the pokemon's care of him. Gallade had used hypnosis to put him in a state even the pain killers and sedatives couldn't achieve.

Gallade eyed the door again before looking at him, and then swatting at him. "Gallade-Gal!"

"Okay, geez," Gil held up his hands before Gallade stood and walked outside, presumably sensing the return of its trainer. Gil looked around sheepishly at the guests. He cleared his throat, "sorry."

An older woman smiled in her seat, her Pansage on her lap. "Teenagers--he'll grow out of it."

"Hope so," Gil sighed. He looked down at Teddiursa, who hadn't spoken a word in his defense. "You were no help."

"Ted," the little bear turned his head. He was a little upset too, it seemed. Although Gil got the feeling he was mostly copying his big brother, more than anything.

"Okay, come on," Thena came back in, holding out her hand. Gallade left her side to - still scowling at him! - offer his support.

"Thanks," he sighed, standing with a heavy groan. He looked at Gallade, offering its blade like it was assisting an old man. "I can walk, y'know."

"Gal." It wasn't the first time Gallade had told him to shut up, and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

"Excuse me?" The stern words from his trainer did make the Blade Pokemon stand up a little straighter and lower his tone. She put her hands on her hips, "that's what I thought."

"Gallade."

Gil just chuckled. He was plenty used to it, and he had somewhat missed the chaos of his usual life in the silence of his private room. "None taken, buddy."

"Okay, let's go."

"Whoa," Gil blinked and smiled, dragging his feet over to his chauffeur. "It's been a while--how are you?"

"Altar," the Humming Pokemon cooed, letting Gil bend its long neck around to receive some head scratches. It no longer possessed the little antennae on top of its head but now had long, flowing ones. "Altaria!"

"Thanks, I guess I've been better, but it's good to see you," Gil grinned. It had been a long time since he had last seen the Swablu-turned-Altaria of Thena's. "You're my ride home?"

"I called," Thena confessed, also receiving some affection as Altaria leaned its head down to nuzzle her. "I know Dragonite can carry you, but the news of your condition brought him home anyway."

It was very sweet of the retired and technically freed pokemon to return to check on him. The dragon type passed through regularly of course, always checking up on Thena.

It nodded to Gallade, who nodded back. The two original party members of her team in this region conveyed an understanding that even the rest of her team lacked. Gallade offered a wave, which Altaria met with a slap of one of its antennae.

"Come on, then," Thena said gently, helping Gil ease onto Altaria's back.

"Thena, really, I'm-" his mouth shut as he sank into the sheer plushness of Altaria's downy feathers. It really was like sleeping on a cloud. "Wow."

Thena had on a smirk. She knew that he wouldn't be able to resist the offer of an Altaria, no matter how much he insisted he was well. "We'll meet you at home."

She gave him a last kiss on the cheek before asking Altaria ever so gently to fly him home slowly and smoothly. She gave her old pokemon a kiss on the tip of his beak, their foreheads pressed together before the flying pokemon took off lightly and smoothly.

He had never flown on an Altaria before, but wow it was luxurious. It would probably be more common if they weren't so tough to actually train, let alone evolve. Only the most ambitious trainers would go through the work of evolving a Swablu that wasn't purebred.

That was his Thena, though.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 30- Part 11

…Hey, wait. Medicham's moves…it doesn't have any (naturally) Psychic-type attacks. And Gallade too- its moves are Night Slash, Poison Jab, Strength, and Rock Slide. With the way the battle goes now, Gallade and Medicham are her last two Pokémon…her last Pokémon, the ones with the Telluric Seeds…and neither of them know any Psychic attacks…

Oh my gosh- the strategy I tried last time with Psychic Terrain, to prevent the Seeds from activating, I can actually do it this time! Neither of them can benefit from Psychic Terrain! If I start with Glare on the Toxicroak, then send in Kirin- it should work! In fact, I'll do one better and-

Amplified Rock to make the Field last even longer! And also-

A Ghost Gem for Suna, just as a bit of extra insurance. Heck, she might even be able to one-shot Medicham with that, who knows.

So now, the team's looking pretty good- and everyone's female, too, that's neat. Let's do this, ladies!

If this still doesn't work, I'm gonna be very sad.

Alright, here's where things really start picking up. Like I said, we need to do some Glare™ too-

Well shoot, it has Meditate too- I can't send Kirin in on that. I need to get its Attack back down, but I can't use Gust, she'll get obliterated by Poison Jab. So, I need to pivot Glare in and out. Hm…the only move I can see it using on Glare like this is Strength, so I'll send in Suna to take it.

Hah, read like a book! And now, it could use Sucker Punch (or some other Dark-type attack, maybe), so I'm gonna send Glare back in to mess up that plan-

Oooh, it does have Sucker Punch! It's too easy! Repeat that process one more time to get its Attack back to neutral, and…

Now we send in Kirin. She'll probably take a Strength in Glare’s place, but I think she can survive it.

Or it won't matter because my Paralysis luck keeps being good! Alright, now's the time- change that Field, Kirin!

That's not gonna work on a number of levels!!

And now, one Zen Headbutt if you please-

I still wonder why Toxicroak never used Sucker Punch on Shimmer, but…whatever.

Now the moment of truth- the Field is no longer Ashen Beach, so Gallade's Telluric Seed shouldn't be activated. Here's hoping…

It worked! The Telluric Seed didn't proc! It's not in Focus Energy now! Alright, what does Zen Headbutt do now?

Hm…Kirin can't outspeed and will die to another Night Slash…but that's okay, we got Psychic Terrain up, that's what matters. And we've still got Shimmer!

I already know she can live a Night Slash crit, so Psychic should just kill here.

And now, the moment of truth. I already know I don't need to worry about the Telluric Seed, but that doesn't mean the rest of Medicham isn't terrifying! So here's hoping Suna can handle it this time!

Do I even bother setting up Iron Defense, or should I just go for the Gem-boosted Shadow Ball? Hmm…well, it wouldn't hurt to do the Shadow Ball, just to see how much it does right away. And if it doesn't kill, there are ways around that.

Mmmmmm still don't like that, no way-

OH. Oh, I think that was more than enough, holy heck-

Ignore the fact that it's nighttime now, I'd rather not talk about how much time it's taken me to do all of this-

Previous

Next

[smallraindrops-blog]

Boss Battle! Anon

Today, I bring a small chunk of the Pokemon au! It's still a work in progress, so apologies if some stuff doesn't make sense. I'm mostly trying to lay out the bones and some flesh right now.

Y/n - Fighting Gym Leader

Main Team: Infernape, Gallade, Hitmonchan, Crabominable, Pangoro, Annilhilape

Other Pokemon: Lucario, Medicham, Kommo-o, Rapidash, Mudsdale, Beedrill, Spearow

Info: A Fighting Type Gym leader who specializes in boxing. Is probably the last gym you face before the Elite Four. Despite having an Infernape, Ralts was his starter. Wants to make the gym to be double battle oriented so he and Hypnos can run it together, just like his Pa and father did when they ran it.

---

Hypnos - Sleep Themed Trainer

Main Team: Cresselia, Jigglypuff, Musharna, Abra, Snorlax, Komala

Other Pokemon: Drowsee, Piloswine, Darkrai, Morelull

Info: Hypnos family often gain the favor of legendary pokemon, he was (un)fortunate to gain the favor of two. One, however, prefers to stay in its pokeball rather than interact. He's also supposed to be training to take over Thanatos gym, as Thanatos will be joining the Elite Four once Charon retires. Only really battles when teamed up with Y/n or training with his siblings. He prefers to study his Pokedex.

---

Miscellaneous Ideas:

The first champion of the region was Nyx, then Hades, and now Zeus.

Elite Four: Charon, Achilles, Asterius and Theseus (double battle), and I haven't decided on the last member, but I'm feeling either Athena or Hades.

Achilles team is based around Steel types. (With a few water Pokemon being gifted to him from his mother.)

Patroclus was a gym leader but has since retired. Can't decide between making him a Dragon, Rock, or Grass gym leader. (Hell might be basic and just make him a Water type gym since he was by the river Lethe for so long. Would make for a good gym theme.) He still has plenty of dogs in this au, Stoutland, Houndoom, Houndstone, Boltund, and their previous evolutions, you name it.

Thanatos and Charon are Ghost type specialists.

Thanatos has a Lunala he secretly pampers.

Charon has a Giratina. (That he prefers not to battle with, the poor thing is so anxious not being in its void.)

Nyx focuses on Dark types, and it's rumored that she has a Yveltal on her team.

Chaos is the professor, with Nyx eventually joining them as their assistant. (And possibly Hypnos)

Chaos has an Arceus.

And yeah! Those are my silly little pokemon thoughts so far. Still needs a lot of work, but I figured I could share what I have so as I work on team ideas and story plots. Hope you enjoy it! (Also, sorry for any spelling errors, lmao)

I love this! I actually had my own idea with Pokémon au and we actually picked a lot of the same Pokémons for Y/N and Hypnos. ^-^

Putting the rest of my respond below. Gonna share some of my own HCs and thoughts. Gosh i love this au you created. And i am def interested 👀

I adore that Y/n’s starter Pokémon was a wee Ralts! They regularly appeared to cheerful people I believe. So i would love to know the story behind their meeting. (Was the ralts grumpy as Y/N and that why they bonded? Bc that would be hilarious, two grumpy peas in a pod.)

all his Pokémons are such a good fit for him btw.

silly hc i had for my au but I always like the idea that his powerful Pokémon are scary and standoffish to everyone else but become total obedient sweethearts for Hypnos.

Also them being a duo would be extremely difficult to defeat with Hypnos putting foes to sleep and Y/n knocking them out before the player could wake them up.

Another hc I had for my au that Y/n would train his Pokémon to maximize their critical hits and one shot kills.

The fact that he wants to make his gym double battle with Hypnos is basically a marriage proposal lol but I get the vibes that maybe they not quiet together yet? Or dating but neither had admit they fallen in love?

i can just see y/n asking Hypnos about what he thought about decor for the gym, trying get stuff that Hypnos likes and hypnos being totally oblivious.

I love how you set up Hypnos’ team btw! And I am def nosey about whoever that Pokémon is.

I can just see Hypnos’ team all napping together in a big cuddle pile. It is so adorable.

a few of Y/N’s Pokémon had definitely wormed in their way into that pile btw.

I like your set up for the Elite Four btw! Athena would be awesome and would well as the boss before Zeus since she is his golden child.

love Achilles’ type and fits him really well. Does he have Empoleon on his team since that is the only water/steel type? ( I think. It had been a while since i played Pokémon.)

If i can suggest an idea for Patroclus, have you thought having him a normal type trainer? He could still use dual types along it fitting with ppl underestimating him then getting their ass kicked by him.

but only if you want! I just like the idea of ppl being like ‘pat who’ then after getting defeated, they are like ‘Patroclus, the best of the gym leaders’ lol

The river lethe as a theme gym sounds amazing~~~~

Oh! And the fact that the legendary Pokémon just vibes with Hypnos and his family is such a funny idea. Imagine Christmas with all of them and all of the family Pokémon in one place. XD

I can see Thanatos and Charon as ghost type specialists.

awwwww Thanatos would totally secretly pampers his favorite Pokémon.

also poor Giratina! Glad it has a understanding and caring trainer.

oooo a yveltal! 👀

I love that Hypnos being an assistant (and maybe an optional battle if he found at Y/N’s gym at the right time? Or if the player does a special quest for Hypnos to get him to agree to a battle?)

Battle Anon, I love this whole thing and I can’t wait to see what else you come up with! ^.^

Ps. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I definitely haven’t been playing Pokémon music on repeat since getting this ask lol.

[ask-rp-devra]

The night was short, the pair were able to sleep a good 8 hours before getting ready the next morning to set off towards the train station. The pair decided to come back through to pick up the Pokemon to bring back to the island before heading home, but for now they could stay behind with Devra’s mom, just for a little while longer. The only team members that went with them were coal, the little hybrid houndoomxarcanine pup, and Aliza, who had taken a shine to the ponyta gifted to Peach, they seemed to play well together, even Dreepy liked her. With bags gathered, goodbyes said, and tickets bought, the pair stepped onto the train, waving off Olivia who came to see her daughter go, and off they went, towards the new Galarian island, the Crown Tundra.

Devra settled into her seat, waving goodbye to her mom as Coal jumped up in the seat next to her. He was small enough to be on the train, but Aliza had to stay in her pokeball for the time being. She looked over at her friend and smiled. “I hope you slept alright. I always thought the guest room bed was too hard.”

“‘you saw me right? I was asleep in an aeroplane chair sitting up right, the bed was just fine. Much better than most of the places I sleep while away from the lab.” She recalled a few occasions being able to just about catch an hours rest while being trapped in a tree by aggressive Pokemon. “it was a warm, dry bed, with actual sheets and a roof over me haha. It was great.” She mindlessly petted Val, ordering a good coffee off the trolley that passed by, a sweet little wigglytuff in the train companies uniform asking for payment. She got her wallet out...or so she thought? Her hand reached into her bag, and hit something very cold and very smooth, reeling from the weird texture. Val sniggered to herself, shifting to the empty seat the bag sat on, to peer inside.

“I think we have a stow away.” Peach murmured, carefully opening the bag much wider than needed to get a good look. “‘Dreepy?” Inside was the little ghost type, she swore while waving to Devra’s mother at the station when they left, she had also spotted this Pokemon amongst others that had come to see the trainers off. He was wrapped up in one of Peach’s shirts, and seemed a little nervous about being caught in her stuff.

Devra looked over at Peach from her camera, having been looking th right some pictures. “Dreepy? He’s here? But I saw him with my mom. Here, I took a picture of the group when we left.” She held the camera so they could both look. “Oh....well. I thought he was in the picture.” She looked at the little Pokémon and sighed. “I guess he really wanted to come with you.”

“well, it’s fine with me, if he wants to come then I guess we’ve got a new team member.” She smiled a little at the Pokemon and let him and Val go and pick some snacks off the trolley before paying. She gave eyes at her steadfast fire type while Dreepy’s back was turned, asking without words for her to tone her usual disinterest down by like 20%, and she began chattering to the ghost Pokemon as she selected a strawberry filled dumpling thing in a wrapper. With the stern silence broken between the two, peach could relax a little, perhaps they two would be fine together for the trip.

“You’re right though, I swear I saw him on the platform too.” She glanced at the screen on the camera, seeing no signs of him. “‘how strange. You’re faster than you look hey bud?” Dreepy seemed quite proud of the compliment, and finally chose a chocolate-orange flavoured pastry twist before returning to the open bag to snack. “I’m buying, you and your team want anything?”

Devra nodded to Coal, who bounced over and happily started sniffing around until he found a pumpkin muffin. She then grabbed an apple cake and raspberry pastry for her other two team members before sitting back down. “I don’t need anything. Mom made sure I left full.” She laughed and opened Coal’s treat for him. “Tell Peach thank you young man.” The little pup barked happily as me bounced over to her for pets.

“she’s a good mom that one, I bet she’d enjoy a little holiday in johto, lots to see, I can hook you both up with some fun things to do for sure.” There was plenty of art galleries, heritage sites, and excellent restaurants throughout the region, not to mention live music, public gardens of great beauty, and a butt load of areas to sightsee in. Peach paid up and petted Coal, she was very glad to see him in capable hands, he took to Devra like a Ducklett to water, and she was confident he’d grow fast now he was out exploring with her. The Dreepy seemed to peep its eyes out at the hybrid Pokemon, still nibbling away on its snack.

Coal bounced back up next to Devra and started to munch on his treat. “I’m sure she’ll love the trip.” She looked out the window, watching the countryside roll by. “What’s the first thing you want to do once we get to the tundra?”

The professor sipped her hot drink, also enjoying the windows view. “hm, that’s a good question. I suppose I’d really like to find a place to stay, I’d normally not mind camping but I see the name ‘Crown TUNDRA’ and feel like I wouldn’t want to stay over night outside as much. What about you? You’ll be knees deep in herd Pokemon in no time I bet, anything else you’d want to check out?” The little Dreepy had snuck closer to the window to look out, still nibbling.

“Well, there is this big ruin building with a massive old dead tree that’s I’d love to see. But it’s at the top of one of the mountains here. So it might be tricky getting to.” She mindlessly pet Coal as she slowly started seeing snow. “And I think there’s a small town that we could ask about lodging at. Day trips to the tundra and back by dark?”

“‘oh I do love a tree, that sounds interesting, you could always try to find a Pokemon who could get you up that mountain a bit easier?” Peach had planned to do just that, the cold sneaking in, she could feel her bad knee aching ever so slightly already, and almost exactly after that thought crossed her mind, Val crept over to radiate heat, sitting in her lap, easing the dull pain.

“perhaps we can camp out some of the time, it’d be nice to see what happens at night, what Pokemon come out, just perhaps not in any heavy weather if it can be avoided. I did take a look online, the village there is usually pretty open to travellers, think I noticed a B&B or two with vacancies posted, I’m sure we’ll find somewhere to stay.” By this point, the views had turned pure white, in the fields you could see grazing Pokemon, a herd of wooloo who almost blending in with the surroundings.

Devra spotter the wooloo right away, fawning over one of her favorite Pokémon. Coal picked up on his trainer’s excitement, his tail wagging happily as she told him what snow was like. “Oh I can’t wait to see Aliza’s face when she sees her first snow!”

“thats right, she’s not even seen a December yet, or a snowy route. Good thing you got your camera then isn’t it, I’m sure mom and pop would like to see her first experience with it, you know Cole hasn’t seen snow either before. Bet he’s real excited about now.” The pup must have felt something, seeing all this white for the first time. “‘what about you Dreepy, you seen snow before?” The little ghost type looked back, didn’t turn its body at all, but bent it’s neck fully back to look at the Professor upside down, giving no clear answer, which to her seemed like a big fat no, but perhaps he was a little shy about answering right away. “no matter, we’ll soon be in the thick of it.”

She giggled at the sight of the little dreepy. “He’s seen some light snow before. I caught him in the wild area. The weather there is always so weird. But he hasn’t seen this much before. This is going to be a big busy day.” She snapped a quiet picture of dreepy being cute, then one of Coal barking at the snow through the window.

The train began to turn a final corner, the tannoy alerting passengers to the upcoming station, the only stop on the journey coming up very soon.

“looks like we’re nearly there, ready to get going?” The trip had been only short, but outside it looked like a completely different region, so much snow and ice everywhere, nothing but pine trees. The woman grabbed her bags, not before waiting for the little Dreepy to return to the inside where it wrapped up in the spare clothes to keep warm. Val took to her shoulder as she usually did.

Devra nodded, standing up to gather her things. She then picked up Coal, holding his stout body in her arms to keep him from running of into the snow. “We’re ready. I’m so excited to see this area. I’ve read about it but they took forever to get it safe enough for more visitors.”

Safe enough wasn’t always entirely foolproof, and Peach was quietly happy she packed a first aid kit. She had heard some murmurs it was a little risky here, a lot of tough Pokemon roamed about.

“I hope you’re right, I’m sure the locals wouldn’t put people at risk.” The pair stepped off the train once the doors pinged open, the brisk cold air swept past, pulling them all out onto the platform. People came and went, and before long they became aware of the exits and where to head to next.

Devra took a slight lead of the two, following signs towards the little town. “Well, they did give all of us coming here a safety talk too. I just hope trainers actually listen. You gotta be smart about this place.” She then set Coal down and let the little guy run circles around the two humans. “I think I’ll wait to let Aliza our until we’re settled.”

With the pup thoroughly enjoying the snow, the trainers paused to check their phones, a map was needed for a moment, before they began to hear some loud ruckus just outside to the right of the station, sounded like a man and a young woman, peach didn’t even register it much, turning her back to the noise almost instinctually, trying to figure out which way to go. Val however was being nosey and sat on her shoulder judging the people making all the noise pretty hard from the look on her face.

“I think you’re right, we should find somewhere to stay before we really go out on a wild adventure.”

She nodded, looking at her own map on her Rotom phone, thanking the Pokémon inside for his help. “It looks like we head on that way.” She pointed to the road as it took a slight left turn. “Shouldn’t be more than a 20 minute walk.”

“‘sounds good to me, wonder what Pokemon we might see on the way?” Pocketing the phone and hoisting her bag up a bit, Peach began to take a few steps, noticing the pair who were making such noise earlier, avoiding them entirely, they seemed to be having a dad-daughter tiff that was no ones business. Onward, to the first route of the Crown Tundra!

Devra took a glance at the arguing people and sighed, hoping the wouldn’t bother her or the Professor. Coal bounded ahead as they walked, but kept in his trainer’s sight. “It’s really pretty here. Just look at all the ice on these pine needles!” She crunched her way to a tree and found an angle to catch light in the ice.

[adventures-on-foster-island]

Adoption Application Recieved!

Name: Rowan Mackinnon

Age: 19

Region, city/route... or describe the climate you live in: Wedgehurt in Galar.

Home size: ground floor and first floor aswell as a garden and a large patch of land owned around our house. About 200 miles.

Other people or Pokémon in your home: In the house it is me and my partner. We live with a Munchlax, Galvantula, Zoura, and a Vulpix. I’m hoping to get them someone to play with.

Also Noibat occasionally goes in the house because he feels safest here.

How many hours are you away from home per week for school/work? I am in part time college which is 4-6hours two times a week and i work at the farm which is around the house anyway. My partner is a ranger and the land around us is classed as protected so they work nearby to the house and usually at home if others are around too.

Any allergies or aversions? Im allergic to galarian Meowths and I want to avoid Pokémon who don't live in Galar, including the Isle of Armour.

Tell me about yourself, and what your goals for you and your new Pokémon are, as well as anything else you think I should know.

I run a small wild farm. Pokémon come and go as they please, however I do breed Pokémon from time to time. I make sure their homes are perfect for them. My farm has various different areas Pokémon find perfect to live in. I also have a enclosed garden I can use for the new friend so they can get use to other Pokémon around outside. They will have access inside as well. After that, I'll allow them free range of the outdoors. Though, I'll check on how their doing, and we have shelters for Pokémon as well as tracking chips for all Pokémon in case of any issues.

Alright Rowan, I'm happy to inform you that due to your property size and your partner's status as a Ranger, you're eligible to adopt two Pokémon if you'd like to. The two spoke over the phone, and decided it would be best to bring the two most promising candidates to Rowan's farm to make sure they like all their new friends, including the small herd and a few Lotad on the farm.

Ellisa woke early this morning to prepare for a trip to Galar. Her mom and siblings came to watch the Island for the day. Dusk, her Drifblim, was saddled with a hanging basket for the passengers, who were waiting patiently to go to their potential new home.

"Alright kids, load up. We have a long flight to Galar ahead of us." A nervous Galarian Ponyta colt stepped cautiously into the basket, followed by a relaxed flowering Lotad, who then asked to be picked up. Pearl, Ellisa’s Gardevoir, wearing a back pack, obliged the little plant, and closed the gate behind them. Ellisa had offered to put the Pokémon in balls for the trip, but they wanted to see the sights on the way. There's no better way to sight see than from a Drifblim, Ellisa thought. As the basket rose from the ground, Ponyta let out a whine, and stamped his feet lightly, getting used to the change in elevation. Ellisa pet his head and soothed him until he seemed more comfortable.

Most of the journey was over the ocean, although the coasts of Johto and Sinnoh were visible for some time as the group traveled north. Lotad looked with bright eyes over Snowpoint city, having never seen snow before.

"Just wait until we pass over the Crown Tundra little guy, It's absolutely beautiful." Indeed, his excitement increased as we flew lower over the tundra. Snowflakes landed on both Pokémon, causing little squeals of joy. Soon enough, Wedgehurst was visible over the horizon.

"Rowan said his farm was just outside Wedgehurst. We should see it soon." As Ellisa finished her sentence, she saw the river that cuts through the field and disappears into the forest. Several Ponyta and Mudbray galloped through the patches of short and tall grass, the river was alive with water type Pokémon, and a beautiful garden with a green house decorated the land. A lilly pond sat in the garden, and the distant figures of a person and their partner Zoroark were the last things Ellisa noticed before looking for a place to land. She settled on a patch of short grass near the pond, and Dusk slowly floated towards the ground.

Rowan walked over to the group, releasing their Gardevoir in case any extra help was needed. A Sylveon followed closely behind him wearing a little diabetic alert vest.

"Morning! Hope your journey was pleasant. These are Nyx, Opheila, and Serena." Rowan greeted as he pointed to each Pokémon, before scratching Serena's head and ribbons. "The other Lotad are in the pond at the moment, and I'm sure you saw the herd." Rowan extended his hand to shake, which Ellisa took excitedly in her grasp.

"The journey was lovely. I think the youngsters enjoyed the experience as a whole. I have a service Pokémon named Nyx as well!" She pulled a ball out of her bag and released an Umbreon, who nuzzled into Ellisa’s leg. "She helps me with anxiety and ADHD, along with my boy Pan, an Espeon who stayed at the island today. You have a lovely property." Pearl put down the Lotad, who stretched out his legs and sniffed the dirt. The Ponyta looked eagerly at Ellisa, waiting to be told he could go for a run with the others.

"He can go off if you're alright with it, I'll just make sure they're in eye sight and that Nyx is nearby since the others do as she says. There shouldn't be any problems." The breeder smiled and made sure that his treat bag was secure. "We can give you a tour of the place."

"Run along little one. Have fun, but don't go too far okay?" Ellisa pat his back for reassurance, and he took off clumsily after the herd. "You too Lotad," she knelt to talk to him, "Can you get to the pond by yourself?" He nodded happily and started his waddle to meet new friends. "I would love that! It would give those two some time to get to know the others, and make sure they all get along."

Serena got up and curled his ribbons round Rowan's arm. Nyx wondered off to the herd, and Rowan turned to Opheila. "Make sure Flowers doesn't stay out of the pool for too long, and keep a eye on them all for me, please, Opheila." The Gardevoir nodded and headed off toward the pond. Ellisa told Dusk to rest up, returning them to their ball.

The, now smaller, group began their tour around the farm. As they left the garden, Rowan turned to Ellisa, "I've been meaning to ask you if there was anything special I should know about those two."

"Lotad's bloom attracts Combee, but they don't bother him. He's super easy going, and will do any favor you ask of him, which can get him stepped on. Ponyta has a lot of energy. He's still really young, only four months, but runs like a mad man. Otherwise, I assume since you already have some members of both of these species, that you can take care of them just fine."

Rowan grinned shyly and rubbed the back of their head, "Yeah, I've been tending to these Pokémon for a while. I think this Lotad will get along well with one of ours. We've nicknamed him 'Flowers' because he likes flowers so much that we catch him wandering away from the pond. We've been planting flowers around it to encourage him to stay, but a flowering friend may do the trick. Also, that's good to know! I've been trying to get Combee here for ages."

"If you want Combee, I recommend replacing some of this grass," Ellisa gestured around at the surrounding land, "with clover. Your herd will love it as well, and it doesn't grow as tall, limiting up-keep. Lotad is also nearly at the age of maturity, meaning you could cross breed him to have more flowering variants to attract more Combee if you wanted."

Nyx whined and nudged Ellisa’s leg. The caretaker reached down to touch her, realizing that her partner was cold. Pearl picked up on what was happening instantly, and dug through her bag for a jacket, helping Ellisa put it on the dark type. As the group continued their tour, they came upon a building.

"These are the stables, but I'm having another built on the opposite side of the field that will be more open and airy for summer. My partner and I have been looking into Pokémon safe natural foods, including more kinds of grasses, since we'd like to give them the best possible lives. Thank you for recommending clover, I'll be sure to get some."

The group began to circle back around to the pond when Rowan remembered something. "Oh I almost forgot to mention, a friend of mine recommended you to me. It's Noire, she adopted a Houndoom from you named Violette."

Ellisa's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't know you and Noire knew eachother! What a small world. Her and my line of work are similar, you know? I mean, her's is more on the educational side, but we have the same goal. I was so happy to adopt out Violette to her. They make a good team."

"Yeah, we met through another friend of mine who is a ghost type breeder, since they used to work together on ghost type education. I was actually thinking about taking your breeding suggestion with Lotad and using the baby variants to teach people about grass type variants so that maybe someone else won't make the same mistake as this one's previous trainer, thinking that they are sick. I've always loved grass types, and Lotad are an old favorite of mine, but I've never had a flowering one before. This is an exciting change."

As they approached the pond, Ellisa could see that the herd had stopped to take a drink from the pond and rest. They seemed to get along great with their newest member, who was playfully nibbling one of the Mudbray. Rowan's Zoroark, Nyx, was nearby, leaning against a tree as they kept a watchful eye. Opheila sat with her feet in the pond, smiling happily. As they got closer, Ellisa saw the Lotad variant floating calmly in front of her as another stared in awe at his water lily, seemingly entranced by it. Ellisa got a little sad, knowing that she would have to say good bye to these two, but also knew that they had found their perfect forever homes and would be happiest here.

Rowan brought Ellisa out of her contemplation, asking, "Can people adopt again? These two are such a perfect fit for our home, and since we have so much space we would love to help out more abandoned Pokémon."

"You'll need to catch these two in a Pokéball today to register them to your ID, and we will have to have a visit again in six months to check on everything, but since your property is so large you'll be able to adopt more at that time. You could even become a transfer site for foster Pokémon that the facility can't care for, such as ice types during the spring and summer months or very large Pokémon that the island can't support. I'll keep your adoption application on file to make the process smoother next time."

While filling out the paperwork, Rowan and their partner Raven decided on Clurichaurn as a name for the Ponyta. They also offered Lotad a few names to pick from, with Opheila as a translator, and he chose Kaj. Ellisa said goodbye to everyone, wishing the two she was leaving good luck in their new home, before releasing Dusk once again for the flight back home.

@poke-breeder-rowan

[southerndragontamer]

Inspired by @huffletrax’s post I just reblogged I figured if they wouldn’t mind, I’ll do a team for everyone’s favorite Septic and my interpretation of him as he’d be in Pokémon.

Pokemon AU

Antisepticeye

Luxray, Toxtricity (Amped Form, can Gigantamax), Vikavolt, Nidoking, Gengar (Has Gengarite), Naganadel

-He travels just to do what he wants, chief among them being fight with his Pokémon. He’s a very brutal fighter but he never goes too far if his Pokémon look tired or the opponent is knocked out already. And don’t try to make him fight a Baby Pokémon or one that’s young just. Do not for the sake of your own health.

-His ‘starter’ was Luxray, he found him while hiding outside of Rowan’s lab to wait for an opportunity to grab one of the ‘official’ ones, and as he was waiting. He felt a little nuzzling at his leg mixed with a spark that fizzled against his static and looked down, there was a Shinx just... there. Like any cat, he chose Anti and Anti didn’t have the heart to say no.

-He does not have the ability to use lightning in this AU, but he has the ability to conduct it without risk to himself, his static is more of a kind of... hypnotic ability so he doesn’t need to worry about anyone ratting him out to Jenny if they see him. It makes it so anyone in range of his static just, forgets his face and his voice.

-His team met in order is Luxray, Gengar, Nidoking, Vikavolt, Naganadel and Toxtricity.

-He befriended Zekrom as he sticks true to his Ideals, he also befriended Raikou, Mewtwo and Xurkitree.

Putting the rest under a read more since it’s getting long.

-As he isn’t fully human but a glitch, he knows of MissingNo. He’s one of the few that know about it that doesn’t use the poor thing for duplication, instead he tries to treat it as kindly as he can when he can feel it nearby. And no, he will not give secrets.

-The reason he doesn’t want to be caught by Jenny? He’s a hacker, and a damn good one too. He uses it to expose people like Giovanni for what they really are, he doesn’t do just big names either, he exposes anyone corrupt. Looker can’t stand him because Anti hasn’t ever been caught and actively taunts the detective because it’s fun.

-His Hacker Symbol is a green and black glitching Eye and he lets his voice get glitchy so no one can identify him. A play on All Seeing Eye, Always Watching.

-He has an unofficial seventh Pokémon in Rotom, as the little Legendary took a liking to him as he wandered through the Old Chateau where he caught his Gengar then a Gastly, as they were of a similar personality. And the fact Anti laughed when Rotom tried to scare him instead of running away. Rotom helps Anti with his hacking and likes to stay in his phone or laptop, bringing up reminders or information he needs.

-Anti’s usual style is punk/rock, ripped jeans, combat boots, biker jacket, wrist bands, black t shirt, fingerless gloves and a spiked choker. His hair is dyed different shades of green and he keeps it long to tie into a braid or ponytail. And he paints his nails black or dark green and likes liner. Try to make fun of him for it and he will punch you if his Pokémon don’t get to you first.

-His Hacker outfit when he wants to appear is a black trenchcoat, full gloves, uses his static to make the green in his hair to go black, a black mask with a green spray paint jagged smile and holes for his eyes. He only lets one be visible at a time and the other is black.

-The nicknames for his Pokémon are: Luxray is Gamma, Toxtricity is Skrillex, Vikavolt is Beetleguise, Nidoking is Kaiju, Gengar is Mort and Naganadel is Mordred and Rotom is ED-E

-The scar we all know him for is still there and in this AU it was gotten when he was younger, more reckless and didn’t care who saw what he did trying to do what he felt was the right thing. It’s why he prefers not to be seen now.

-He can beat the elite four of most Regions if he wants too, but he doesn’t want to be tied down to one place like he knows he will be if he’s Champion. So he just moves when he gets all the badges, is currently exploring every inch of Galar as he pleases.

-He has a soft spot for kids and will give them advice with care for their Pokémon and won’t go too hard on them. And do not make a little kid cry or Arcues forbid hurt one around him or he will end you.

-He met Zekrom while transitioning through Unova to get to Alola through the airport. The dragon reached out to him with telepathy as Zekrom could sense him and was curious as Anti wasn’t like anyone else. Anti decided to stay a bit to talk with Zekrom and they became friends.

-Mewtwo was an intense meeting. Anti had decided to do some digging into an attempt of resurgence of Team Rocket in their home turf and also caught Kaiju whike he was there, and he heard rumors about the strong Legendary returning to it’s Region of birth. And he wanted to fight them just to see how strong they were. He didn’t mean his Pokémon either as he didn’t want to endanger them from Mewtwo’s psychic attacks, Anti knows how to kick someone’s butt without his Pokémon, so yes. He challenged Mewtwo to a direct fight.

-No, Anti has never claimed to be fully sane, why do you ask? XD

-The fight ended with Anti laying on the cave floor panting, but with a mile wide grin and Mewtwo was also a bit out of breath. Using telepathy Mewtwo congratulated Anti for being the first human to impress with both his bravery and his utter recklessness. And now the two meet up every so often to fight. Yes, Mewtwo has used both Mega Forms in said fights.

-Also yes, Anti’s Pokemon are very worried for their Trainer’s lack of self preservation. XD

-Raikou was met in a thunderstorm when he took shelter in a cave after he got lost in Alola. It was a very tense night as Anti wasn’t sure if the Legendary Beast was going to attack him or not because they didn’t tend to like many humans, but when Anti ended up passing out to get sleep, he woke to find Raikou had curled up around him with Gamma to keep him warm. Mort could only do so much as a ghost and didn’t want to make him colder. Yes, he got to pet Raikou and the roaming Legendary has very soft fur.

-Xurkitree was an interesting one, in Alola he’d heard about the Ultra Beasts but didn’t expect to find any as it had been a little while since they were first sighted and he assumed someone had already caught them. But apparently not as the living live wire ended up following him from the Memorial he stopped to pay respects at. Xurkitree was very affectionate despite Anti’s grumpy nature towards the constant attempts at hugs or cuddles, Anti figures it’s probably due to his static.

-Befriending Xurkitree was also how he met and caught Naganadel, then Poipole as the little poison type Ultra Beast ended up finding them both and was impressed with the strength of Anti’s other Pokémon and wanted to get that strong.

Authors Note

And now due to the plot bunny running away from me, I’m going to go do the other Septics, canon and a few not canon and a few Ipliers. XD

And if you have any questions or want an in-depth look at teams including not official members such as ED-E the Rotom, like hold items, moves or little tidbits of personality let me know!

[nimarkiva-stuff]

Fan-art Writing

So, I absolutely love one of @blasticheart​‘s characters, a Pokemon Trainer OC, and really wanted to have him meet the Trainer OC version of myself that I do for @nimarkiva-the-pokemon-trainer​.

.....except it’s pretty violent based on the premise of his character, so I can’t really post it on that blog, I know full well there are a lot of kids who visit that one.

Oh, right, I have an art blog, too. Deeeerp. So, fan-art for @blasticheart​ beneath the cut. There is violence, and it is Pokemon themed. Not for kids. Murder mention and attempt.

It was late on a lazy Friday afternoon, and Dit was looking forward to a challenge. He hoped there would be a good battle today since no one had contested him yet. He bounced a pokéball in his hand, grinning as he thought of what might come if he was patient. Hopefully it was a Pokémon battle that he could win. If not win, at least enjoy. He loved a good fight.

His gaze swept across the park at the edge of the woods, lingering on a particular trainer who was out with her Pokémon. The tattooed woman was leaning on a cane and had a Haunter with her, as well as a Lucario. Now that was a fight! The trainer looked fairly unassuming. She had shoulder-length gingery hair that was bleached blond at the tips, and looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was dressed fairly nondescript- t-shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. The wooden cane in her right hand was clearly for the pronounced limp she walked with. The human stood at about five feet and ten inches, rather tall, but at the same time a bit stooped because of how she leaned on the cane. The stocky human had a large tattoo of a purple Sharpedo and plumeria blossoms on her right arm, visible because of her short sleeves. Her glasses were simple, black rectangular frames that suited her.

The trainer didn’t look like much. She honestly could have passed for any adult woman on the street. But he of all people knew how looks could be deceiving, didn’t he? And she did have a Lucario with her, not to mention a fairly large Haunter who looked like he could give anyone a run for their money. The Ditto looked at his reflection on the shiny pokéball in his hand. She’d be a challenge- and depending on what she had in her pokéballs, it was a match which could genuinely go in favor of either of them.

He decided it was worth a shot. Win or lose- though he hoped win- it promised to be fun. Dit made his way to where she was playing with the Lucario. The trainer would toss a ball, and the Lucario would deflect it back to her with a shield of Aura energy, angling it to make sure she could catch the bouncy rubber sphere each time. It was both a game and a practice in precision. Dit could definitely appreciate training like that.

“Yo, Nim, heads up!” the Haunter told his trainer when the young man came over.

Dit paused for a moment. Another Pokémon who could speak in a human language? Well, now that was something. He gave the woman and her Pokémon a toothy grin when she focused on him. “You wanna have a Pokémon battle?” he asked eagerly.

Nim blinked, looking a bit surprised. The Lucario beside her looked up at the trainer, then back at Dit. He wasn’t so sure about this one. Not because he was afraid of a fight, but more because something was…off. And it was going to drive Lucas nuts until he figured out what it was. Something in that smile, and the look in his eyes.

“Can’t really see a reason to refuse,” the woman said with a shrug. “Three on three, or six against six?”

The tall trainer waved her question off. “Nah, five on five,” he said with that same toothy grin.

Nim raised one eyebrow. Odd, but she’d go with it. “Sure,” she said. “Not going to lie, I’m going to bring out some of the big guns- there’s a space in the woods which is a lot better for that kind of battle, got a concrete wall and is away from people. That work for you?”

Dit rubbed his hands together. Oh, that worked, he had some big guns of his own. “Bring it on,” he told her with a smirk.

Lucas decided he definitely did not like that smile.

“I’m Dit. So what do you do?” Dit asked as they hiked to the location of the practice arena.

“I’m Nim, a teacher, and I run a Pokémon rehabilitation house for those who have gotten injured or abused,” Nim explained. “You?”

“I battle,” he said with that same creepy grin. “A rehab house? Sounds cool.”

That actually was true. He did like the idea of that sort of place, since he knew how many needed it. The Ditto could also see how she cared for those who were with her. Each of the Pokémon at her side showed all the signs of being loyal as well as happy to be with the human. Good health, too, the Lucario’s fur was sleek and well-groomed while the Haunter was particularly solid, instead of being more wispy like an unhealthy ghost type tended to look.

The area Nim had in mind for their battle was a small arena, sunken a few feet into the ground with a concrete wall holding the dirt back. When they had reached the spot, well away from bystanders who might not want to be hit by stray attacks, Nim pulled a pokéball out of her pocket.

Dit whistled when she summoned a Necrozma. That was unexpected. He watched as she crooned over the big Pokémon, stroking its arm and whispering that it was a good boy. The Necrozma made a happy sound, wrapping one big hand loosely around her for a moment. Then it squared off in his direction.

“Nacho, I choose you,” she said with a quirky little smile.

The Pokémon Trainer grinned as he pulled out the pokéball containing a Metagross. But before he could say anything, he was interrupted by two newcomers stepping out of the woods- Rocket grunts. “That’s a nice Necrozma,” one of the men said with a smirk. “Be a pity if something bad happened during a fight.”

The transformed Ditto growled. He did not like Team Rocket at all. Using a small arena like this as a hunting ground to try and steal Pokémon, because it was out of the way? Dirty and low. But his normal method of dealing with them wouldn’t work- there was a human here he didn’t want to needlessly kill. He was about to summon another member of his family out of their pokéball to fight when Nim snapped her fingers.

“Lewis, my darling boy, you know the drill,” she said with a grin.

The Haunter smirked before vanishing into the earth with a swirl of smoke at her feet. Dit watched, amazed, as he rose out of the ground behind the Team Rocket members a few seconds later. The Haunter hovered above them, a sphere of dark energy forming between his hands. “Cannon ball!” he said, diving downwards and hurling the shadow ball between the grunts at the same time.

The two humans fled- that was not what they’d been expecting at all, given the appearances of the Haunter’s trainer. Nim had chosen to go straight for them instead of Pokémon battling with them. That was terrifying to the Team Rocket goons because it meant she was not about to put up with their attempt.

But the attack had some unexpected side effects as it had been a particularly powerful one. A chunk of loose brick spun towards Dit and Nim. The Ditto was in the act of dodging when Nim raised one hand towards him.

Crackling blue energy shielded the Pokémon trainer, causing the rubble to bounce back towards Nim. She didn’t shield herself in time. That was one of her faults as well as something which made her good at her job- the woman focused on others first, sometimes at cost to herself. It hit, hard, on her bad right leg just above the knee. There was no blood, but the impact could be heard. The woman went down with a strangled shriek of pain, kneeling on the dirt of the arena.

“Oh hell- Nim, I’m so sorry, I overdid that,” Lewis said as he rushed to her side. “You ok, Boss?”

She nodded, blinking tears out of her eyes and swallowing hard. “I’ll be alright,” the woman gasped. “You ok, big guy? Lucas, Nacho? No one injured? Dit, what about you?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, looking at her in surprise. “That was Aura, wasn’t it? I didn’t know humans could do that.”

“Some can. It’s really rare,” Nim said as she struggled to her feet.

Lucas immediately handed her the cane which she had dropped, while allowing her to lean against him. “Take a moment, Mother,” the telepathic Pokémon said quietly. “You need to rest.”

Mother? Another surprise. This human could not only manipulate Aura, but one of her Pokémon thought of her as a mom. Dit was interested in the trainer. It seemed that like him, she thought of her team as family. The Necrozma, Nacho, moved so that Nim could sit on his hand and take the weight off her bad leg.

“Hey, Dit, raincheck on our battle?” Nim asked tiredly. “I need to get home and have my Medicham, Misha, help me out with this, I think I messed something up in my leg again when that rock hit.”

The Ditto was disappointed that he wasn’t going to get the battle he was hoping for, but he did understand. “I will hold you to that raincheck,” he told her with that creepy grin which kept setting Lucas on edge.

Nim gave him a little pained smile back, waving to him. “You betcha. You want to stop on by tomorrow, my house is the big lavender colored one with the stone wall around it and the barn in the back, on the other side of the overpass heading out of the west side of town. You can’t miss it, ask about Nim’s place and anyone can point you my way.”

Dit nodded. He could remember those directions. “See you tomorrow,” he said with a wry chuckle, pocketing the pokéball in his hand and walking off.

He was mulling over a plan for the battle against her when he realized something. Had he been a character in an anime, there would have the lines accompanying the blip of shocked realization coming from the back of his head. The Ditto’s eyes went wide when he realized that a human who could use Aura would also be able to sense it…

…and had to know his secret.

The Ditto swore at that. He looked around, but the park was too populated for him to do what needed to be done. It would also be dangerous to try and attack the woman in her own home. She took in sick and wounded Pokémon, there were likely many who would defend her without hesitation. He also had seen three of her team- a trainer like that surely had a full battling team of six heavy hitters, seeing as she had asked if he wanted a larger battle.

No, he’d have to kill her in a spot where she was vulnerable and there weren’t other people around to witness it. Preferably caught off guard so that she didn’t summon the Pokémon who would defend her. Dit really didn’t want to make too big a deal of this since he already didn’t like the idea of killing a rehab worker. But he also didn’t trust she wouldn’t snitch on him to Officer Jenny.

The overpass was the perfect place. He had flown there after seeing that the woman was walking. Even on her bad leg, she was still making her way home on foot. Dusk had fallen in the time it took her to make her way across the city, which was perfect for what he had in mind. The Haunter and the Lucario were nowhere to be seen- likely recalled to their pokéballs. Dit was a bit confused at that. He’d thought for sure that the two of them would have been at her side to help her walk. Well, a stroke of luck for him.

He shifted back to his human form, leaning casually against the metal rail which blocked the sidewalk from the street. The protective rails on both sides of the path also meant that the trainer could only run in two directions. Dit was pretty sure he was faster than Nim as he watched her hobble up to where he was waiting, hood raised over his baseball cap to hide his face.

“Hey, Nim, I’m actually a bit sorry about this,” he said, stepping forward to block her path. “You seem like a nice one.”

Nim leaned back in surprise when Dit’s arm suddenly shifted to that of a Scyther’s bladed claw. She threw up a shield of Aura energy in the nick of time, blocking the blow. Her cane dropped to the ground with a clatter, forgotten as she tried to defend herself. The human stumbled back from the force of his attack and raised her hands.

“Hey, Dit, come on, you don’t want to do this,” she told him. “Let me take some R&R time, we can have a proper fight tomorrow.”

The woman was surprisingly calm. Dit supposed that was good. He preferred she try talking him out of it instead of trying to fight back, which could be messy and obvious. It wasn’t like he was going to trust her no matter what she said- but letting her talk gave him time to get closer. “Like I said, you seem nice,” he repeated.

He easily grabbed the front of her shirt with his hand, raising the other arm up. The stance was oddly intimate since he held her close without room to get away. Even if he could not shapeshift, in the form of his previous trainer he was so much stronger than the disabled woman. It would be so easy to just snap the human like a twig. He didn’t like it, but it had to be done. The human had to die for him to feel safe.

“Don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” Dit said quietly.

The Ditto paused when he felt something press against his stomach. “Got something in your pocket? You can’t be that happy to see me,” he told her with a little smirk that didn’t make it to his eyes- he wasn’t pleased to have to kill a human who took care of Pokémon in a rehabilitation home. Nim snorted, still oddly calm. “Yeah, no, it’s not what you think. Put me down so I don’t have to see Reba and Remy gut you. This is my favorite jacket and I don’t want to ruin it. I also don’t want you to get hurt, I get why you’re doing this.”

Dit looked down and saw two knives were pressed against his abs, each angled in a way where they could be slashed in the opposite directions after piercing skin and muscle. That would certainly do a good job of opening him up. The knifes melded into the wrists of two arms, a bit of pink drip at the connecting point looking quite familiar to the shift point of his own arm at the moment.

The knife wielders stood up behind Nim, keeping the blades pressed at his stomach in warning. They were clearly twins, a brother and a sister, and had been crouched behind her. Dit wasn’t sure how he had not noticed them until he saw that the pokéballs on Nim’s belt were all attached so that they angled backward. The two Dittos had likely been summoned to her side when she stumbled away from him. He hadn’t seen them because they were hidden by her own body when they kept low behind Nim.

Now that was extremely sneaky and clever. But such a plan meant the human had thought she would be attacked. He didn’t like that one bit. Dit’s day had gone from bad to worse now that Nim had backup and his idea hadn’t worked like he’d expected.

“How’d you do that?” he demanded irately, leaving his arm raised. They currently had a bit of a stalemate, and he was not about to give that up. Even the smallest advantage was better than nothing. If Nim had planned for this, she’d likely planned for other things, too.

“The phrase I said,” Nim explained. “When I talked about fighting tomorrow? Reba and Remy, my R&R duo of Dittos. The pokéballs are facing backwards, they popped out on their own when I called for them. You were too busy trying to carve me like a turkey to notice others like you, dude.”

“If you know what I am, then you know why I’ve got to do this,” Dit said as he tightened his grip on her shirt, his face close to hers.

Nim snorted. “What, you think you’re the first Pokémon to do something like this? Lemme guess, you offed your trainer for some reason. I’m guessing…you cut his throat? Nah, too planned, it was probably in the heat of the moment…ooh, you didn’t stab him in the back, did you? Break his neck? Come on, Dit, give me some details.”

The Ditto trainer was a bit unnerved by how nonchalant she was. His expression dropped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Distraction. She’d been distracting him and was fighting dirty. He’d seen this move earlier.

“Vibe check,” Lewis said as he swung the trainer’s wooden cane at Dit’s head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dit woke up in a soft bed, with the blanket tucked around his shoulders and a throbbing headache. He sat upright in alarm, throwing off the blanket in the same motion and staring at the unfamiliar surroundings. The female of the Ditto twins was sitting near the doorway, looking at him over sunglasses.

“You’re a pain,” she muttered as she regarded him. “Nim said we couldn’t leave you there. Try and kill my trainer again, and so help me, I will make you regret it.”

The Pokémon trainer growled at that. He was about to say something snarky in reply when Nim poked her head in the doorway to break it up. “Reba, c’mon, be nice. Good to see you’re awake, Dit, I thought Lewis had seriously scrambled something up there when you were out the entire night. You should come get some breakfast.”

“Why should I trust you?” Dit demanded.

Nim shrugged. “Ok, don’t, then. It’s no skin off my back. By the way, this is yours. There’s bacon, eggs, and toast in the kitchen if you change your mind.” The human tossed a pokéball to him. Dit caught it, fumbled the sphere, and blinked when he saw the name written on it. This was his pokéball. Nim must have taken it while he was unconscious. It would have been something very useful to have against him if she had wanted to have an advantage.

Instead, she had given it back.

Reba scowled at him before following after the woman. Dit had to wonder where her twin was. He definitely did not want to try anything in Nim’s home unless he absolutely had to, not after seeing how she had planned the night before. But he had to kill the human somehow to protect his own secret.

Dit walked down the hall to the kitchen, following the smell of cooking food. It did smell awfully good. Nim was at the stove, and Reba was at her side, shifting to a Meowstic. The Ditto trainer decided to sit at the table, which was set for several Pokémon and two humans if the silverware was anything to go by. He’d bide his time until the right moment presented itself.

“So how did you know?” Dit asked. “I’m real good at keeping my secret. What tipped you off, and how did you plan for my attempt at killing you?”

Nim snorted. “Oh, you are good, I’ll give you that. I figured it out when I felt your Aura, and you said five against five for a fight…you’re a Ditto, and there were all the signs that you took over the team you were part of. So why would you do that? Duh, you look like a trainer…probably your trainer. How do you avoid a human trainer ratting you out as a thief and a fraud? Easy if you could take his face because he’s dead. And you’d do that if you killed him, probably. If you’ve killed before, you might be willing to do it again to keep your secret, and you’re no dummy, you had to know what me being able to use Aura meant. So, planning ahead with Reba and Remy about where you were most likely going to try and kill me. The overpass seemed like it’d be the best spot if you were plotting a murder.”

Dit swallowed hard. He definitely was sure he could not trust her enough to let her live now after hearing that. This human was dangerous, and killing her was the only option he could see. “So what do you want?” he asked slowly. “Blackmail?”

The human rolled her eyes. “Absolutely not. I don’t want anything, except maybe for you to stop trying to kill me. You seriously think you’re the first Pokémon to kill their trainer? Bad trainers exist, and I know it, I get to look after the ones who were mistreated. I’ve got a Greninja with a scarred up face and a missing arm because of bad humans, and a midnight form Lycanroc with PTSD from the same situation. Their trainer gave them up to a Pokémon Center before turning himself in for Pokémon abuse, pretty messed up and in need of hospital care. You are not the first Pokémon to retaliate, Dit, and I don’t blame you for killing someone who abused you. Now, you want breakfast? I messed up the eggs, so they’re scrambled, that ok?”

The trainer tilted his head. “You are way too calm about this,” he told her suspiciously. “Did you call Officer Jenny on me or something?”

“No, I just don’t like seeing Pokémon mistreated,” Nim said. “You know, that being the reason why I run a rehab house for them? Things are never black and white, either. This is not my first rodeo when it comes to Pokémon who did stuff most would consider to be really bad. You have your secrets, and I have mine.”

“…who have you killed?” Dit asked, eyes narrowing.

“No one, yet, I’ve had my coffee this morning,” the tattooed woman replied with a laugh. “Seriously, we’re cool and I won’t rat you out. I don’t think you just go around randomly killing people. Probably just the ones who need to go or figure out your secret. I’d prefer not to be on that second list is all.”

“And why should I trust you?” the Ditto asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair.

Nim put one arm over her stomach. She rested her elbow on it to tap her chin with one fingertip. “Hmm, let me see,” she said with an exaggerated air of thoughtfulness. “I had your pokéball, and gave it back instead of using it. I didn’t let Reba and Remy gut you. I could have taken you straight to Officer Jenny, but instead I let you sleep off a clonk to the head in one of my guest rooms. I’m making you breakfast even after you tried to kill me. If I meant anything bad, dude, I had hours to pull a stunt and loads of opportunity.”

Dit mulled it over. She had a point. But that still didn’t explain why Nim hadn’t done any of those things. That made no sense to him unless she wanted something from him. “No really, what do you want?” he demanded.

The woman shrugged. “Why does everyone have to want something? I mean, I’d like to not have you try to kill me again, isn’t that enough? Last night was a close one even if I was ready for it.”

He was reminded about the two Dittos she had when the woman said that. “Your Dittos talk and can pass as human, like me,” Dit said. “What’s up with that?”

“Rescued from Team Rocket labs,” Nim told him simply. “Same as Lewis.”

“I don’t trust you,” Dit said firmly.

“I figured,” Nim said as she put a plate full of food in front of him. “And it makes sense. Humans probably always want something based on the ones you’ve likely met- and why would anyone trust a murderer?”

Dit gave her a skeptical look. “You said it. So. Why don’t you want anything, and why do you trust a murderer?”

“Technically, murder is one human killing another,” Nim mused as she sat down at the table. “Yours is just self-defense. You have to watch your own back, right? And what would happen to your Pokémon family if you were caught? It’s not just what would happen to you. I get it. I’m not condoning it or saying it’s a good thing, but I get it. And no, I prefer not to know your kill count, I don’t need to know as long as I’m not on the list.”

The Pokémon put both hands on the table and leaned forward, getting uncomfortably into her space. “How do I know you won’t betray me?”

Nim sighed. “Well, I’m not sure what to tell you if I haven’t convinced you yet. Tell you what, you eat breakfast and follow me. If I try anything, you get to do what you feel you need to do.”

The woman’s two Dittos shifted at that, to their own chosen human forms. The brother was quiet, gesturing wildly that he did not approve of that, while his sister spoke for both of them. “No, we won’t let you!” Reba said. “You can’t do that!”

“If I expect him to trust me, I’ve got to show some trust in him,” Nim reminded the Ditto twins.

“…you have one day to convince me,” Dit told her, going against his better judgement. “Then I’ll do what I have to.”

“Deal,” the trainer agreed, holding out her hand. “Hey, if your head is hurting from getting clonked by Lewis, I’ve got a few things from the Poké Mart to fix you up.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dit had a bit of a scare when Officer Jenny came to the house after breakfast. But it soon became apparent that she was there for other reasons- Nim hadn’t called her, nor did the trainer say or do anything to reflect that her life was in danger. The police officer was there because a Pokémon needed to be dropped off into Nim’s care. She didn’t even notice Dit.

Nim went about her day after getting the new Pokémon settled in, which involved taking care of a lot of other Pokémon who were housed in the barn behind her home. There was also a great deal of grocery shopping. The human made good use of the day being Saturday to get her errands done. She had plenty of opportunity to try and rat Dit out. Considering her life was on the line, he expected her to try and get some help from outside sources.

Yet she didn’t.

It was confusing. She even did nice things for him- not an attempt at bribery, but just because she could. When Nim had stopped for lunch, she bought him a burger and fries as well, tossing the bag to him. It wasn’t something done as an afterthought, but instead a genuine gesture of intentional kindness.

Nim excused herself to her room when they got back to her house, saying she was tired and needed to sleep a bit. Running a lot of errands like that was hard on the disabled trainer because of how much it hurt her to walk. Dit was skeptical about the fact that she was supposedly taking a nap. Surely she wasn’t planning on sleeping while someone who wanted to kill her was in the house?

He waited until she was snoring- it had to be an act- to slip through the partially opened doorway. The woman’s room was simple, and none of her Pokémon team were with her. He’d watched her put the pokéballs on the kitchen table before going to lay down for a nap. She had also told the others to give him space. The woman was completely defenseless, a lonely huddled form sleeping under a blanket.

“Too easy,” Dit muttered as he shifted his arm. He raised the Scyther claw blade high, bringing it down sharply.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dinner was good. Nim had made a solid meal of roasted vegetables, twice-baked potatoes, and steak. Her team was still uneasy around Dit, but Nim seemed pretty comfortable. Either she really did trust him, or she was a helluva good actor.

“I was going to kill you while you were sleeping,” he told her nonchalantly as they ate.

Nim tilted her head, ignoring the way her Pokémon stiffened and glared at Dit. “Oh? So what changed?”

“You snore, do you know that? Really loudly, too. I thought it had to be a trick. But you were actually asleep. I wanted to kill you, I could have, and yet…you decided to trust me,” Dit said thoughtfully. “I guess I can try trusting you some. But seriously. You betray me, and I will kill you. Don’t think that I won’t just because you do a good thing with this house of yours.”

“That’s fair,” Nim mused. “Thank you, Dit, for giving me a chance. So, I still owe you a Pokémon battle. Want to come back tomorrow and try that again?”

Dit was hesitant to leave, concerned for what she might try to do when she was out of his sight. But, against his better judgement, he decided to give the woman a further chance to prove herself as being trustworthy. Nim had shown trust in him in spite of all she knew he had done. Not to mention what he had just told the woman he’d nearly done to her.

“Sure,” he said slowly. “A battle after breakfast?”

“You are so on,” Nim told him. “Bring your A-game, because I won’t settle for anything less.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Ditto didn’t sleep well during the night. There was too much on his mind. If he had judged the human wrong, there was a lot on the line. And if he had made a bad decision…Dit would definitely be kicking himself for it. He found himself hoping he wouldn’t have to kill the woman, not after she’d given the appearance of trusting him.

Nim was waiting at the house the next morning. A quick look around before he had made his presence known showed that it was safe. No Officer Jenny, no police force Arcanines, no police detectives there to take him into custody. Only a smiling woman who had made an extra helping of breakfast just in case he wanted it when he arrived. The food wasn’t drugged. She made no move to attack him, and even knowingly turned her back to Dit repeatedly in a show of trust.

Maybe she genuinely meant what she’d said after all.

“Gonna see if you’ve got what it takes to beat me?” Dit asked as they stood in the practice arena in the barn after having breakfast with Nim. He stood in a prepared stance, pokéball raised and at the ready. It was time to see what Nim’s team was made of. The Ditto may have had a hard time trusting her, but he was always ready for a Pokémon battle, and Nim promised to be a challenge from what he had seen of her and her team already.

The woman snorted as she raised a pokéball of her own on the other side of the open space. “Bring it, Pinky,” she told him with a smirk.

“Oh, you did not just go there!” Dit retorted back. “It is definitely on now.”

Maybe, just maybe, he could trust her. A little. He’d still kill her if he had to in order to keep himself safe. If it came down to the human or him, he was going to take care of himself. Dit had to look out for himself and his family.

But it was starting to look like knowing this human might actually be fun.

[theangrypokemaniac]

Alola Forms don't make sense.

Exeggutor they focus upon, prod and poke in the classroom, solely because its mutation is the single example of logic in the olid morass.

It's become an unwieldy coconut tree, but excessive heat kills plants quicker than provoking a growth spurt.

Plus it's gone from Grass and Psychic to Grass and Dragon.

Why?

It's based on the dragon tree.

How is that applicable to the situation?

Why would Exeggutor's body, sensing the sweltering surroundings, think to itself:

This calls for a type change. I know: Dragon!

It would only be of use if, as in real life, dragons always breathe fire, thus possess supreme resistance to avoid auto-immolation.

Except that in this world, dragons aren't Fire Pokémon, thus it is pointless.

The sun nurtured its secret Dragon powers.

By 'secret' you mean nonexistent before the Seventh Generation.

Not much point in having 'hidden talents' if they're usable only in a specific point on the globe.

I could take it that Exeggutor's brain boiled like the egg it once was, with Psychic abilities atrophied...

Eh? You mean Alola both destroys and creates magic minds?

It's because of its diet.

But for the fact that Raichu now has them instead.

What, those special floating berries no one else ever consumed?

What really helps is natural endurance, something to aid a Pokémon's survival in the Alola climate.

The most obvious ploy would be for all of 'em to transform into Fire-types. No element is better equipped to thriving there.

How is flying through the air, levitating on his own tail, a response to the tropics?

How does this combat horrible conditions?

If you've got an inferno in yer innards a little excess warmth from the outside won't prove too taxing.

But no:

It goes to a hot country, for which it is suited, and its method of adaption is to develop a weakness instead!

Oh, but it probably lives in the snowy mountains.

You mean a Fire Pokémon, on arrival, decides the best thing is to deeply inconvenience itself by scaling the local peak, risking freezing to death, just waiting for blessed alteration?

Vulpix in Alola becomes Ice!

How did the first example there know it'd happen?

Come on Vulpix! Time to evolve! I spent me life savings on a Fire Stone! Oh...

And Ninetales is a Fairy, as if that boosts its chances.

What part of a suffocating island chain encourages the flourishing of more ethereal qualities?

Maybe if Ice, it cools yer down. The heliocentric Hell hole is taking its toll on the rest, but you exude chilly relief.

Why is it still furry then? Those tails are burden enough.

The other category with an inbuilt sturdiness is probably Ground. A habitat of molten earth and arid wastelands render one accustomed to baking beneath unforgiving weather.

Marowak had the right idea, following my advice and turning Fire, but he lost Ground in the process.

How is that an improvement?

Sandshrew and Sandslash converted to Ice and Steel, both of which melt in flames!

Why would sand on floor, in the trees, in the air even, blown to town by beach-skimming sirocco winds, wear away the Ground in him?

Absurdly, as a Ghost, seems the evolution rites are now so traumatic to a Cubone it dies on the way.

What kind of madness is this?

That's nice, innit? Kick 'im when he's down!

Diglett's sprouted a few comb-over strands and Dugtrio grows a full mane.

Of course it does. Everyone knows hair follicles are stimulated into overdrive by sweating.

Yeah, ones it didn't have in the first place.

And whilst Exeggutor's extra height is the feasible result...

Geodude and its evolutions not only lose their protective Ground type in favour of redundunt Electric, they all have jumbo eyebrows and hairy heads, arms and top lips.

That's the iron filings attracted to his new magnetic aura.

Rattata and Raticate sport moustaches whilst being fried in the fur by a heat-absorbing black coat.

Apparently the sensible thing to do when faced with burning skies is give oneself greater susceptibility to its draining effects.

Good job, now it's worse off.

What's the other aspect of this equatorial location?

The blinding, omnipresent light.

Well Rattata and Raticate, exposed to the sheer incandescent force, naturally bowed to convention to become Dark, the obvious reaction.

That's how you survive the furnace of Alola.

It might do. Perhaps changing to Dark is like a tan. Your body protects itself with it to limit the damage of the sun's rays.

Of course it is, and they kindly arranged themselves in limited amounts as manly additions, rather than coat him in a thousand spikes all over like a sea urchin.

Absolute blackness is bound to block out much of the harm.

And the facial hair? What assistance is that providing? And what of everyone else?

Grimer and Muk also went Dark, which is what happens should you leave the gloomy, nocturnal, poisonous factorial pit of Gringey City for the fresh air and clean beaches of Alola.

New shades of sludge are down to all the interesting variety of refuse it consumes.

What, a load of scotch pancakes?

Oh-oh! I knew arrogant Alola held a supreme fondness for praising itself, but now they've the nerve to claim better junk than us!

Yeah, it ain't just enchanted fruit, Alola is so orsum even its trash is superior to ours, since it produces coloured effects.

Either that or locals use a lot of industrial-strength synthetic dyes, more than they choose to let on.

Reminds me of the Good Old Days in the North when children would play by the canal, fall in, and come out blue, and no one thought anything of it at the time.

One wonders why every living thing isn't Ice and Dark, give that these types apparently work wonders for the host.

At least Rattata, Grimer etc. kept their original types.

Meowth and Persian were so consumed by the miasma of overflowing darkness they stopped being Normal altogether.

That's right, and the crushing gravitational weight of those wormholes bursting out all over squeezed their heads until permanently disfigured.

Anyone else recall that Meowths are naturally quadrupedal, being cats, and that our Meowth achieved his rear-legged stance only from a year's worth of strain, beatings, failure and agony?

Yet Alola Meowth gets it handed to him effort-free, with the achievements of ours diminished in the process.

Here we are then: a land of simmering sultry pressure causes foreign Pokémon to become Ice (cold, hard, unfeeling), whilst its constantly illuminated and long days made 'em Dark (crafty, self-serving, evil).

And so hirsute, like they're desperate for disguise, however much they suffer in the process.

After all, when incest is not only legal, but obligatory, what won't you condone?

Did we complain? No, because we were glad of what we had then. Not like kids today.

What exactly lurks beyond the superficial, ever-grinning, unblinking façade of Alola?

Something's gotta be going on behind the plastic smiles to encourage such a bizarre trend.

[juleswolverton-hyde]

The Sword and Shield (BC x Reader)

Genre: Fluff, Idol AU, Quarantine fiction

Pairing: Bangchan x Reader

Warnings: Innuendos, nerdy Pokémon talk.

Summary: Every warrior needs a sword and shield to defend themselves against enemies. However, two nerds take up weapons in a vastly different fight. 

Masterlist

Credits for the banner art go to Satzzz Art.

Life between the sheets does not always have to be characterized by Sensuality because there is more to be found among the pillows and blankets. It is amiable comfort, dozing off together to the sunrays streaming in through the light bedroom curtains or listening to music while sharing earbuds to kill the boredom of quarantine by means of occupying oneself with whatever is at hand. After all, it is yet unknown for how long the global population is forbidden to leave their homes safe for retrieving necessities at the supermarket or drugstore.

A blessing in disguise, however, is being able to spend the period of restriction with a bunch of lively lads which includes the lover of little more than a year. The moment it became known countries were hauling in their own residents a foolhardy decision was made to remain in South-Korea and leave the life in the place of origin behind for a while. The choice did not sit well with Chan at first, not too subtly asking to reconsider it though soon finding a secret delight in finally being able to wake up every day in the same bed.

No thousands of kilometres distance.

No time to be taken away by management and time zone differences.

The pandemic has at least given us this.

A taste of life as a real couple.

 Just before IKEA closed as well, the lovable human kangaroo insisted on going there for the last shopping spree so personal taste could be added to the bedroom that would be shared. The well-meant idea was rejected at first, saying it was not needed and that the interior was fine as it was. However, once bleached locks have set their mind to something, it is barely possible to change the focus of determination and thus the private shared space has been decorated with a few candles alongside a new bookcase to house whichever books were already taken from home as well as a few pieces of art and a collection of postcards that have been pinned on a metal grate.

Our perfect little nest.

A haven of comfort for songs and nerdy thoughts.

‘Hey, babygirl.’ The mattress dips as the human koala joins the small kingdom in the sheets of sweatpants and loose tops that are somehow still deemed charming. Even the surface beneath the minimal layer of makeup is apparently preferred by the strong arm wrapping around the waist as platinum locks rest on the head and watch the screen held between hands. ‘What’re you playing?’

‘Pokémon Sword. It’s really good thus far and- Oh my god, it’s so cute!’ In an instance, the screen is lifted to show the six adorable balls clad in armor, a new creature which is called a Falinks. ‘Look at these little buddies!’

A wide smile breaks out on plush lips, wavy locks shaking in closed-eyed amusement before looking up again with the wonder of a new discovery. ‘So that’s why you’ve been kicking the air or screaming something is cute. I didn’t know you were a Pokémon fan?’

‘I have been since I was little, but it’s not something I tell others about.’ The true meaning of the grin no longer passes under the radar, igniting an ember of shame for harbouring a geeky side when it comes to the Japanese creatures. ‘Yes, I know, I am a mega nerd. Bite me.’

The jaw clenched in timidity relaxes when slender fingers tickle the sides as a big nose presses into the side of the neck to nuzzle it. The comment was not meant to provoke although the lowered voice suggests otherwise as it speaks against skin, teeth even cheekily nibbling. ‘Watch your words, Y/N, or I just might.’

However, the sensuous attitude fades as fast as it appeared as irises the colour of pure chocolate wander back to the device. ‘Can I see your Pokémon?’

Because the girl in the sheets is not the only trainer beneath the roof. 

‘Sure.’ With the same nonchalance that denies the suggestiveness from a second ago, the index of the creatures which are currently being trained is opened. The current team consists of a Corviknight, Obstagoon, Thievul, Drapion, Boltund and Cinderace. ‘I’m currently training these though I mostly specialize in Dark Types.’

‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ To get more comfortable, Chan slouches further down the bed to rest more properly on a beloved narrow shoulder. Nevertheless, the all-knowing grin from before remains plastered onto plush lips. ‘I suppose you’re also interested in training Ghost and Psychic types as well?’

‘I’m an open book, aren’t I?’

‘Just a little bit.’ The teasing is made up for with a chaste peck on the nose followed by one on the forehead. Just the way it is preferred and done whenever apologizing for something or to simply gain a smile. Withal, now, judging by the twinkle in mischievous eyes, it is definitely to say sorry in advance for what is to come. ‘Can you guess what my type is?’

‘Me?’

The witty response evokes the bubbly boyish laughter that has been loved ever since the first time it was heard. ‘You’re not wrong.’

‘Okay, okay, let me think.’ The scanning for clues on the face results in nothing except a brighter devilish glimmer in a loving look. Henceforth, the answer will have to based on personality and all the little things that have been discovered since being in a relationship and now prematurely living together. ‘Electric? Although, no, wait. Fire. Something tells me you at least have a Growlith or had but it has transformed into Arcanine. Then again, judging by that splendid performance of the theme song in your VLive, I’d also wager you have a Pikachu. However, you’re very sporty so maybe you specialize in Fighting types?’

‘You’re on the right track. The answer is somewhere in there.’ Instead of one mocking eyebrow, two rise in a failed attempt to exaggerate coyness while looking cool. ‘Or is it?’

‘Very helpful, Chris.’ Sarcastically disregarding the useless remark and lopsided smirk, the former ramble is composed into a somewhat solid answer. Anywhere close to the truth is better than nothing. ‘You’re a Fire trainer who is also interested in Fighting types.’

‘Almost. I’m a Dragon trainer who always starts out as a Fire trainer. I am, however, also interested in Fighting types too. I do have an Arcanine and Pikachu is an exception to the rule because it’s Pikachu. Every trainer should have one.’

‘I have one too, but it doesn’t have a name since it’s a female and I only name my male Pokémon.’

Focus shifts back to the screen, Chan reading the names of the amiable creatures that form the company on the journey to becoming the best. It started as a fun idea and the names matched fairly well. ‘So I’ve noticed. Are you associating everyone in the industry with a Pokémon?’

But nothing ever runs smoothly. 

‘I’m trying, but it’s bloody hard at times. I made Jackson a Pidove. Don’t laugh! I don’t know why I did it, but his name was the first to pop up when I caught it. Baekhyun is an Applin. Wait, he’s transformed already so now he’s a Flapple. Han is a Greedent because, let’s be honest, he’s a squirrel. Changbin, well, Bin is a Corviknight. I gave his full name to a Rufflet. Minho is a Sneasel, Felix a Thievul and I have yet to decide on the rest of the boys.’

‘Which one would be me?’ Judging by the suggestive tone of curious eyes and barely noticeable pout, there is the clear hope of a comparison with an awesome creature. The tightened grip on the hips betrays it too, blatantly so. Almost forcing the unknown comparison to one’s personal preference. 

‘Without a doubt, you are Zacian, the giant warrior wolf with a sword in its mouth.’ A deep sigh cannot be helped at the thought of the game’s challenge which does absolutely not allow for failure. ‘The legendary Pokémon of the Galar region. Dammit, Channie! Why do you have to be so elusive and exclusive?’

‘Because I’m an amazing catch.’ The cheek is turned by slender fingers, compelling lips to join in a playful giggly kiss which is broken up by a smug remark. ‘And warriors are not so easily bound to a master. You told me even Beowulf reluctantly helped a king, only to settle his father’s debt. 

‘Although,’ the train of thought is easily altered by hooking a digit under the silver necklace that was given as a birthday present, pulling the tease in yet holding off from melting into another kiss by backing away to continue the battle of wits and enjoy the small adorable whine of disagreement, ‘with the right trainer, I suppose I could make a deal.’

‘I plan on winning all gym badges and make myself worthy of the wolf.’

‘You will still have to win in that final fight. Until then, think you can take me on?’ Brows furrow in a suddenly hard-fought battle for concentrated control. Funnily contradicting oneself, the domestic koala shifts positions to hover over the coy soul who was able to tame the beast beneath the roof, faces inches apart and the Switch tucked in the small space between bodies.  

Which becomes noticeably narrower when transforming Innocence into Sensuality by creating the image of what might be given after testing out the waters of victory and win in a Pokémon battle. ‘I have more than enough times in this bed.’

To make up for the victory and erase any negative unspoken feelings. 

Though the soft growling suggests impatience, unwilling to be kept on a leash any longer. ‘Don’t change the subject. You’re fighting unfairly.’

‘Am I?’ The device is put aside on the bedside table, ankles hooking behind the waist to coax a hard shape into the warmth between the thighs as hands rest on broad shoulders. A much-appreciated action evidently, breath taken away by the friction between two concealed forms of wanting and nails digging into the skin beneath the comfy black printed fleece vest.

And the chest now making escape entirely impossible, hearts racing in harmony. ‘Yes. You’re distracting me.’

‘Says the person who’s distracting me from gaining those badges.’ Enough coherency lingers to remain cheeky. Bashful enough to lean in and utter a final double-sided statement of defiance. ‘I bet I can easily best you.’

But two can play that game, apparently. 

‘I think you’re wrong, babygirl. Or do I need to remind you of how good I am?’

‘Grab your Switch and bring it on.’ The challenge is accepted with a scoff which clearly started having different expectations in regards to the order of events. Fortunately, a sweet quick peck cures most of the shallow grumpiness as Chris is dismissed from the sheets. ‘And give me all you’ve got.’

‘Oh, I will. I always do.’

As became apparent in the few battles between teams.

The wolfish actions that followed unspoken hard feelings unhappy with the outcomes of the fights.

And a broken headboard in the morning.

[darkspace7]

Northern Nights-Southern Lights

"For all my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of stars makes me want to dream." -Vincent Van Gogh [Or alternately: An ancient ghost, his teenaged son, and a pokémon all get stuck on a rooftop and have to wait for the kid's co-guardian to come rescue them.]

Words: 3,200+

Rating: T

A/N: So the general premise of this is an AU where Riley (who is Ash's biological dad) gets custody over over him after Delia passes on when he's a baby and eventually (through a rather convoluted series of events) meets up with a rather ghostly Sir Aaron and the three of them travel together with their pokémon and they have adventures together as a family as they teach their kid the ways of an Aura Guardian.

Oh, and I don't own Pokémon or any of it's affiliates.

Got it? Good.

"For all my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of stars makes me want to dream."-Vincent Van Gogh 

                                                            {-x-}

Ka-thwunk!

"…For the record, I did say that if it wasn't going to work the first time you tried it then it probably wasn't going to work the next fifteen times-"

"..."

"-but maybe if you had just stopped to actually listen to me for once instead of blithely plowing on ahead-"

"..."

"-then perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."

A dull thunk reverberated loudly as the rubber-clad sole collided soundly with the sturdy metal frame.

"I actually think it moved a little that time..."

"Urgah!" The teenager threw his hands up and stomped away from the recalcitrant slab in disgust. Pointedly looking away from the specter hovering beside him, dark brown eyes drifted over the darkened horizon before finally shifting back to the entrance of the rooftop observatory. 'Stupid hunk of junk.' He fumed as he plopped himself down with a huff. 'How the heck did we even get into this mess in the first place?' He wondered as his thoughts meandered back a few hours prior.

                                                         {-+-}

The morning sun had just poked its head over the far horizon and already did it hold itself with the promise of being an absolutely beautiful day. They had finally reached the city's outskirts and both he and his electric companion had been rather eager to scope out the local gym scene. It was at that moment, however, that the fourth member of their party had declared that there were some things that he had to take care of and was (understandably) reluctant to leave them their own devices. Naturally, this had lead to an inordinate amount of whining before their co-guardian finally relented, much to their utter delight.

But before the duo could even let out a shout of approval he had doubled-back with a list of stipulations: first being that if anything –and he meant anything– happened that they were to contact him immediately, second was that whenever they were done with whatever it is they were going to do they had to rendezvous at the Central Pokémon Center, and lastly –they would only be allowed to go if Aaron agreed to go with them and serve as a chaperone.

Three sets of expectant eyes zeroed-in on the drifting apparition for the verdict. He caved immediately. The gleeful duo cheered, speeding off towards this new adventure without so much as a goodbye.

The now trio meandered through the urban expanse this way and that, periodically stopping to investigate each and every little thing that had managed to catch their fancy. Enjoying every second of it even as they gradually became more and more sidetracked until they realized they had managed to get completely lost.

It had been Aaron's quick thinking to suggest that maybe they should find some place to stop and ask for directions. This had somehow led to them finding this really tall office-type building and the cleaning guy there and seeing that it was that he probably couldn't even see Aaron to begin with and was highly unlikely that he could understand pokémon either the two had wandered away, leaving the task to the last member of their party. It was there where Ash had learned about the rooftop observatory.

He remembered thinking at the time that maybe it would be nice to take a quick look around and have a break from all that walking they (well, namely he) did earlier and the view from that high up could probably help them find their bearings. That had been the plan at least, until the door locked behind them. Various methods had been dedicated to reopening the portal until eventually he just resorting to kicking the damned thing when all else failed.

They were well and truly stuck.

                                                        {-x-}

'How was I supposed to know the dumb thing was messed up?!' He glanced down at a piece of paper with a cheerfully stenciled 'out of order' that seemed to have fluttered to the ground and went unnoticed during his assault upon the door. '…I mean, yeah, okay, I guess there's that...but still!'

"And the day was going so well too…" The young man sulked. The soft click-clack of claws meeting tile stopped as their owner made its way over to him. The small being drew up on his haunches with a chirp, resting one of those tiny yellow paws on his trainer's arm, and gave it a sympathetic pat. Huffing slightly, he pulled the mouse onto his lap and allowed the creature to snuggle up to him as he began to rake his fingers through the other's vibrant fur, stroking it in a soothing manner as his gaze returned to the middle distance.

From somewhere behind him there was a sigh. The youth didn't need a set of eyes in the back of his head to see the nigh imperceptible furrowing of his co-guardian's brows and frown that came with.

"Ash."

He said nothing.

There was a slight pause before he forged on, "I'm sorry, I was just trying to draw your attention in order to prevent something like this from occurring." He gestured vaguely to the paper and around them, "Alas, it seems my efforts were in vain." Ash could almost hear the small upturn of the other's lips as he shook his head. "But honestly, I don't see how sulking like a meowth who lost its treasure is going to remedy to this predicament." Despite his best efforts, the man's amusement at the whole thing seemed to have bled through somewhat. "I'd have to say it would probably be as effective as your earlier attempts at becoming a battering ram, which is to say not at all."

"Argh I know, I know!" He ground out exasperatedly. A free hand came up to clutch at his dark hair, the action knocking his hat askew. "There are a billion other things we could be doing right now. Like..." He made a vague grasping gesture as he searched for something off the top of his head and, when unable to do so, simply let out a frustrated noise and flopped back onto the tiles instead. "But instead we're stuck and it just really sucks!"

Pikachu, having been accidentally tossed off with the sudden shift in position, shot the young man a disgruntled look. The yellow rodent chittered agitatedly, having regained his footing, and twisted around to face his friend. After a lengthy stare he gave the boy a soft but reprimanding bap on the cheek.

"Sorry." At least he had the decency to look abashed.

Aaron's hand covered his mouth in a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to mask the laugh that threatened to spill out as he observed the duo's antics. The urge faded a bit but a note of fondness remained steadfast in his voice when he spoke, "Come now, Ash. Instead of growling about the things you cannot change why don't we take this as a chance for a...momentary respite? I don't believe it will prove harmful if we were to do so at any rate." He paused for second, hearing the boy mutter something that sounded suspiciously similar to "speak for yourself" before plowing on, "Besides, if I correctly recall do you not still posses that one particular device?"

Ash tilted his head back to look up at the other man, confusion plainly evident on his face. "Device?"

"The small communication device that you presented to me a while back. That strange…ah, what was it?" The man coloured slightly, (a feat that never ceased to amaze the teen for how did a ghost blush if you didn't have any blood? He hadn't the slightest clue.) Fumbling slightly, he glanced away seemingly embarrassed. "Forgive me but I don't quite recall what it was called." He admitted quietly.

The trainer stared at him for a long second before a look of comprehension dawned upon on his face. "Wait, you mean a phone?"

The elder's gaze flicked back to the other and he quickly nodded. "Ah yes, that was it was called. A phone." 

"A phone…That's right!" He sprang back into a sitting position, glancing at the other two before going to rifle through his pockets in an attempt to locate said gadget. "We can just call Riley, tell him where we're at and have him come get us! If I can just find it..." He grimaced comically, patting himself down. "Where is it? Where, where, where-!" When his frantic search came up empty he flopped back down with a huff.

"Pikapi?" The little mouse pokémon squeaked in concern.

The boy's eyes flickered briefly to the mouse. "It's not there." He groaned, "I must've left it back with Riley along with all of our other stuff."

"Well that really is unfortunate." The ghost allowed himself to frown. He heard the other shift and observed as the lad pulled the electric pokémon into his arms and cuddled close to the small being, the other reciprocating in kind. His thoughts began to wander. Soon night would be upon them and the temperature already had begun to dip lower and lower. He looked at his ward's clothing with a critical eye, lips pursing slightly. It seemed like a decent enough overcoat at first glance but would it be thick enough to block out a normal chill and serve as a suitable enough blanket as well? It was getting pretty late after all, his gaze trailed upwards to peer at evening sky. Plus the fact that they were both so very high up and from what he could tell by the gentle swaying of the boy's dark hair there was a muted wind blowing. Sure it wouldn't affect him as much due to his...corporeality issues…but Ash (and by extension Pikachu) on the other hand...His lips pursed slightly.

"Hey Aaron."

The phantom jolted from his musing to see the other staring at him. "Hm?"

"Could you go to the ledge over there for a sec and take a peek over the edge? Tell me if you see anything."

An eyebrow rose faintly but he nodded nonetheless, drifting over to the roof's edge. He looked back to the boy before peering over the edge and…oh wow that was...they really high up weren't they? "No...?" He said once he had regained his wits about him, "It's just the building and the ground far below us…why?" He glanced up to see a peculiar look cross the young man's face. It was a look that when coupled with the youth's penchant for attracting trouble foretold nothing but ridiculous shenanigans and tomfoolery for all parties involved. "Ash."

The teen cringed and scratched at the back of his neck, "Well...okay so, I was thinking that we'd see if there was a fire escape or something and use that to climb down but that idea's pretty much a bust." A slight frown, "Plus just jumping's out of the question. Don't want to wind up falling to your death or anything like that because do you know how badly that'd hurt-"Ash reddened as he remembered just who exactly he was talking to, "Oh..." Brown eyes flickered away from the other with a small wince, "Um...sorry." He murmured as an afterthought.

Long used to the other's rather spectacular lack of tact the ghost just waved him off with a shake of the head, motioning for the other continue.

"Right." A cough, "Okay, seeing as the first plan's a no-go let's move on to number two shall we? I just had an idea which is basically…well...just because I'm stuck here-" He gestured to himself then back at the other, "-doesn't mean you have to be."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"But right now you're the only one who can though!" He protested with a shake of the head. "You could go and just make your way straight down, after all it's not like you can't float and pass through walls and stuff, and you could go and find Riley wherever he is–" The pikachu in his lap nodded along with his master's words as he went on. "–and he can help us and just–"

"Ash."

The boy stopped his tirade and glanced up at the other man.

"I'm not going to leave you here alone." It was spoken with such finality that it bore no argument. The teenager, however, did not seem to get the memo.

"But I won't be alone!" He protested, "Not as long as Pikachu's here with me." The mouse softly chattered in agreement.

"My answer remains the same. You know how you have a penchant for attracting misadventures wherever you go Ash, if I were to leave here and venture off on my own I fear I would not get far without being ill at ease." 'After all, it wouldn't so much be a question of if you were to get in trouble but rather when.' Aaron shook his head wryly, his expression faltering. "Besides, it just wouldn't feel right to abandon you here on your own."

Ash stared at him for a long moment before giving him a reluctant nod. "You're probably right." He sighed, sprawling back with his furry little buddy still clutched tightly in his arms. "'Sides you would probably just wind up getting lost and then we'd have to hunt for you too on top of everything else."

'Well, he isn't exactly wrong.' The ghost thought to himself and allowed the conversation to lapse into silence. They were, as Riley had once put it, "directionally challenged". For Aaron though, this was simply due to the fact that the landscape of the world had changed so drastically since his time on earth that anything that he might have once used for navigation was now nigh unrecognizable. Ash on the other the other hand, just simply could not read a map to save his life.

His thoughts drifted to the pokémon held carefully within young man's grasp. Strong arms kept the lounging creature safely locked in place as deft fingers stroked static-charged fur while their owner's dark eyes stared contemplatively out into the night sky. Apparently having forgiven his companion's earlier theatrics, the pokémon purred happily, lavishing in the affection presented by the other male. Pointed ears perked when the specter shifted from his position, coming over to sit down behind them before relaxing again. The trio fell into an easy silence.

"...Sorry."

"Hm?" Aaron glanced down at him.

"For earlier-" Ash started to say but was cut with a shake of the head.

"It's okay."

The boy reluctantly his eyes trail away to the distant pinpricks that had begun to twinkle in the dusk sky. Only but a few of brightest seemed to cut through the pollution of the city's lights but it was enough he supposed. "I..." Lips tugged down into a vague frown, "I just don't like feeling helpless, ya know? Like there's nothing I can do except sit quietly and wait to be rescued." He shifted slightly, "It just doesn't feel right." Dark eyes traced patterns in the stars. "Plus, I'm kind of worried."

He felt Aaron hesitate slightly behind him before making a small noise, perhaps a signal for him to continue?

"Well...Riley's gonna come back and see that we're still not there right? Neither of us left a note and he can't really call us or anything so he's probably gonna get real worried." His voice quieted as so not to break the calm between them. "I just don't want to see him upset again."

A pause then ethereal fingers began to card gently through his dark locks, the action a soothing one. "It was an accident Ash. You didn't mean to get us stuck up here or be gone so long." The man's tone was a warm one as he spoke, "Both he and I care for you enough that a mishap such as this is nothing compared to the knowledge that you're safe son." Incorporeal lips quirked a bit, "And if he takes fault with it I could always have a word with him."

Ash only response was to snort, his eyes drifting shut as he leaned into the other's ministrations. Thoughts wandering as he slowly slipped further into the dark he couldn't help but muse that for a ghost the man's hands were rather warm. It was nice, he found himself thinking, between both the steady warmth of his father at his head and Pikachu snoozing away on his chest, perhaps he should follow his little buddy's example...

                                                           {-+-}

Creak

The sound of metal shifting against tile dragged the man from his thoughts, his gaze flickered to the new arrival as he approached and sat carefully beside them. He leaned over slightly, meeting the other in a quick kiss before pulling away and turning to watch the youngest of their cadre and his pokémon, both clinging to one another as they slept.

"So this is where you were."

Aaron slipped his hand over the other's and gave him a affectionate smile, "Indeed."

"How long have the three of you been up here anyways?"

"Since late afternoon at the very least. We had thought that we could use this building's height a foil to our 'directionally challenged' nature without taking into account our collective talent for getting into peculiar situations."

"But why didn't you call me? Wait, let me guess…" Riley held up a hand as he stifled a soft laugh, "Ash forgot his phone again."

"Yes." Aaron shook his head with an exasperated fondness.

"Well at least you were here him. To keep an eye on him so you all wouldn't get into any more trouble." He teased lightly.

"Hn." His gaze trailed up to the stars when suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Say Riley,"

"Hm?"

"Did you remember to find something to prop the door open so we could make our way back down?"

"..."

Aaron gaze flickered over to his partner then back behind them at the door which he had allowed to fall shut. The utterly flat look that the other guardian gave him caused the man to flush slightly and look up and away from his partner.

"Ah...well...right. At least it's not too bad of a night tonight." Riley remarked.

Aaron sighed, his eyes trailing up to the sky above. It was going to be a long night.

[idonthaveacleverquip]

Summary of Cave Troll!

I was going to put this in the notes of the latest chapter but it ended up being the length of my average one-shot so OOPS!

Anyway! Summary of Cave Troll for those who were readers and don't have the time or energy to go back and re-read all 71 chapters after a year of Hiatus! 2020 has been HELLacious!

Read Adventures of Guzma & the 'Cave Troll'

Summary under the cut, will be updated as the story progresses~!

Day 1

Guzma arrives in Sinnoh; Guzma wears a lot of coats and forgets his backpack; Everyone Man appears, Everywhere; Ponyta are Jerks; Golispod loves ribbons; Guzma finds Turnback Cave and wishes he turned back; 36 hours are spent wandering and bonding with Local Cave Troll; Cyrus puts Guzma to sleep with his bedtime star story; Giratina claims it’s a Bug Dragon; Selfie with Giratina; Giratina orders Cyrus to stay with Guzma and shoots them with a mystery attack when Cyrus tries to go back into the Distortion World; Only 10 minutes passed outside the cave; Guzma sends the selfie to Plumeria and bulldozes all the trainers on Route 214; Guzma and Cyrus have dinner at the Seven Stars Restaurant; Cyrus takes them back to Galactic headquarters; Saturn finds them; Golisopod eats a sock (Cyrus’ sock); Guzma and Golisopod destroy the bathroom; Guzma flashes them all (woops); Cyrus sleeps in a chair and Saturn stays up all night researching who tf Guzma could possibly be, discovering all Guzma’s information has been expunged.

Chapters 001 – 017

Day 2

Guzma tries to leave Sinnoh and discovers he has a one-way ticket; There are no new flights out for a month; Cyrus realizes his life was BORING and Saturn is too overbearing; Cyrus gave Guzma the undershirt and pants for a Galactic Grunt uniform so he can ditch the coats; Cyrus sneaks himself and Guzma out of Headquarters and heads for Celestic Town; Guzma battles every trainer despite the rain; Guzma battles an Everywhere Man and his legion of Ponyta; Everywhere Man texts Guzma’s location; Saturn Discovers Cyrus is missing; Break time at the Milk Cafe; Guzma tells about Team Skull and working with Lusamine to open a dimensional hole (Dude, she was Hot) trying to make Cyrus think he’s cool; Cyrus most definitely doesn’t think Guzma is cool; Cyrus ditches Guzma in Celestic town and returns to Turnback Cave; Guzma goes bug hunting; Cyrus and Guzma body swap! Nobody sleeps.

Chapters 018 – 023

Day 3

Cyrus experiences EMOTIONS and a panic attack in Guzma’s body; Guzma manages to escape the cave, confuse Cyrus’ Pokémon, and face plant a few times before finding Golispod and Cyrus who got sick; Guzma uses Cyrus’ map to lead them to Solaceon; Nanu is given the OK to get Guzma back to Alola by any means; Flint and Aaron investigate Galactic Headquarters and stress out Saturn (It’s Cronus!).

Chapters 024 – 027

Day 4

Golisopod remains by Cyrus’ side, thinking he’s Guzma; Guzma explores Solaceon in Cyrus’ body, alone; Cyrus’ Pokémon are left at the daycare; Cleffa is older than first thought.

Chapters 028

Day 5

The body swap ends; Cyrus has minor panic without his Pokémon; Guzma is very quiet, still recovering from the cold and stunned by how much excess emotion he has and never realized; Cyrus is stunned at his Pokémon’s positive behavior when he gets them from the daycare; Guzma receives the Seal Case after helping a lady with her groceries; Golispod hears of Contest ribbons and is determined to get some; Guzma has a reputation after all his battling and gets many challenges on the way to Hearthome; Guzma has depression episode at bedtime realizing he’s been in Sinnoh a week and feels he hasn’t really done anything.

Chapters 029 – 032

Day 6

Saturn finally contacts Mars and Jupiter and convinces them Cyrus is back; Guzma knows nothing about Contests but Cyris is strangely well informed; Cyrus tries to teach Guzma to makes Poffins, it does not end well; They go to see a contest and Guzma gets dragged into the lineup; Fantina rescues him and asks him to cheer for her; Cyrus is caught after the performance, apparently he and Fantina have much history together; Fantina gets Guzma to do the thing (DeleleleleWOOOOP!); Fantina reveals how she and Cyrus met from her point of view; Cyrus is upset and fidgeting; Fantina tells Guzma to give Cyrus a chance (He’s a GOOD boi!); Guzma tries to deescalate the situation so Cyrus will calm down; Cyrus gets more berries and Guzma finds honey; Guzma proceeds to WEAR the honey; Looker brings Guzma’s parents in to custody for multiple counts of child abuse and anything else Nanu managed to dig up; Guzma and Cyrus sleep in yet another cave.

Chapters 033 – 040

Day 7

The boys wake past noon; Nanu calls and Guzma hangs up; Guzma discovers the International Police are looking for him, but he doesn’t know why; Everyone Man arrives; His name is long so everyone calls him NPC, it’s a family nickname; Guzma gets his bag back!!; Arrive in Oreburg; Plumeria packed the bag for him and included a gift from nanu he received before Lusamine went off the deep end (Open it when you figure out what you really want); Guzma still refuses to open it; Guzma leaves Cyrus in the Pokémon Center to go bug hunting; Cyrus can only doze without the now familiar sound of the noises Guzma; Guzma dozes off while bug hunting.

Chapters 041 – 042

Day 8

Guzma catches a Kricketot; Cyrus was really worried and went to look for Guzma; Guzma gives Cyrus a one-armed hug; Cyrus is paranoid of Kricketot; Kricketot has to be balled for cuddling Cyrus, leaving the man a nervous wreck; School Expo at Jubilife, Cyrus is caught on camera; Guzma gets poketch for helping out; Cyrus thinks he’s being clever but actually dragged them into another side quest; Clown Quest, lots of electrocutions, three new apps are obtained; Guzma and Cyrus take the kids into Route 203 to evolve Kricketot; Joltic are found, Guzma is mean, food is shared, Cyrus can’t resist zapping Guzma again; Kriketot evolves, everyone does the thing (DELELELELEWOOOOOP!); Kids are returned and the boys head back into the wilds; Golispod steals a TM and teaches itself a new move; Guzma wanders off after Cyrus falls asleep; Guzma doesn’t sleep again.

Chapters 043 – 054

Day 9

Cyrus wakes up alone at dark AM; Cyrus finds Guzma before sunrise and they watch a romantic wild Kricketot concert together; They get knocked into the mud; Guzma does laundry and uses Cyrus’ detergent; Ends up it’s like Pokenip to Bug-types; Golisopod’s new move is Confide; Guzma agrees to stay in the pokémon center, but the school expo aires on TV, so Cyrus ushers them out; Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Aaron and Flint all see the broadcast; Aaron doesn’t notice Cyrus, only sees Golisopod and Guzma; Guzmas gets a fanclub on route 204, Samantha and 4 brothers named Brandon; Cyrus slips another TM to Golispod; The gang trek to Floaroma town and get honey; The honey man may be traumatized; Guzma attracts a lot of Combee and catches a female; Cyrus is out of Max Repel; Burmy invade the campsite, but so does a Munchlax; Munchlax tears his bag and steals his honey; Guzma has a rage fit in front of the kids and Cyrus calms him down; Cyrus sews his bag back together; Cyrus pretends to sleep, Guzma is super soft with him; Everyone gets a much needed rest.

Chapters 054 – 060

Day 10

Guzma apologizes to kids; Guzma shares his food with Cyrus; Cyrus agrees to go to Eterna Forest; The kids pretend to make a documentary on “the Bugman” as he stalks his “prey”; Phillip, Jack and Donald join the bug fanclub, and alert to the Old Chateau; Cyrus plays Guzma into going inside; Guzma eats the Old Gateau, not by choice; Cyrus is ghost-napped; Guzma has many ghostly scares; Guzma is paralyzed and wakes to see distorted Cyrus in a TV; Guzma screams loud enough for the kids to hear them outside; Rotom was in the TV; Cyrus and Rotom were friends and, after running away from home, Cyrus used to live in the old Chateau with Cleffa, Rotom, Ghastly, Haunter, and a Sneasel which would later be his own Weavile; Rotom and Golisopod interact and Rotom begs to join the team; Rotom possesses Guzma’s cellphone; The group heads for Eterna City.

Chapters 061 – 066

Day 11

The bug fanclub multiplies; Offscreen bonding between Guzma and Cyrus occurs; the Explorer Kit is obtained; Guzma’s parents flee Alola; Nanu can’t get a hold of Guzma; Rotophone texts emotes then sends a picture of Guzma, Cyrus and the kids; Looker sees Cyrus in the picture and freaks out; Looker contacts Cynthia and blackmails her into helping to track down Guzma.

Chapters 067

Day 12

Guzma is no good at The Underground; Cyrus gives Guzma a Claw Fossil; Guzma gives major big hug and Cyrus clips out of existence; Cyrus dissociates and leaves the Pokémon Center; Guzma is worried he doesn’t see Cyrus, but since Cyrus left all his things Guzma convinces himself nothing is wrong; Guzma doesn’t sleep well.

Chapters 068 – 069

Day 13

Cyrus is definitely Missing; Guzma collects Cyrus’ things and his Pokémon and tries to find him; Guzma gets sad/mad when he can’t and storms to Eterna Forest; Cyrus flashes back to a previous time he dissociated with Fantina, and registers his body enough to know he’s climbing the wall to Sendoff Spring; Guzma gets lost and meets Aaron in the forest; Guzma tries to battle with Honchkrow; Aaron has to call the battle off to go meet Flint at Floaroma, Guzma tags along; Body Swap 2; Giratina threatens to swap them permanently; Cyrus gets a new understanding for the title Destruction in Human Form; Guzma swims across Send Off Spring and passes out in a bush; Cyrus catches a Burmy!; Cyrus tells himself the star story to sleep.

Chapters 069 – 075

Day 14 

Guzma hangs with NPC and gets a Soothe Bell; NPC takes Guzma to Eterna City; Saturn tries to follow Guzma on a bike; The Bug Fanclub learns about the bodyswap and help Guzma avoid the woods; Guzma learns about Team Galactic; Mars and Jupiter find Cyrus in Guzma's body; Cyrus tries to lead them astray; Cyrus battles a Youngster named Tristan (as Guzma) and looses; The Sinnoh League has a meeting about Guzma; Jupiter and Mars find Guzma in Cyrus’s body; Saturn contacts Jupiter and Mars about seeing ‘Cyrus’ head towards Eterna City; Saturn enters Galactic to find Bertha and Lucian waiting for him; Jupiter and Mars encounter Guzma in Cyrus’s body; Jupiter nopes away; Mesprit Teleports Guzma to Lake Verity; Bug Club are split between Eterna and Jublife; Guzma and Cyrus Reunited at Last; Cyrus tells an uncut version of the Star Story; they’re up late.

Chapters 076 – 083

[poketeer]

Domestic Devilry and Household Horror: Dealing with Home Hauntings

[Interior shot of a poshly dressed yet disheveled MT Hadid in an armchair. A fireplace is aglow in the background as they sip tea from a delicate-looking teacup. Over the course of the entire episode, the fire slowly dies down until nearly burning out at the very end. They appear startled that the camera is rolling and attempt to recover as smoothly as possible, quickly putting the cup down and smoothing their wrinkled clothes quickly before clearing their throat and smiling to the camera.]

Good evening. I am Dr. M. T. Hadid, and I’m here to bring you on a journey through the mysterious world of Pokémon.

[The pattern on the teacup smiles, revealing itself to be a Sinistea. Its dark handle detaches at the base, showing its tiny hand. It waves to the camera then reattaches. MT notices none of this.]

This evening, I will be taking you on a journey through strange domestic occurrences experienced by myself and many others that can only be attributed to one thing: ghost Pokémon.

[A few notes of cheesy music play, akin to something from an early B horror movie. Sinistea silently giggles.]

Have you ever heard noises in your house of someone else moving around, even though you were sure you were alone? Do you find that things go missing, but you were sure you knew where you last had them, only to find them hidden in preposterous locations? Do you experience periods of confusion, disorientation or fainting? If so, you might just live in one of the spookiest places possible: a house haunted by ghost Pokémon.

Hauntings are much more common than most people think, and to this day there are skeptics that believe these Pokémon shy away from human dwellings in favor of more wild places, but their antics tell a different story: one of domestic devilry and household horror.

[MT looks surprisedly proud of themself for this apparently spontaneous alliteration. Sinistea rolls its eyes.]

As recently as last week, an elderly neighbor came to me with concerns that a family of Duskull might have taken up residence in her house. Naturally, I was concerned for her, so I paid her a visit with my ghost Pokémon detection kit. I did a thorough search of her house and, sure enough, the signs of haunting were rampant, and they didn't point to only Duskull—I suspected the presence of Gastly, Haunter, Rotom, and Shuppet in this woman’s house.

Among numerous other things, her possessions had been strewn about the house, several of her dishes had recently been broken, and there was a near-constant high-pitched whine that followed her about the house. Fortunately, she also kept a companion Pokémon that I felt would be well-suited to helping her with her problem, so I gave the Pokémon some ghost-hunting training and put my dear neighbor at ease. I have here a photo of her and her Pokémon at the end of our visit, her nerves soothed that the problem would be resolving soon.

[MT holds up a photograph. Close-up of the image, which shows an ancient woman with a severely wrinkled face, squinted eyes, incredibly thick glasses, two large hearing aids and a heavy cane in one hand. Her other hand holds on to the hand of an energetic-looking Impidimp, which was clearly not able to hold still for the picture. The old woman’s smile looks nervous and somewhat forced. MT’s finger appears from the side of the photo, indicating the somewhat blurry space in front of the refrigerator above Impidimp’s head.]

Here, above her Pokémon’s head, you should be able to see the faint outline of the Rotom I suspect was responsible for the whining sound that persisted for the duration of my visit. It’s a little-known fact that Rotom, young Rotom especially, may occasionally squeal in excitement when possessing certain appliances.

[The photo moves out of the shot unceremoniously. Cut back to the original, full-room shot. Sinistea is once again rolling its eyes.]

If you’ll join me, I have a small collection of similar images of previous hauntings, either that I myself took, or that were given to me by friends and acquaintances over the years.

[MT picks up Sinistea, stands, and walks to their left, the camera following them. During the pan, we get an instantaneous look at MT’s doctorate hanging slightly askew on the wall. It’s only partially legible at this distance, but it’s from a highly regarded university and does seem to be relevant to Pokémon biology. They stop in front of a wall that is covered in photographs, nearly floor to ceiling. They are haphazardly arranged and, in many places, placed partially one over the other. MT sips tea from Sinistea and makes a face that indicates they are surprised by its intense bitterness. Sinistea giggles silently.]

Go ahead, take a closer look.

[MT gestures with their free hand toward the wall collage. Cut to a close-up of a cluster of blurry, washed-out, and grainy photographs. Few details are discernible, but those that are indicate that these images were taken in and around people’s homes. The camera slowly pans around the collage as MT talks, showing more of the same.]

You’ll notice some common themes in these pictures. Ghost Pokémon generally don’t like being photographed—or even looked at for more than an instant, usually—so they use their spectral nature to avoid appearing properly. The blurring and low resolution you’ll notice in many of these images are artifacts of the ghost Pokémon they contain. Some ghosts like Litwick and its evolutions, along with Rotom, have bright lights they can shine to obscure themselves and wash out any pictures taken of them. Capturing proper pictures of ghost Pokémon is an art form that it eludes most photographers.

[The camera arrives on a picture of a smiling MT next to A Sensu-Style Oricorio with several other Oricorio in all forms in the background. Cut back to a wide shot of MT standing next to the wall-sized collage.]

Now, let’s say you suspect you might have a haunting in your home. What do you do?

[MT walks back to their chair during this next bit of speech. When they arrive at the chair they will return Sinistea to its saucer.]

First off, if you’re in a new home, especially one built in the last 20 years, or you live in a house with a lot of residents, you’re likely experiencing anxiousness and mundane occurrences, not ghost Pokémon. Check in with everyone else who lives in the house, and you’ll likely find that the disturbances are well within the realm of everyday life. Once you’ve ruled that out, or if you live in a house that’s more likely to be haunted, you have a few options. Ghost-proofing is one such option, although this can often prove expensive and difficult to guarantee successful if not performed by a trained expert. A more straightforward approach would be to keep a companion Pokémon in your home, preferably a dark-type, as ghosts are weak against them.

[MT pats their lap twice.]

Here, Sammy!

[A small but spunky Alolan Rattata runs up and jumps into MT’s lap, making itself comfortable. It glares at Sinistea but stays still. MT pets Sammy then leaves their hand resting on Sammy’s back.]

If they’re available in your area, I primarily recommend either an Alolan Rattata or a Galarian Zigzagoon, as their added normal type gives them immunity to most attacks ghost Pokémon might use. Normal-types that have been bred or raised to know dark-type moves like Bite and Crunch are also a solid choice for the same reason. Sammy here has been with me for quite some time, and together, we keep our household haunt-free.

[Sinistea laughs at this. It’s still silent, but this laugh is much heartier than its earlier giggles.]

If neither ghost-proofing nor a companion Pokémon are practical options for you, there are plenty of trainers willing to send their Pokémon on Poké Jobs, as well as professional ghost-hunting trainers and Pokémon handlers who are more than willing to tackle your problem for you.

[MT pauses and ponders for a moment.]

Though, ah, not literally; ghost Pokémon are immune to Tackle, as it’s a normal move, you see.

[MT chuckles awkwardly. Sinistea nods proudly.]

Now, all of this is not to say that ghost Pokémon can’t ever be good companions for trainers. I personally am well acquainted with a number of ghost specialists, including Elite Four Agatha of Kanto, Gym Leader Fantina of Sinnoh, and Gym Leader Allister of Galar, among others. Any of them would tell you that a well-trained ghost Pokémon is a loyal and powerful companion for battles and beyond. I have no intention to disparage this type on the whole, but rather shed light on the problems they can cause if they are wild and unattended. In fact, for the more experienced Pokémon pet owners, a Sableye can be just as effective at keeping a house haunt-free as Sammy here.

[MT affectionately pets Sammy again. Sammy licks their finger, chitters happily, and then returns to its resting position. The fire has burned down to nothing but embers.]

Well, that’s about all we have time for today. I hope you found this segment informative on the nature of ghost Pokémon hauntings and what to do if you suspect that you or a loved one may be experiencing one in or around your home. If you have questions, pictures or stories about hauntings, I’d be delighted if you would share them with my viewers and me! Until next time, I’m Dr. Hadid, your guide through the mysterious world of Pokémon.

[The electric lights in the room suddenly burn out, leaving only the last embers in the fireplace visible. There’s a squeal from Sammy and an audible giggle that’s just a bit quieter.]

Dangit, why do these light bulbs burn out so fast? I’m sorry, this is really quite strange.

[Sounds of movement as a faint glow in the shape of a Rotom fades into view. It’s not a bright glow, but the shape is unmistakable to those who know it. End program.]

-- If you have a story, picture, or questions for MT and their Pokemon, feel free to write a letter to Pokemon 101 at the Poketeer! MT Hadid 4/29/20

[brokenmimir]

When Eyes Meet, A Battle Begins

White Rose Week 2019, Day 8: Free Day

All the stories talked about meeting a rival on your Pokémon journey, one who would challenge you again and again and keep you on your toes. Ruby just hadn't expected her's to be so pretty.

I've never gotten into the anime, and this probably got a bit too into the weeds with staying true to the video game. Still, I'm a huge fan of the games, so this was fun to do. I also wrote this before the new Corgi based Electric Pokémon got announced, which is obviously an even better fit for Zwei.

White Rose Week has been a blast, and I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves as much as I have.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19253242

“Zwei, you can do it!” Ruby shouted, bouncing in place. “Use Tackle!”

The Lillipup bent its tiny legs, before launching itself forward with a cheerful bark. It slammed into the small, bud-like Pokémon, sending it reeling back. With a grin she pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it, catching the Grass-type inside. The ball rocked back and forth for a moment, making her bite her lip with worry, before it finally settled down with a click.

“Yes!” Ruby shouted, jumping up and down. “We did it, Zwei! We caught the… uh… the something!”

Before she could retrieve the Poké Ball and use her Pokédex to figure out what the cute little Pokémon was, a voice scoffed behind her. “You don't even recognize a Budew? What kind of trainer are you?”

Ruby turned around, and found herself stunned at the sight in front of her. The girl couldn't be more than a year or two older than her own fifteen years, and without her heeled boots she might have been even shorter than her own barely five foot height. Despite that she looked elegant and refined in a way that Ruby had never seen in real life, even standing along the forested trail of Vale Route 4.

“Well, are you going to say anything?” the girl demanded.

Ruby blushed and looked down at herself. She was a bit dusty, having spent the last few days living out of a Pokécenter while trying to fill Professor Ozpin's Pokédex. She'd already caught a few new friends to go with Zwei, the Lillipup her father had bred for her when she was still a little girl, but she suddenly found herself wishing that she'd spent at least a little more time on her appearance. Her dusty, grass stained black and red dress and beloved red cape, looked silly next to the other girl's perfect white dress and bolero jacket.

Why did she care, though? She'd never worried about what anyone else thought of her looks before. In the end she fell back on habit, meeting the girl's blue eyes, one of which had a really cool scar, and offering a challenge. “We've made eye contact. That means we have to fight.”

She smirked. “Hmph. Perhaps you're not a total loss as a trainer if you at least know that. Prepare to be defeated by Weiss Schnee!”

“Well- well you prepare to be defeated by Ruby Rose!” she responded, to which Zwei added a cheerful bark. “That's right, Zwei! Let's get her!”

The two faced each other down, Weiss pulling out a Poké Ball and throwing it out. “Myrtenaster, let's show this girl who's boss!”

From the Poké Ball emerged a Pokémon like nothing Ruby had ever seen before. It appeared to be a fancy, elegant sword, with a long, scarf-like blue tassel emerging from its pommel. The weapon floated in midair, and she could see decorations on the hilt that resembled eyes and a grimacing mouth.

“Alright Zwei, use Baby-Doll Eyes!” Ruby shouted.

Zwei barked, and focused on Myrtenaster, his big, glistening, incredibly cute eyes making it hesitate. Ruby still wasn't sure what kind of Pokémon the sword was, but nothing was immune to Zwei's cuteness.

The other trainer wasn't immune, either. “Ahh! It's so cute!”

“I know,” Ruby said with a grin. “Nothing's cuter than Zwei!”

Finally shaking off the cuteness overload, Weiss pointed dramatically at the Lillipup. “Myrtenaster, use Fury Cutter!”

The sword hesitated, obviously not wanting to hurt the cute little puppy, but eventually it swung its body. Ruby braced herself, worried for her cutie, but the hit didn't do too much damage. Zwei shook it off, barking confidently as he set himself again.

“Good boy!” Ruby shouted, suddenly much more confident. She didn't know what Myrtenaster was, but she wasn't afraid of it if it could only hit that hard. “Use Tackle!”

Zwei jumped forward… and flew right through the Pokémon, not hitting it at all. Ruby blinked, confused, but he hadn't missed. The attack simply hadn't done anything at all.

Besides making the other trainer laugh. “Really? Don't you know Ghost-types are immune to Normal-type moves? Your Lillipup doesn't stand a chance against Myrtenaster!”

“Oh yeah?” Ruby said. “Well, um, your face doesn't stand a chance either! And it's not like yours did much either!”

Weiss smirked. “Didn't it, though? Myrtenaster, Fury Cutter again!”

The sword-shaped Pokémon attacked again, using the same move, but this time it hit harder. Still, Zwei was a tough little Lillipup, and he was okay even with several more hits like that one. She had a secret weapon ready, just for jerky Ghost types. And finding cookies. Mostly the cookies. “Zwei, use Odor Sleuth!”

The Lillipup sniffed the air, focusing in on Myrtenaster. Weiss just ordered her Pokémon to attack again, this time hitting poor Zwei hard. He kept his feet, but Ruby fretted, almost going for some medicine before she realized what was going on.

“Figured it out?” Weiss asked. “Fury Cutter is twice as powerful every time it hits! Next one's gonna take your little doggy down!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Ruby said confidently. “Zwei, use Tackle!”

“That won't work, you dolt,” Weiss chuckled. “Myrtenaster's a Ghost-type, remember?”

The Lillipup charged forward, but this time instead of passing through he slammed into his opponent, knocking it back a bit. “Now who's a dolt,” Ruby said triumphantly. “Odor Sleuth lets Normal-Types hit Ghosts.”

“You're still the dolt, dolt,” Weiss said, blushing at having not known that. “Myrtenaster, finish that cute little Pokémon off.”

Myrtenaster swung one more time, this time sending Zwei tumbling back. Ruby ran over to him, but while obviously out of the fight he wasn't too hurt. Still, it was with a heavy heart that she had to recall Zwei to his Poké Ball.

“Is he alright?” Weiss asked.

Ruby looked over at the other girl, and felt herself smile just a little. She'd been kinda acting like a jerk, but if she cared about her opponent's Pokémon then she wasn't a bad person. “He'll be okay.”

Weiss returned to her cocky stance, resting one hand on her hip as a smirk stretched across her face. “Ready to give up?

“No way!” Ruby shouted, pulling out another Poké Ball. Silently she thanked her Uncle, grateful for the training trip he'd brought her on that had led to her getting this Pokémon. “Crescent Rose, let's kick her butt!”

The Pokémon was strange looking, with a four legged posture, light pink fur, blue eyes, and a huge red scythe blade sticking out of one side of its head. Ruby felt her chest puff out with pride as she saw her opponent's reaction to the unusual Pokémon.

“No way!” she said. “Is that a Shiny Absol?”

“Yup,” Ruby said. “Your Ghost-type is going down. Crescent Rose, use Bite!”

The Absol jumped forward, opening the mouth in its strangely human-like face and taking a large bite out of Myrtenaster. Crescent Rose was too powerful for the Ghost-type, taking it down in a single bite.

“Alright, so you've got some good Pokémon,” Weiss said, making a face as she recalled the sword-like Pokémon. “I'll still beat you!”

“Bring it on,” Ruby said with a grin.

“Hmph,” Weiss harrumphed, hesitating for a moment, before pulling out another Poké Ball. “Glyph, you can do it!”

The Pokémon had green hair with two red, disk-like horns, and red eyes. Its body looked like it was wearing a white tutu, and it danced in place like a ballerina on two legs.

“That's a Kirlia!” Ruby said, recognizing it from Trainer school. “Absol's are immune to Psychic-type moves!”

“But they're weak to Fairy moves!” Weiss shouted. “Glyph, use Disarming Voice!”

The Pokémon shouted, a wave of energy emerging from its mouth to strike Ruby's Absol, knocking it back and hurting it badly. Still, Crescent Rose was tough, and she wasn't defeated by one hit. “Crescent Rose, use Bite!”

It hit hard, but the Kirlia withstood it. Ruby had forgotten that being a Fairy-type also helped it resist Dark attacks. “Glyph, finish off that Absol!” Ruby winced, bracing herself for the attack, but the shout left Crescent Rose still standing… barely. Still, she needed something else, so she quickly recalled the Absol, pulling out her last Poké Ball. If this didn't do it she was in a lot of a trouble. “Come on, Wormy, you can do it!”

“Wormy?” Weiss asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Ruby threw out the Poké Ball anyway, revealing a three foot tall bee with lance like cones for forearms. After seeing it Weiss scoffed and tossed her hair. “Seriously? A Beedrill? Why did you name it Wormy?”

Ruby blushed and poked her finger tips together. “I caught her when she was a Weedle and thought she looked like a cute little worm. I didn't know what she turned into.”

“Dolt,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes. “Glyph, its a poison type, so use Confusion!”

“Wormy, hit Glyph with Poison Jab!”

The Beedrill was fast, much faster than the Kirlia, and it slammed one of its poisonous lances into the other Pokémon, taking it down in one blow before it could move. With a sour look on her face Weiss pulled out another Poké Ball. “This is my last Pokémon, a gift from my sister when I was young. He's more than enough to beat you, though!”

She tossed the Poké Ball, and out came one of the most adorable Pokémon Ruby had ever seen. It looked like a spherical ball of striped fur, but with two tiny slits for eyes, and a pig nose at the front. She couldn't see any legs or mouth, but its little nose moved up and down as it grunted cutely.

“That's adorable!” Ruby gushed. “What is it?”

“This is Boarbatusk, my Swinub,” Weiss said proudly. “Swinub, use Mud Bomb!”

“Wormy, Posion Jab!” Ruby replied.

Wormy was faster again, but this time the hit barely did any damage. The Swinub oinked loudly, before somehow launching a clod of densely packed mud with a flick of its body. It slammed into the Beedrill, doing quite a bit of harm.

“Swinub is an Ice/Ground type,” Weiss said. “Your Poison type doesn't stand a chance. Hit it again!”

Seeing how hurt the Beedrill was Ruby bit her lip, before she remembered what it could do. “Yeah, well… Wormy has the Swarm ability, so Bug-type moves are way more effective now that he's hurt. Wormy, use Twineedle!”

The Beedrill darted forward, slamming its two lances into Boarbatusk. The Swinub was obviously badly hurt by the enhanced attacked, but it wasn't enough. Ruby felt her heart fall as the Swinub replied with another mud ball… only for it to miss completely.

“No!” Weiss shouted.

“Wormy, finish it off!”

The bug darted forward, slamming its lances into the Swinub again before it could move, knocking the Pokémon unconscious. “Alright! You did it Wormy! Good job!”

“Here,” Weiss said, tossing some money at her. She looked upset, and Ruby could understand why since nobody liked losing. Still…

“You were amazing,” Ruby said.

“Not enough, obviously, since I failed,” Weiss said.

“You just lost 'cause you got unlucky,” Ruby said. “If that Mud Bomb had hit I'd've lost Wormy.”

“You still had Crescent Rose,” Weiss pointed out, looking only a little mollified by her words.

“Yeah, but she was hurt pretty bad,” Ruby said. “I'm not sure if she could've beaten your Swinub.”

“I guess we'll never know,” Weiss said with a sigh as she gathered up her Poké Balls.

Ruby bit her lip, before running over and grabbing her own, as well as the Budew that she'd captured before the fight started. When she turned around she saw Weiss already starting to walk off. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“To get my team fixed up,” Weiss said.

“Let me go with you,” Ruby said. “Mine's pretty beat up, too.”

Weiss hesitated for a moment. “Fine.”

Ruby ran up beside her, grinning brightly. “You're really good, you know.”

Weiss shook her head. “I lost.”

“Yeah, but, I mean, we're both pretty new as trainers, right?” Ruby said. “We both only have three Pokémon on our team. The best way to get better is to lose, or at least that's what my dad always said.”

“My father told me a Schnee should never lose,” Weiss said.

“Well, he sounds dumb,” Ruby decided. “I mean, you're awesome and you lost, so losing can't be that bad.”

“You are such a dolt,” Weiss muttered.

Ruby grinned. “Come on, it's getting pretty late. Let's get some dinner while our teams are getting healed!”

Weiss looked at her for a long moment, before blushing and turning her face away. “You're paying.”

Ruby plucked up the courage that led her to become a Pokémon trainer in the first place. “Of course! You're always supposed to pay when you ask someone out on a date, right?”

If Weiss had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to how red she turned with those words. She still managed to raise her chin in the air proudly when she spoke again. “Good, at least you know that much. But if you intend on courting me, I expect you to also prepare yourself appropriately for the evening.”

“I will!” Ruby promised, desperately hoping she had something in her pack to wear on a proper date. She also suddenly wished she hadn't run and hid whenever Yang tried to teach her how to put on make up.

“Good,” Weiss said primly, before looking away as she reached over and grabbed Ruby's hand. It was cool and soft, and fit her own perfectly. She wasn't sure which of the two turned more red at the contact, but while Weiss kept her expression stoic Ruby grinned from ear to ear.

What had she gotten herself into?

“Don't think this means I've forgotten you won by luck this time,” Weiss said, squeezing her hand a little. “I'm going to beat you next time!”

She couldn't wait to find out.

[sage-nebula]

If Alan had to assemble a new Alolan team (he'd keep Lizardon of course!)who do you think he'd pick?

Hmm, do you mean like if he did what Ash does at the start of each new saga and only brings Pikachu with him to new regions, thus filling the rest of his team with ‘mon exclusive to that region? Okay, I can do that … but to make it interesting, let’s make him a team from every region, and then I’ll assemble a final team of six out of those. =) Putting this beneath a cut, because it’s going to get long:

I’ll put the species name first, and then the nickname he’d use for them second. And of course, the first ‘mon for every single region is always going to be the same. ♥

Kanto:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Lapras — Lace (Water/Ice)

Raichu — Rai (Electric)

Nidoking — King (Poison/Ground)

Gengar — Gar (Ghost/Poison)

Aerodactyl — Ptera (Rock/Flying)

Lizardon is self-explanatory. He goes with Alan to every single region and they’ll never, ever part.

Lace is a callback to my Immortality AU, where I think I ended up giving Alan a lapras (or maybe reunited Ash with his?) because I imagine that lapras are a species that live a very, very long time—that even they’re not technically dragons, the lifespan of the Loch Ness Monster in our own world lends to the idea that lapras would be long lasting. In any case, I could see a lapras on Alan’s team. Lapras are very strong and very durable, and we know that Alan does like pokémon that can be both tanks and very heavy hitters, which lapras are. In addition, though, lapras are known for having very gentle temperaments, and since Alan is so calm and gentle himself (when he isn’t given reason not to be), I feel that would fit well with a lapras. Lapras are very rare (they’re more easily captured in Johto on Fridays), but there could possibly be a situation where someone working in the Safari Zone gives him one to raise and take care of once they learn that he comes from the Kalosian Pokémon Lab, because they need someone to look after this particular lapras and raise her, and they know he’ll do a good job.

Rai, I figure, could have been inspired by Ash, in the sense that knowing Ash and his Pikachu made Alan take interest in the pikachu line and thus decide to raise one himself. Rai would be captured in Viridian Forest as a pikachu, raised up, and then eventually evolved with a Thunder Stone (not against his will, of course), because although Alan would be inspired by Pikachu, again, he does value reaching for one’s max potential in his team, and as we’ve seen in canon he does tend to evolve his pokémon all the way.

King, I feel, would be a little male nidoran who saw Alan in the Viridian area and decided, for some reason, that Alan was an Opponent and a Rival and an Enemy and that he would take him down. Unfortunately, nidoran are not very big or intimidating ‘mon, so this … did not go as planned for King … but Alan recognized and appreciated that fighting spirit and so offered King a place on his team. King originally accepted with the idea that once he gained enough strength he would defeat Alan once and for all, but ultimately he came to really love him as a trainer and became a very faithful member of the team. So, you know. Maybe he’ll eat someone else instead. (Spoiler: He’s not going to eat anyone, Alan won’t let that happen.)

Gar would be a temporary member of Alan’s team; he’d be released back to the Lavender Tower once Alan was ready to leave Kanto. I don’t really have a story behind this one, but gengar seems like the type of pokémon that Alan would find an interesting challenge to train, and the gengar that we meet in Lavender Tower in the anime is friendly enough so that he probably wouldn’t want to drain Alan of his life. (Probably.) So I think it’d probably be more of Alan offering to show Gar interesting things around Kanto, Gar agreeing, and then the two parting ways at the end of the journey.

Ptera is another callback to the Immortality AU, because I’m almost positive I gave Alan an aerodactyl there, because again, they’re basically immortal themselves, very long lasting. (And for Alan and Ash in the Immortality AU, that’s very important.) This wouldn’t necessarily be the same aerodactyl that tried to eat Ash—rather, maybe this one was revived from Old Amber, flipped out because it was fossilized and now it’s suddenly alive again, Alan helped calm it down, and so the scientists were like, “Please take this before it eats us.” Nonetheless, aerodactyl again seems like the type of pokémon Alan would train, so I could see him with one.

Those who know that Alan is my valiant dragon son are probably surprised that dragonite wasn’t included, but while I considered dragonite, in honesty I … have never been very fond of dragonite. Its design has never appealed to me, and while it is strong, I just kind of … eh. There are better dragons out there, in later gens.

(Also, I know you’re probably thinking, “Well, I’m still surprised you didn’t give him an arcanine!” but listen … the temptation was there … I do think Alan would be very good at training an arcanine and that he’d like it, but when thinking about his Future Permanent Team, I couldn’t bear to have him leave the arcanine behind, and I don’t want his team to be too similar to mine, so … a call had to be made. I had to restrain myself, despite how very real that temptation was.)

Johto:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Noctowl — Yoru (Normal/Flying)

Tyranitar — Bangiras (Rock/Dark)

Houndoom — Soot (Dark/Fire)

Donphan — Don (Ground)

Mantine — Tine (Water/Flying)

Lizardon is self-explanatory, as always.

Yoru comes from my Fix-It of the team we see him with in the League, because it kills me that they gave him unfezant, of all pokémon, when you can’t even catch that in Kalos (but you can catch noctowl), and noctowl is far more fitting thematically. I think that Yoru (short for “Yorunozuku”) would bond with Alan very quickly as a hoothoot, and would evolve into a beautiful noctowl in short order.

Bangiras is that very same tyranitar we see him with in the League. I didn’t have any real issues with him having a tyranitar in canon, so there’s no reason not to stick with that choice now. Bangiras would be captured as a larvitar and would start out feeling a rivalry toward Lizardon (that is not reciprocated) because he would want to be Alan’s strongest and favorite, but that attitude would settle down over time. Whenever he’s in Kalos and/or otherwise around Bonnie, Bonnie likes to sing “Getta Ban Ban” because of his name.

Soot is … okay, listen. For those of you who have read Genesis, you’ll know that technically the first pokémon Alan ever had was a houndour puppy that he, at the tender age of five, named “Soot.” Alan didn’t actually catch this houndour, nor was he able to raise it, but he tried and he gave it a name and it remains a very important part of his past, because if he’d never tried to keep that houndour puppy, he never would have met (and been unofficially adopted by) Sycamore. So I’ve always entertained the idea that one day, Alan and Soot would be reunited. How Soot would get all the way to Johto from Kalos is anyone’s guess, but maybe Soot was actually captured by another trainer at some point, who then traded him away to someone in Johto, who then released him. It’s possible! In any case, Soot and Alan meet by “chance” (read: destiny) at one point in Johto, Soot recognizes Alan instantly, Alan realizes that Soot is Soot, and so he’s captured and raised up (probably captured as a houndour, still, just a fully grown one at this point, close to evolving but not quite there yet). The naming convention is off from the rest, but Alan named him Soot so long ago … he’s not going to change that now. Soot is very playful and, even as a full grown adult, likes to act like a baby and get belly rubs with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Sometimes Alan still calls him “Sootie.” It’s hard not to.

Don doesn’t have a story behind her; I think a donphan just seems like the kind of pokémon that Alan would train, particularly since donphan can be tanks, can be fast (ROLLOUT), and are hard hitters (again, ROLLOUT). Also, I have a real soft spot for phanpy, so I like the idea of Alan raising one up to be a mighty donphan (albeit a mighty donphan that still thinks she’s the size of a phanpy).

Tine is partial bias to sea rays that I gained during my Japan vacation, and partial “I do think this would fit.” Again, no real story to this one; I just think it’d be interesting for Alan to raise a mantine and I think he’d enjoy and be good at it. Everyone was mantine surfing~

Again, the big surprise here might be that I left off kingdra, particularly since he has dragon clan heritage in Blackthron City (though if this is a canon compliant timeline, he might not know about that yet). But I didn’t want to give him two water-types, since water’s not really his thing so much, and I personally prefer mantine over kingdra. But don’t worry, there will be dragons to come in the future regions.

Hoenn:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Flygon — Lye (Ground/Dragon)

Milotic — Milo (Water)

Absol — Sol (Dark)

Salamence — Bohmander (Dragon/Flying)

Metagross — Meta (Steel/Psychic)

Lizardon remains self-explanatory.

Lye would be captured as a trapinch, and perhaps got its name both because of its future final evolution, and also because it was very hot to the touch (due to being out in the desert) when Alan first met it, thus it burned him and made him think of how lye burns when it comes in contact with skin. In any case, even as a trapinch Lye always wanted to be off the ground, which makes Alan wonder sometimes if he should have named it Fly instead.

Milo is another call to the immortality AU, though it’s Ash that has a milotic in that one, rather than Alan. Nonetheless, milotic is a big pokémon that looks like a sea dragon, is very strong, and very much a tank as well, so it’s the type that he’d have on his team. Plus, I like the idea of him catching a feebas, and knowing that no matter how weak it is at the time, he can help it become stronger. And with time, he does. 

Sol would be a healing, reclamation type pokémon for him. For those of who you have read Genesis (linked above), you’ll remember that the mayor of Isolé Village compared Alan to an absol in a derogatory way:

The mayor looked back at [Augustine], and her furious scowl was instantly replaced by an apologetic smile. “Oh, Professor Sycamore! I’m so sorry about all of this. I should have warned you to watch out for this one, but I didn’t think even he would … well.” She chuckled, but Augustine could hear an undercurrent of anger in it as she placed her hand on the boy’s head and shook him a little, her fingers gripping his hair far more roughly than Augustine had ruffled it back in the houndour den. “I should have known better! Alan here is like our own little absol—brings disaster wherever he goes!” She laughed again, the sound loud and aggressive.

That was years and years ago, but Alan has an eidetic memory and so he remembers everything that happened to him in that village: every punishment, every name he was ever called, and so forth. And as a result, given that he was always compared to absol and that it was meant to be a bad thing, seeing absol has always filled him with a very uncomfortable, anxious feeling. It’s not something he ever takes out on them, obviously, but seeing absol (or hearing the word “absol”) reminds him of those days back in Isolé, and he doesn’t like it. (Buneary sort of do as well, come to that, since they were always allowed to run around the village at will, but it doesn’t have the same tie to him as absol does.)

So in that sense, if he came across an absol in Hoenn, he wouldn’t want to capture it at first, but perhaps the absol would keep following him around because she knew that something bad was going to happen to him and wanted to prevent it. And after she helped save him from whatever disaster, it’d help him come to terms with things. Sycamore himself taught Alan that absol never bring disaster, and Alan knew that … and he also knows that he never really brought disaster, that the things he was blamed for weren’t really his fault … but sometimes it takes a while for the heart to catch up. And so he’d capture the absol, and name her Sol (meaning “sun” as well as being a play on her name), as a sort of healing / reclamation thing.

Bohmander would either be captured as a bagon, inspired by Zinnia and her salamence, particularly in my preferred scenario where a version of the Delta Episode is carried out post-XY(&Z), and Alan and Zinnia become quite acquainted with one another as a result. Boh is a bit smaller than the average salamence and is quite gentle, but he’s no less fierce in battle and everyone would do well to remember it.

Meta is the same metagross that Alan has in the League in canon, inspired by Steven and his metagross. If I remember correctly, the personality that I gave to Meta is that they are very young but also very desperate to prove themselves and be strong to make Alan proud. They struggle with self-esteem, but Alan always reminds them that he’s proud of their progress, and that helps a lot.

See? I told you there’d be more dragons.

Sinnoh:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Mismagius — Mumargi (Ghost)

Lucario — Cario (Fighting/Steel)

Weavile — Manyula (Dark/Ice)

Mamoswine — Mammoo (Ice/Ground)

Gallade — Rei (Fighting/Psychic)

Lizardon is self-explanatory, as always.

I don’t really have a story for Mumargi, except that maybe Mumargi kept “accidentally” crossing paths with him as a misdreavous before he finally caught her. After he caught her she tried to wander off at every given opportunity, because she’s contrary like that.

Way back when the Flare Crisis was airing, and Alan did that amazing back handspring to avoid the spikes in the megalith, I came up with a headcanon that perhaps he studied martial arts under Maylene for a time while traveling through Sinnoh. Perhaps that headcanon could still come to light and that’s how he ends up with Cario, who was his sparring partner while studying with Maylene and who decided to travel with him when he left. (And now whenever he and Maylene encounter each other in public they have to spar immediately, as soon as they make eye contact, without explaining anything to anyone in the nearby vicinity. Those are the rules between martial arts sensei and student.) 

Manyula is the same weavile we see him with in the League. Again, he chose a weavile there, I had no real issues with it, so why not keep it up? (Also, the Sinnoh ‘dex is hard enough to choose from without eliminating canon choices orz.) If I remember the characterization I gave her, she’s very mischievous and prideful and somewhat tsun in that she doesn’t like to play well with others … or at least, that’s what she pretends. 

There’s no real story behind Mammoo other than I thought it’s the type of pokémon that would fit Alan’s battling style, and same for Rei. 

Honestly, this one was really hard because I don’t like the majority of the Sinnoh ‘dex, and those I do like are already taken by members of Alan’s family (Sycamore has garchomp, Clemont has luxray), or just wouldn’t really fit his battling style (glaceon, leafeon, floatzel). So I struggled a lot with this one, I won’t lie.

Unova:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Krookodile — Rook (Ground/Dark)

Zebstrika — Strike (Electric)

Beartic — Bear (Ice)

Chandelure — Lure (Ghost/Fire)

Bisharp — Sharp (Dark/Steel)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

Rook seems like the type of pokémon Alan would train (fast, strong, tanky), and so there’s no real story behind this choice. That said, I like to imagine that if Rook met some of Alan’s more mischievous ‘mon from the past (such as, oh, Manyula or Mumaragi), he’s the type they’d try to scapegoat for their own wrongdoings even though he’s super honest and sincere and would never do anything wrong ever in his life if he could help it. Don’t worry, Alan never falls for the lies.

Strike might seem like kind of an odd choice, but I think that zebstrika can be pretty strong and fast and Alan would appreciate that, especially in an electric type. Strike is proud and hates losing, and is prone to tantrums and sulking fits when things don’t go his way. This is something he and Alan work on together.

Bear would have been captured as a cubchoo and not intentionally named Bear, but when Alan first encountered the curious little cubchoo trying to raid his bag for snacks, he said, “Hey there, little bear,” and from there on out the cubchoo would not respond to anything else. So now he’s a bear(tic) … named Bear. So it goes.

Lure tried to, well, lure Alan off a cliff at some point, back when she was still a litwick. That didn’t work, and when it didn’t, Lure tried again and again until finally Alan got exasperated and captured her. She still likes to try to lead him off places, this time in earnest, but she has a bad sense of direction and so she can’t be trusted as navigator even when she’s doing her best. She is a solid member of the team, though.

Sharp is the same bisharp that we see in canon. I had no problems with this one, so why change it? I can’t remember the personality I gave him, except maybe he was another that hated to lose? God, I wish I could find that post. Anyway, Sharp is bisharp, you know how it is.

I hated that canon gave Alan a random unfezant, as mentioned above, so that one got axed. I was also really strongly tempted to give him a haxorus, but I feel that’s Iris’ territory since she has that iconic axew, so I left that be.

Kalos:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Pangoro — Pandar (Fighting/Dark)

Aegislash — Exagide (Steel/Ghost)

Tyrantrum — Rexillus (Rock/Dragon)

Noivern — Bruyverne (Flying/Dragon)

Meowstic — Mistigrix (Psychic)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

For some reason I imagine Pandar as a little pancham at Sycamore’s lab that becomes utterly fixated on Alan because he (Pandar) wants to grow up to become very strong and knows that Alan could train him to do so. Thus, Alan ends up taking him along on a journey. Lo and behold, Pandar ends up achieving his dreams, so it’s a happy ending for everyone.

I don’t have much of a story for Exagide, but I think that Alan would be very interested in training an aegislash because of how much strategy goes into battling with one. I think he’d find the challenge exciting, and that Exagide would be happy to have someone who appreciated their talents.

Rexillus just seems like the type of pokémon Alan would like, as with so many others on this list. I’d like to flip the script a little and imagine Rexillus as a very lazy pokémon that Alan really has to work with to get motivated, and that even though Rexillus will at least battle reliably now, his favorite activities are still eating, sleeping, and watching cartoons. (He knows what’s up.)

Bruyverne is, I will admit, a personal bias of mine because I really like noivern, so even though Ash had one, well … it’s not an iconic pokémon of Ash’s, so it’s fine. Hell, maybe Alan was even inspired by Ash’s, I don’t know. Either way, I do think noivern would suit Alan’s battling style, and thus Bruyverne would be a good fit.

Mistigrix might seem weird, but I decided to give one to Alan as a call to the game character Emma, who I feel at least partially inspired Alan’s inclusion in the anime. Emma has an espurr named Mimi, and so I feel that giving Alan an espurr (and then meowstic) works. This works even better if we go with an idea I had once where Emma was Alan’s childhood friend in Lumiose, and she still has Mimi; she has her girl, Mimi, and Alan has his boy, Mistigrix, inspired by Emma and her Mimi. They make a pretty good team.

Alola: 

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Mimikyu — Kyu (Ghost/Fairy)

Mudsdale — Dale (Ground)

(Midday) Lycanroc — Lycan (Rock)

Kommo-o — Kommo (Dragon/Fighting)

Toxapex — Tox (Poison/Water)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

Kyu is a carry over from my fic To Devour the Sun, although I guess saying that is spoilers a little bit. Regardless, one of the ideas I have for near the end of the fic is for Alan to go off to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart to get some space and time alone (with Lizardon, of course), and while he’s there enjoying the quiet, a very lonely but curious mimikyu ends up coming up to him. The mimikyu means no harm, and she seems to be hurting in some way that he can’t quite identify, but that he empathizes with … so he takes her with him. He names her “Kyu” both because it’s a play on her name, and because she’s curious; “Kyu” sounds like “Q,” like question. (Also, I’ll fully admit that I love mimikyu with all my heart, so. This is a bit of personal bias, too, but I still think it’d be interesting to see Alan with a mimikyu that rides around on his shoulder because she, like Ash’s Pikachu, doesn’t like pokéballs.)

Dale doesn’t have a story behind him, but he seems to fit Alan’s battling style. Also, tbh, Alan is a hero, so we might as well give him a gallant steed to ride on in at least one region.

Lycan is a result of my third eye opening and finally allowing me to see sense. For the longest time I planned on giving Midday Lycanroc to Sycamore in To Devour the Sun, as a play on the whole “papa wolf” theme. As a result I was going to give Alan a drampa here, particularly because I feel that a drampa would gravitate to this boy. However, I have that so backwards. Sycamore should get the drama, as the caretaker of children who can get fiercely protective over them (were it not for the laws of Kalosian land Sycamore may well have burned Isolé Village down for how they treated Alan), and a regal wolf suits Alan far more. Plus, this also works in the sense that Ash has dusk lycanroc, while two of his rivals have the other two forms (Gladion with Midnight, and Alan with Midday). It works out.

Anyway, Lycan still has a very protective personally when it comes to his pack, which is Alan and the rest of the team. So he still acts like a papa wolf, at least.

(Also, don’t tell Sycamore’s drampa about Isolé or it very well might still get burned down after all.)

Kommo is another that I imagine would try to challenge Alan to fights, ultimately see that he can’t win, and then want to come along to train and get stronger. So not a very original story, I guess, but Alan attracts these types because he has that type of warrior spirit.

Tox is kind of a random choice to most, I imagine, but of the remaining pokémon in Alola I figure that toxapex is a good fit. It’s a bit outside of Alan’s normal training style, perhaps, but I think he’d like that challenge.

Final Team:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Absol — Sol (Dark)

Mimikyu — Kyu (Ghost/Fairy)

Salamence — Bohmander (Dragon/Flying)  

Tyranitar — Bangiras (Rock/Dark)

Aerodactyl — Ptera (Rock/Flying)

a.k.a. The team one would be likely to face if battling him when he’s the Champion.

I spent about three hours putting this all together, and this final team was probably the hardest one. I honestly have a notepad open that I’ve been using to do a base rundown of weaknesses and type coverage and, honestly, I feel like I should be going even deeper by selecting natures and movesets and all that, but … it’s 3am. I’m tired. So I’m not going to do that right now, even though Alan deserves it.

Anyway, my reasoning:

As an overview, I was torn between two different themes. Part of me wanted to give Alan’s final team the theme of mega evolution, in that every single pokémon on it would be capable of mega evolution. The other part of me felt that it was more important to give him pokémon that had more emotional value to him and his story, particularly since the only ‘mon on his team that would be mega evolving during battle would be Lizardon. In the end I did a bit of both; five out of six pokémon on the team above are capable of mega evolution, but I also did my best to choose at least most of them due to emotional weight with regards to him and his story.

So with that said:

Lizardon, as I’ve said a billion times by now, is self-explanatory. He’s Alan’s partner, his platonic soulmate—these two are never going to be separated. Their partnership is so iconic, so legendary, that anyone who even knows of Alan in a passing fashion (“oh yeah, he’s the Kalos Champion”) knows that Lizardon will show up if one challenges Alan to a battle. They’re like Ash and Pikachu. There’s no separation here. And of course, Lizardon is the one who mega evolves as well, meaning that it’s not even that easy to plan against him since his type could change to Fire/Dragon mid-battle. (So, you brought a water-type to deal with him? Too bad for you, he’s not weak to water anymore, suckaaa.)

Sol is included because of everything said above about Alan’s reclamation / healing with absol. Absol don’t cause disasters, and neither did Alan himself. He and Sol would grow really close throughout this process and I feel that Sol would be a very strong member of the team, even though she only has that one singular typing. Sol is also capable of mega evolution, though she would not mega evolve since, no matter how close they are, she and Alan don’t have that level of bond. That’s reserved for Lizardon.

Kyu is also a healing pokémon in Alan’s story, in the sense that when Alan first finds her, her actual Jolly nature has been pretty worn down and smothered by her isolation and other past traumas, the nature of which Alan is never able to learn (but figures it’s not his business anyway). But as they travel and train together, she’s able to heal and her true nature is able to come through. I think that, when looking at the rest of Alan’s team, a mimikyu seems rather unexpected—but that actually works in their favor, particularly given how wicked strong mimikyu can be (and how strong Alan’s in particular would be, given that he would absolutely utilize that Swords Dance + Play Rough / Shadow Claw combo). Kyu would be a smart choice to trip people up.

Bohmander, more often called Boh and inspired by Zinnia, is an important emotional choice for Alan because of that association. I don’t want to spoil too many of my ideas for this adaptation of the Delta Episode (though whether I’ll ever get it written and posted is another matter altogether), but Alan and Zinnia have a platonic, spiritual kinship of sorts that that they feel on a level they can’t entirely explain. They go through a lot together, and come out better because of it. Boh would, in a way, be a reminder of all that, on top of Alan caring for him as a pokémon. Plus, he’s a dragon and he can mega evolve (though he wouldn’t), so that also earns him a place on the team.

Bangiras doesn’t really have emotional significance, but despite being weak to practically everything, type-wise, tyranitar is still an extremely strong pokémon, and is capable of mega evolution (though again, he wouldn’t) to boot. I feel like Bangiras wouldn’t exactly be comfortable hanging out at the lab, and if Alan raised him up from a larvitar, releasing him into the wild would also be a pretty painful choice since it takes so long for larvitar to reach the tyranitar stage. So I feel like keeping Bangiras on the Champion team is worthwhile, even if Bonnie starts singing “Getta Ban Ban” every time she sees him.

Lastly, Ptera is a choice I’m still waffling about, but ultimately decided upon because, while Ptera is technically not a dragon, aerodactyl is dragon-like enough to the point where Lance had one back in Gens I and II. Additionally, aerodactyl is capable of mega evolution (though she wouldn’t), so thematically she also fits in that sense as well. I think in the real world competitive scene aerodactyl isn’t valued so much (unlike tyranitar), but the anime operates by different rules and aerodactyl are shown to be pretty fierce there, so I think that Ptera would still be a smart choice. (Plus, aerodactyl can learn Aqua Tail via move tutor … that would come in handy for any pesky ground-types.) 

All that said, I’m still waffling about Ptera because part of me feels like Meta would also be a very good choice. Meta tries very hard and wants to be strong to make Alan happy, so it makes me feel bad to leave them off the type, and Steel/Psychic adds a bit more variety to the above type set. However, the reason why I’m waffling is because even though Meta was inspired by Steven’s metagross, metagross just doesn’t feel like a very Alan pokémon in the same way that an aerodactyl does. Aerodactyl are dragon-esque, and metagross are … robot-esque, I guess? I think I read once they were inspired by UFOs? Metagross stands out in a way that doesn’t feel very true to him, and while it could be argued the same for mimikyu, I think the backstory that I created for Kyu (which honest to god did develop naturally as I was outlining To Devour the Sun) feels like it makes up for it, versus “Steven had a metagross and that seemed inspiring so I caught a beldum to raise up myself.” I love Meta, but ultimately this is why they didn’t make the cut. Though that said, this could easily be a situation where Alan’s sixth pokémon is up for debate, and you see either Ptera or Meta and you’re never sure which one it will be before the battle … that could be the case, too. (Although honestly, that could go for any of his pokémon, because in a universe where he honest to god did catch all these, he could call upon any of them at any time. I imagine the same is true for Ash when Ash is Champion, even if Ash has a more “regular” team that he has on him when traveling and such.)

Anyway, a few more notes:

I really debated adding Soot to the team, since Soot has a VERY strong emotional tie to Alan, second only to Lizardon. However, I think that Soot would prefer belly rubs over battles, so while he can battle, he prefers to spend his time at home being a house dog instead. Alan respects that, and thus doesn’t have him on the active roster. (There’s also the fact that Soot is the only pokémon that Lizardon … it’s nothing personal. Soot hasn’t done anything wrong. But on some level that Lizardon doesn’t like to talk about, he’s jealous of the fact that Soot knew Alan before he did and has a kind of special bond with him because of what happened in Isolé. Lizardon knows that what he has with Alan could never be replaced, but … that sort of unreasonable jealousy is still there. So honestly, Lizardon wouldn’t want Soot on the permanent roster, so it’s good that Soot doesn’t like battling much anyway.)

I did briefly consider Rexillus, particularly since that’s another dragon, but then I remembered that Rex is a lazybones that doesn’t like battling either, so it’d make more sense for Alan to use someone like Bangiras who does enjoy battling instead.

I really, really, really wanted Yoru on the team because, thematically, noctowl suits Alan so well—but ultimately there are stronger choices, so as much as I love Yoru, he’s not a regular battler. (Except for in canon when he was totally in the League instead of that ridiculous fanon unfezant, am I right?) 

Anyway, it’s about 3:30am now and I really need to get some sleep, so I’m going to leave this here for now. (I’ll also probably schedule it for a daytime reblog since I’m posting this at an ungodly hour.) Sorry I decided to be so extra about this instead of just answering the question more simply, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Thanks for asking!

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 10]

Elite Four grind time.

With some time spent pushing rocks into holes, just in case I need to go places in the future.

Team:

Caspet (Gengar)

Nessy (Milotic)

Diego (Gardevoir)

Stormy (Metagross)

Vertex (Luxray)

Photon (Rayquaza)

So here we are, leveling up our team before our chaotic last stand, and that means... we’re in a new route. One more for the road.

What will it be?

It’s a Fire type!

I’m a moron!

No, Diego, no.

...

FUCK I HAD A MASTER BALL I COULD HAVE USED.

WHY DOES MY BRAIN CONSISTENTLY GO TO THE “yeah there could be a type problem but I’m sure it’ll be fine,” ARENA WHEN I’M TRYING TO CATCH THINGS. YOUR OPTIMISM IS KILLING THIS TEAM. KILLING IT.

IT’S CAUGHT ANYWAY.

I GUESS THE LITTLE MURDERER WHO’S LIKELY TO BE PART OF THE TEAM GETS A NAME.

YOU’RE DAMIAN. IN ALL CAPS.

I’m so sorry my optimism killed you, Diego.

I have a Dawn Stone now.

Maybe things would have gone better if I had it earlier.

I might be sorrier I have to grind something else. But I’m mostly just sorry.

-sigh-

Rest well, friend.

Now then.

Hey there. You’re Serious and often doze off.

I guess I’ll train you now.

We’ll be back when the demon child is up to 60!

Or when I’m in his patch of grass again and cool, Sunflora and Manaphy. Mareep is in more common grass. As is Rhyhorn and Manectric. Ninjask in the water. Look, the wild one live longer. Braviary is occasionally here too, with Marill in the deep spots.

Heeeeey, DAMIAN made it to 60 without dying! Also without anyone else dying! Nifty! We’re throwing Caspet back in front, handing the Exp. Share to Photon for now, and just going to go through this Victory Road.

What I assume to be Victory Road. This part of the game blends together for me even worse than the rest.

...Well, now I’m on it, so no matter!

Wait. We had a planned thing?

N, this is why there’s so much fanfic written about you. Thank you, friend. Even if it’s only because I remind you of your boyfriend from the last cartridge set.

What do I teach it to, though? It’s a physical Water attack. A very good one, but I don’t think any of my physical attackers can learn it. I might have to take something out of a box for it... In that case, I might as well also get something that can learn Cut. There are trees about.

Photon and Nessy are the only ones that can learn Waterfall. I don’t think I want it for either of them. To the nearest box!

I don’t know if this is a way to a box, but this is really, really cool and I dig it.

Okay, do I have anything that can learn both Cut and Waterfall? Mayhaps? Or Fly?

No, this isn’t going to be that straightforward. Nessy and Caspet are in the box since they need exp least. Replacing them temporarily are Amuro the Charmander (Cut), and Winn the Whiscash (Waterfall and Surf).

Photon’s in the first slot, Exp. Share moves to Vertex for now.

There’s this maze of Cuttable trees and trainers out before Victory Road proper. I don’t really understand what this gen likes so much about random maze areas, but I think most Pokemon games are into that on some level. It’s just annoying right now because Sun and Moon spoiled me. HMs are obnoxious.

On a related note, Winn now knows Strength.

There are also now Kabutops everywhere.

Having gone through the maze, I’m going down Victory Road with Nessy back in the party and Amuro back in the box. Thanks for your service, bud. Where we’re going, we don’t need Cut. ...I hope.

This gen’s needless drama makes me happy.

And the first pokemon of Victory Road is...!

Hi there. You’re gen appropriate. What are you doing here.

Quick Ball for a quick catch, and your name’s Kansas now. Get in the box.

Other possibilities that can no longer be counted as such are Lickilicky, Psyduck, more Psyduck, Aggron, Spheal, Smeargle, Dragonite, Dewott, Starly, Zweilous, Trapinch, Marill, Swellow, Mismagius, Weavile, Genesect... there were a lot.

Throwing the Exp. Share at DAMIAN for the now.

We’re secretly the same person.

The number of trainers on Victory Road who have history with Team Plasma one way or another is really satisfying. In this sequel game, the events of the game preceding it had an impact on NPCs. Delightful.

Also, I repeat my desire for NPCs to not be allowed to have things that have Sturdy. I hate Sturdy. It makes me sad. So do caves that need Flash to see in. Instead of teaching anything Flash, I’m going to stumble around in the dark. The dark that says this is probably an optional section.

I made my way to an outside!

Hmmm.

Russell?

Russell!

Fuck. Rival fights just when I’m really wanting to see a Pokemon Center are not my favorite thing. They are even less of my favorite thing when I have a  slot taken up by an HM slave.

!!!

Hey, this is the rival fight that starts with an Unfezant in this corridor!

It’s level 55, and Russell only has four pokemon, so this should be relatively okay. Bouffalant comes out as a result of Unfezant’s U-turn. Nessy deals with it, but is in the orange. Simisage is next, go DAMIAN. Samurott following, go Vertex. Samurott is level 57. Stormy goes in to finish the Unfezant since Stormy has a Quick Attack replacement.

And that’s the fight! Yay!

Pokemon Center?

Fine, I can take the Thunderbolt TM I guess.

Geez, what happened in the past two years, huh?

Oki doki, I’m going to go back through Victory Road and check out all the things I didn’t want to before finding the health point on the way out. When I’m done with that, I’ll look at the resting levels and decide what I think.

Stormy with the Exp. Share for the moment.

The heck.

Am I going to want to give something Flash?

Randomizer is fun.

Now then. What are you gonna do?

Nothing. Well great.

That kind of leaves with one thing to do, doesn’t it.

Yeah.

Soooo.

I think based on the levels I’ve been up against to get here, continuing to grind kind of defeats the spirit of the Nuzlocke. I also don’t have Fly, so I’m going to stick with what I have available here to construct team improvements.

To the TM page.

Nessy’s going to forget Twister for Ice Beam.

Photon’s going to... actually no.

DAMIAN’s ditching Crunch for Toxic just so someone knows it.

And that’s it for TMs that I could change up their movesets with.

Leftovers for Nessy, Magnet for Vertex, Wide Lens for Stormy, Charcoal for DAMIAN, Spell Tag for Caspet, and Razor Claw for Photon.

Going to spend most of my money on recovery items, and then. In we’ll go.

After giving Caspet all of my remaining Rare Candy. Caspet it level 69. Nice.

I think Fighting dude is to the far right. He’s been a problem in the past, so I’m going to go ahead and try to get that out of the way. Stormy up front because while Photon might have Air Slash and STAB, all these things are likely to have Stone Edge. The worst of everything. Next to Sturdy.

Yeehaw.

...Huh.

Well then.

So Marshal’s first pokemon is a level 56 Throh. At the risk of feeling very embarrassed in a few moments, I think I might be slightly overleveled for this. Uh. Stormy, use Zen Headbutt?

Bye Throh?

Mienshao is up next, and for that one I think I want to switch into Photon. Or do I. See, I can’t remember if Bug is super effective against Stormy or not. Steel clears up a lot of the Pyschic weaknesses, but I am not allowed to look things up, and gaaah.

Stormy can survive one hit of anything, probably. In Stormy stays.

One Zen Headbutt later, Stormy is also staying in to fight Conkeldurr. It’s level 58. It uses Bulk Up (yes, it lived. its berry even brought it back to orange!). Stormy uses Zen Headbutt. Conkeldurr is no more.

Next and last is Sawk. Let me guess. This is still the Sturdy version. It is. It uses Payback, which does a pathetic amount of damage. Stormy uses Bullet Punch to simplify the future, and Marshal Full Restores Sawk. Stormy uses Zen Headbutt.

Yay, I won.

...This is sincerely awkward. I thought they’d be in their 60s. And maybe they are for the second round, but I’ve spent so many hours in this gen that my plan is to call it after beating the Elite Four. So uh. This is my final battle.

To the Psychic room?

I like how two years later, the Elite Four has agreed to stairs instead of moving spiral stairs.

Caspet is up in front.

Caitlin sends out a level 56 Musharna. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Musharna faints. Caitlin sends in a level 56 Reuniclus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Reuniclus faints. Caitlin sends in Sigilyph. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Sigilyph faints. Caitlin sends in a level 58 Gothitelle. Caspet uses Shadow Ball.

And that’s Caitlin.

Ghost girl next because I already have Caspet up front.

Shauntal sends out a level 56 Cofagrigus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. She’s about to send out a Golurk, and to keep from being too arrogant, I switch to Nessy. Nessy uses Surf. Bye Golurk. She sends out a Drifblim, I go back to Caspet. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Nessy gets sent back in against a level 58 Chandelure. Nessy uses Surf.

Nessy’s level 67 now.

Three down.

Stormy, you can sit in front for this next one.

Grimsley sends out his level 56 Liepard. It uses Fake Out. Then it uses Night Slash. Stormy is at 156 HP out of 192. Stormy uses Hammer Arm. Liepard faints. Nessy comes out to handle the Krookodile. It uses Earthquake. Nessy uses Surf. One is left standing.

Scrafty is next.

I don’t have anything I’m super comfortable having out against it, so I think I’m going to go for an odder pick and have Vertex fight it. If nothing else, yay Intimidate.

Vertex uses Spark. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb. Vertex’s Speed is lowered, but Scrafty’s down to half health. Vertex uses Spark. Ugh, a sliver of health left. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb again and Speed is lowered again. Grimsely is going to use a Full Restore, so I’m going to use Charge.

Scrafty uses Crunch.

A moment of fear for Vertex. Yike.

Charged Spark takes out Scrafty, though.

Grimsley’s final pokemon is Bisharp. DAMIAN, this is your time.

DAMIAN uses Flamethrower. Bisharp faints.

4/4.

Yay.

The question now becomes what I want in front. If memory serves, Iris is now the Champion. I don’t know if her Dragon theme is changed up at all. I do know that her levels will be a bit higher than what these four fights have entailed.

I think I’ll put Caspet up front. She’s faster than anything, and does enough damage that unless something goes very wrong, she has an excellent chance of just nailing the first thing.

...On second thought, no.

Iris might have a Hydreigon. Likely not first, but I do not need to ever give a Hydreigon extra moves. So.

Stormy, I guess. Stormy’s reliable, and whatever happens, probably won’t die in one hit. Okay.

Hi I’m Iris and I’m extra af.

AF.

Oh, I don’t remember her theme music. Feels... prancy. I like it.

HEY WAIT LOOK I DID A SMART THING SHE DOES HAVE HYDREIGON FIRST.

STORMY USE HAMMER ARM AND PLEASE HIT.

(It’s level 57.)

Hydreigon uses Flamethrower. I figured there was a very good chance of that happening, but Stormy endures the hit in the green, and Hammer Arm hits.

Hydreigon down!

Stormy grows to level 65!

Aggron is next.

I don’t want to risk Earthquake, Nessy’s taking this.

Level 57 Aggron, Nessy uses Surf. No point wasting Hydro Pump on something likely to have Sturdy.

Okay so it doesn’t have Sturdy.

It’s also gone now.

Nessy’s level 68.

Iris sends out a Lapras, Vertex needs something to do. Vertex uses Charge as a safety measure/to see if I can one-shot the Lapras. Lapras uses... Ice Beam, I think, but I was typing in this window when the attack went off. Because this has my full attention.

Vertex uses Spark. Lapras faints.

Iris has a Haxorus. It is level 59.

Well, Nessy has Ice Beam.

Haxorus hits first with Earthquake. Nessy stays green.

IRIS WHY DOES YOUR HAXORUS HAVE A FUCKING FOCUS SASH COME ON I’M SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO LIKE YOU.

Siiiigh. Nessy gets to use another Ice Beam, likely after the inevitable Full Restore comes in.

Yes to both those things.

Haxorus faints.

Iris sends out Druddigon, Nessy stays in. Nessy uses Ice Beam. ...Druddigon survives with a sliver of red, but is frozen. Nessy uses Ice Beam again. Druddigon faints.

Last up is Archeops.

I am, at heart, a sentimental man.

Caspet. I believe in you. You, the closest thing to a starter this run had after the first hour.

Use Shadow Ball.

WE WIN.

That...

Geez, that certainly happened, didn’t it? I can’t say I’m disappointed, exactly, because I like winning too much, but. Outside of Vertex vs. Scrafty, there wasn’t much fear involved. Kind of anticlimactic.

And sad, to think that Diego could have been part of it if we hadn’t met DAMIAN first. He missed it by so little.

Iris.

Iris.

Please.

Wait, where’s the shot of my entire team? Game!

No.

Here are our available living pokemon in the box. Hark and rejoice, my friends I will never play with again. The friends most of you never met are victorious.

Here lie Dreamor, Tagg, Sylarana, Sasuke, Itsy, Stella, Puff, Boruto, Cerberus, and Diego.

Thank you, and farewell.

Final team:

Nice job, guys.

Caspet, level 70.

Photon, level 65.

Nessy, level 68.

Vertex, level 64.

DAMIAN, level 65.

Stormy, level 65.

Phew.

So all of the tension went out of order for this one. My starter died early, I was massively overleveled for the Elite Four and didn’t even expect to be fighting them this round, then I was, and meaningful deaths weren’t that common or devastating.

But I had fun, and I hope the two of you who sometimes read these enjoyed the adventure. I’m done with this gen for like. at least a year, but I have decided to do a Nuzlocke of either Fire Red or Leaf Green. I don’t know which, but I’m not going to Randomize the run. I am going to have one very specific rule changing things up to make going back to the gen three version of gen one hopefully very worth it, but yeah.

I don’t know when that will be happening, but I seem to enjoy having one of these going. Plus, I think the rule changes I have in mind would make my posts less meandering.

Anyway, thanks for reading.